Change can be a catalyst. Change can be a wall. Learning can be an excited deep dive into a passionate subject. Learning can be sitting in an isolated library studying room taking notes at 11pm on a Saturday. Historically, I have related the most to the enthusiastic jump all in style of change and learning. I ran my first marathon at 20 years old, 2 months after learning what they were. This attitude to change is like a drug. The initial spike of interest carried my training directly into the race. Unfortunately, as drugs work, there starts to become a point where I cant hold on to the jump of early energy as long as I could. I needed bigger leaps to sustain the excitement period. When I was 23 I set out to Thru-hike the over 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail. That lasted 700 miles or 2 months. After awhile I began to realize if I was going to make meaningful change in my life passion needs a house to live in.

And homes are messy. A house has a sweater that fell off a hanger. A fridge that has leftovers that need to be thrown out. A junk drawer with loose rubber bands scattered about. This is the over arching lesson I learned this January. Running is still the goal, but I need supporting goals for the running goal to survive. If we want to be sticklers of the numbers I ran 37.5 miles in January. Average per month needs to be around 80 to get to 1,000 miles in 2021.

But this is why numbers are bullshit.

In those 37.5 miles I also worked on my relationship with food. I stopped eating out multiple times a week. I still order in food but I am working with myself on understanding what macro and micro nutrition I need for my body. I began writing my gym work outs so I can progressively overload my muscles so I’m training and not simply hanging out at the gym a few times a week. My first run of February was twice as long as a majority of my January runs with a slightly faster mile pace.

The point is that this 1000 miles is a keystone habit change for me. Running gives me more energy to want to work on other things in my life. Running, unlike lifting, is hard to do if you’re fat. Running is about “chunking”.

“Get to the next stop sign, Jake. Okay! Good work! Last mile, can you pick up the pace? Breathe, Breathe, we will be out for 30 minutes I need you to focus on your strides.”

Chunking is breaking down a bigger task into smaller tasks. Personally, it is a lot more about self talk. Being your own advocate mentally during a physically trying endeavor. Running makes my brain work better. Running gives me the brief feeling of invincibility.

What’s your keystone habit?

What one thing in your life helps you feel more alive when you do it?

Sit quietly with yourself and answer that.

If nothing comes up, do more stuff.

I promise there is something.

To loosley rip off a court case from 1964, Jacobellis v Ohio, that tried to charge a movie theater manager for possessing and playing obscene films that the supreme court held up as freedom of speech.

I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and you’ll know when you find your keystone habit too.

A step forward even if you slip in the mud is still progress. Being a dirt covered mess when you cross the finish line doesn’t affect the personal best time accomplished.

Send this to a friend and tell them what your keystone habit is.

Gotta go for a run,

Jake

A lot of humans have achieved extraordinary feats.

People have hiked to highest mountains, endured unimaginable tragedies, created technologies that have shifted culture, and broken records that were explained by science to be physically impossible.

“Doubt kills more dream than failure ever will.”

– Suzy Kassem

I ran 2.8 miles yesterday in the snowy trails around Grand Rapids. The runs were exhausting. Most of the run was spent finding my balance and trying to run faster until I walked. Trying to get the run over with turned my “pace” run into a weirdly sporadic “HIIT” run. Following that run I was happy with the consistency I have built to start the year and gave myself today off. Instead I went for a walk today. A long walk. Truly, a stroll so long that I began to wonder to myself.

Why did I even take the day off?

I wasn’t that sore. I had been in greater discomfort on the chaffing incident earlier this week. I gave myself a break simply because I felt like it. Here’s the rub. There is nothing wrong with breaks. That is the cultural moment we are living through. But what if the person you want to be has higher standards than that? Pushing yourself through complacency is where true growth happens.

“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”

– Marcus Aurelius

The message for today is have some standards. I didn’t meet mine today. Learn from this day and move forward. Maybe in the long run I’ll thank myself but I know tomorrow is another day to get after it.

13.7 miles down and 986.3 to go.

All the best,

Jake Gillett

Rewind, the chaffing was becoming an issue

There was a mission last night to slow the chaffing. After a little lotion and a restless night sleep I was awake again. I was too excited to sleep. The runs have been a way to boost energy and focus. When I got outside the reality of the run was not meeting my excited expectations. My blisters were placed in my shoes a touch outside of painful. The ball of foot barely missing them with every step. I decided to wear shorts which was an obvious bad choice at the first gust of wind.

After all 2.3 miles of that run I was down to 989.1 miles left. Keep up the work.

Thanks for reading.

All the best,

Jake Gillett

Saggy sweat pants and small blisters

It feels good to be back inside. Even on a day with shorter miles and a quicker pace that run felt like it was weighed down by 500 pairs of wet socks. The pants I wore I had never run in before. As it became quite clear these Nike sweats had lost their elastic many moons ago. After pulling my pants up every 500 feet for 3 miles it is treat to have stable bottoms.

There are small blisters forming but I will chalk that up to improper sock placement. We can fix this problem tomorrow. The run did not feel strong.

Lesson

Getting outside is the real gift. The physical part of the running is secondary to the energy boost from being active outside. Other runners pass by. Young dog owners frown past. Old women smile with encouragement. Sure, the blisters are a mild disturbance. My thought? Who cares. I’ll walk funny for awhile if I can immerse myself in the community. The runners high is the flood of endorphins, as far as I have read, but the high of being out and seeing people puts life into perspective. Sitting in the house all day I can get wrapped up in the world that is “me”. Running gives the opportunity to see others and respect the path they are on. Whether it is getting a break from their own house, running errands on a busy Sunday, or the jolt I get from seeing someone else getting after it and logging miles.

Thanks for reading. Find your activity that helps you get outside yourself. Pushing ahead.

8.6 miles down. 991.4 to go.

All the best,

Jake Gillett