11.23.09
Don’t Pass on the Outside Lanes
This week’s Comedy Around the World goes to my high school track. It wasn’t one of those fancy tartek/tartan rubberized cushy tracks that the other schools had. Ours was cinder. If you tripped, you knew it. For days. The lanes were barely visible. Some of them had grass growing in them. But that didn’t stop our coach from getting us to run faster.
One of his tips was, “Don’t pass on the outside lane!”
We were to wait. Until we got on the straight-away. Then we could pass the other runner(s).
Why? Doesn’t this give the other runner more time to stay ahead of the pack? Shouldn’t we hurry up and pass the person ASAP? Isn’t this called a race after all??!!
Passing on the straight-away conserves energy. You don’t have to run those few extra inches rounding the curve. What’s a few inches?
A lot, especially when you are pacing your energy reserves. And when you are making 4 turns each lap.
When we run on the humor track, we are always on the straight-away. It’s like floating along–no elbows or spikes to trip us up. We’re not struggling around the curve. We’re not wasting extra energy. We are in “the zone.”
What’s YOUR outside lane? What do you constantly waste your effort on?
Perfectionism? Uncertainty? Fear? Boredom? Fatigue? Forgetfulness?
Wait.
Hold back.
Take that pause.
And then get back to the straight-away. It’s easier to see what’s going on. The lanes aren’t as cluttered as they are on the curves. You can run full-out. You can blow by your competitors, your detractors, your fears and your self-limitations.
And you can have fun.
