As both Brian and Danny will attest, I have a problem going slow. It's not that I'm the fastest runner, it's just that I can't seem to slow my pace down. It feels awkward somehow. Maybe, because I don't really enjoy running, I was compensating my getting my runs over as fast as I could. Of course, going slow is my only option now. I can walk without crutches, but I still need the walking boot, and anytime I leave my house I use a crutch just to be on the safe side. The boot and the crutch really make it necessary to move at a slower pace than I normally would. My kids, both of whom I'm usually dragging along with me wherever we go, are now out in front and waiting on me.
I've envied folks who could meander down a sidewalk at a leisurely pace, slowly peaking into shop windows and pausing to reflect on whatever was happening around them. My practice was always to move as expeditiously as possible...get where I need to be with as few distractions as possible. Walking with a purpose was my norm. As frustrating as it has been to be slow, I've started to appreciate the pace at which life happens when you take a little longer to get where you need to be. The slower pace has helped me notice a whole lot of things that I normally miss in my haste. Some of these things are bad (such as, recognizing the state of the outside of my house), but some of them are beautiful. I actually see the bunny rabbits in our yard, and because I'm not moving fast, they're not always scared away at the mere idea of my approach. I get to see the interactions between my kids as they run off ahead, which I would miss if I were the one in the lead.
I have no doubt that the first Tough Mudder that I run after this injury will be done at a very slow pace. I'll be one of those guys that everyone has to pass to get where they're going. I'll have to learn how to deal with my problems with being passed, but I think that I'll also have a dramatically different experience on the course. I have no idea what those differences may be, I'm sure that they will include Brian and Danny having to wait for me at obstacles, but other differences are unknown and yet to be discovered. I think that's part of the beauty of being slow - things come to you.
Learning how to "not hurry" may be the best thing to come out of this injury, because it has definitely changed my perspective. There's a lesson in this for education. In my experience, we are in such a hurry to "do things" that nothing ever fully develops. If things don't succeed immediately, then they are discarded for whatever new educational technology or fad has come up behind them. Sometimes, this can lead to progress, but sometimes it leads to lost opportunities. If simply slowing down a bit can help with finding and exploiting those opportunities, then it should be done. The question is, how do we build it into the system? How do we change education so that "slow" becomes positive?
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| Image from Wikipedia |
I have no doubt that the first Tough Mudder that I run after this injury will be done at a very slow pace. I'll be one of those guys that everyone has to pass to get where they're going. I'll have to learn how to deal with my problems with being passed, but I think that I'll also have a dramatically different experience on the course. I have no idea what those differences may be, I'm sure that they will include Brian and Danny having to wait for me at obstacles, but other differences are unknown and yet to be discovered. I think that's part of the beauty of being slow - things come to you.
Learning how to "not hurry" may be the best thing to come out of this injury, because it has definitely changed my perspective. There's a lesson in this for education. In my experience, we are in such a hurry to "do things" that nothing ever fully develops. If things don't succeed immediately, then they are discarded for whatever new educational technology or fad has come up behind them. Sometimes, this can lead to progress, but sometimes it leads to lost opportunities. If simply slowing down a bit can help with finding and exploiting those opportunities, then it should be done. The question is, how do we build it into the system? How do we change education so that "slow" becomes positive?
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