Running Toward Myself

Making a Mole Hill Out of a Mountain


There are two things a runner should never talk about with other running friends: Pace and Politics.

Well, of course it's OKAY to talk about those things with other runners...no one is going to pull out a club and beat you about the head or anything (well, only in the very rarest of circumstances...).  However, more often than not, I find it quite difficult to do so without offending someone in some fashion. For instance, I'm sure that at one time or another all of us have found ourselves in precisely this situation:

Running Friend: "Hey, I heard you ran _____ (insert name of race) this weekend! What was your time"

Me: " Ugh. I just barely beat two hours. I really wasn't feeling it. How'd it go for you?"

Running Friend: "Well, I had a PR....of 2:30 (or any other number that is slower than yours)."


Open mouth, insert the appendage we all know and love. That's why, although I fall into this trap all too often, I truly try to not talk in terms of either numbers or party affiliation with those I'd like to keep as kindred spirits in my fitness endeavors. I am too opinionated to, once lured into a discussion of Pace or Politics, to keep my Big Mouth shut.

However, I AM going to allow myself to traipse cautiously down the path of Politics in order to examine a problem with which I feel that most of the runners I know are afflicted: Making A Mole Hill Out of a Mountain. What, you say?  I've got that all wrong? Bear with me for a bit. I promise, you'll understand.

Okay, here goes nothing....let's talk Politics for a moment. This week, in a pretty well-publicized speech in Cincinnati (home of my beloved Flying Pig Marathon -- love that city), President Obama had some pretty interesting remarks regarding successful small business owners:

"You didn't get there on your own," Obama said. "I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet." (source)

I'm not going to delve into the Politics of these comments (I'm WAAAAAAAY smarter than THAT). I could write until my fingers fall off about just how I feel about these two little paragraphs. But, if this isn't making a Mole Hill Out of a Mountain, then I don't know what is. Being a successful entrepreneur takes hard work, self-deprivation, moxie, unending energy, ingenuity,dedication, and commitment, and being able to make one's living by risking all that he or she has is, make no mistake, a Mountaintop moment. Minimizing that into a Mole Hill by trying to divvy up the praise for anyone who could have ever been responsible for helping that person in any way is pretty, well, downright ridiculous.


This train of thought, derailed though it might be, set me down another path.  Let's think about this...isn't that just what we do over and over again as women...as runners....as active and fit individuals? We constantly minimize our Mountaintop Moments so that they don't seem TOO great because God forbid we offend someone or stand out. We feel as if we need to give the credit for our hard  work to our spouses, to our kids (well, yours, not mine), to our parents, to our jobs, to anything but our own dedication, hard work, and tireless effort. Instead, we poo-poo our Mountaintops into Mole Hills in hopes of not tooting our own horn too much....of drawing too much attention. 

Although our federal, state, and local governments, through a little tiny thing called taxes, have built running trails, bike paths, bridges, roads, and all sorts of other infrastructure that allows me to train for races of all distances, there ain't no way I'm giving them one bit of credit (or paying more taxes, mind you!) for any of the medals I've earned in any of the races I've run. From President Obama's remarks, it seems that if I use his reasoning where small business earners are concerned, I should fork over my bling when I file my taxes next year. Sorry, Charlie. Not. Gonna. Happen. Yes....it's silly analogy, I admit it. But it's not any more silly than not celebrating your own accomplishments and instead choosing to make your Mountaintop a Mole Hill. 

For Pete's sake (or Obama's -- you choose), take pride in your achievements and stand up tall, shout it from the Mountaintop, and step on that Mole Hill on your way up. With all of the distractions and obstacles that lurk around every corner to keep you from getting to the gym, hitting the trail, or strapping on your helmet, it's YOU and YOU alone to whom the credit is due when it comes to your accomplishments. Sure, you have a lot of love, support, and encouragement from others along the way. That is a given. That is why we choose to surround ourselves with good and faithful people. But that medal, that feeling of accomplishment is no one's but yours my friend. All Yours.


See you on the road...