Finding my way

If you havent done so already, I urge you to read Steve Jobs' Commencement address at Stanford. Its one of those things that strikes a chord with you. Heres one of the many parts of it that really influenced me...
"for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

Note that he doesnt say that you need to live everyday as the last day of your life. Thats somewhat impractical. The crux is that even if you are not living it like the last day its okay, but you need to constantly evaluate, and if it happens too often, its time to bring it back to perspective...recognizing that each day could be the last day of your life. Evaluate, evaluate.

As I said, this is just a small part of the speech that struck a chord. And if you are wondering about the title of this post, I know you still havent read his address!

I managed to complete the 3.5 miler in 37 minutes. I was somewhat depressed because in the 3.5 mile practice sessions at the treadmill I was doing 33. On the other hand, I feel that taken by itself, 37 minutes is not bad for someone not having run a race in 4 years.
Things that I took away from this race:
- Running on a treadmill gives you a drastically different idea of how the race is going to be. There are different factors outdoors like temperature, humidity and varying inclines that need a lot more effort to overcome.
- Just doing your runs is not enough. A good weight-training program is also necessary so that you increase muscle strength in your legs and overall body.
- Do this race (or a similar one) every year. This will keep you in line and remind you about maintaining your fitness, as well as be an enriching social event.