Last Wednesday it was sunny and 70 degrees in the Bronx and running conditions could not have been better. Leaving lift after track practice to go to the cafeteria with my teammates, the sky was blue, the birds were chirping and everything was just perfect. This was one of those rare mornings where I truly felt invincible and my runner’s high was at its peak. Of course, not every day feels this good. Earlier in the week, it poured rain as I schlepped to practice (sans raincoat since I forgot to bring it and my umbrella to school this year). Morale was low to say the least as I slouched into practice, sopping wet, ready to do a track workout followed by another hour of team lift.
Just like any day, track practice can be hit or miss. Sometimes I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, sometimes an upcoming workout can be intimidating or sometimes I’m exhausted from the previous day and don’t want to get out of bed. Everyone has good days and bad days. However, what I have learned over the past three years is that the days are going to pass no matter how you’re feeling. I’ve asked myself whether or not I’d rather try my hardest to enjoy them instead of being miserable. I saw a post on the internet a while ago that read something like, “this is going to take years” and the reply was, “the time will pass anyway.” I’ll be at practice every morning, whether or not I’m enjoying myself. The rain this morning wasn’t going to stop regardless of if I was upset about it or not. The day will pass, so do I want to let it pass or do I want to fully experience it?
What I have learned, now being in my fourth year of being a student athlete, is that discipline is about more than showing up every morning; it’s about actively making the choice to try to enjoy what I do, even when I’d rather be in bed. Ultimately, I’m a little better for it. Obviously, you aren’t going to be happy 100% of the time; what I’m attempting to illustrate is that when you catch yourself falling into the rut of thinking “today is a miserable day,” (which is very easy to do when it’s rainy and gray outside) it’s possible to take a step back and try to focus on the positive, because there is always something to be grateful for. I’m choosing to seek out the enjoyable aspects of this lifestyle. I try to remind myself that each day I have the opportunity to get a little better; each workout makes me a little more in shape and a little faster. When the sunny days inevitably return, of course I’m glad to have them back.
Sometimes, however, it’s even more satisfying to know that yes, yesterday was gross and drizzly, but I still enjoyed myself (or at least I tried to).
