Broiler hot sun and air so thick you can see it. I'm at the tail end of a 12 hour day and I was dog tired before I began this 5 mile run. And to add to it - Hills. Lots and lots of hills. Not pleasant rolling risers, but long seemingly endless climbs that leave your legs feeling heavy as logs and lungs burning by the top of each crest. That particular day's workout was pushing a real hard pace and trying to hold it for the whole run. At some point, without even realizing I did it, I found myself repeating the same phrase over and over again. A simple sentence that would become a mantra of sorts that I still use today while I'm running and maybe more importantly, as valuable advice that has translated to my career and life: Don't quit while you're running uphill.
Don't Quit While You're Running Uphill
When you train for running you generally have a race plan that calls for 2-3 key workouts that you run each week. It is these workouts that really test you and push you to become faster and fitter. Throughout the course of any training schedule, you'll have a workout or two that just don't go well. And sometimes you'll have to make the agonizing decision to back down or even cut the workout short. Sometimes, to prevent injury or simply live to run another day, the smart decision is to pull the plug. The challenge is knowing when to do this. You can't do this every time a run is hard or you're hurting a little bit. Most of these workouts are designed to get you comfortable with being uncomfortable. You do these workouts to push your limits and hurt a little bit. So just because it feels hard, maybe even so hard that you don't think you can carry on, most times you push through that discomfort and doubt. And the lesson I learned that day on the hills was to not make the decision to quit a workout while I was literally running uphill. When you're heading up a hill, especially a long and steep one, it's always going to feel harder than the rest of the run. However, if you can slog your way to the top, you feel better THE instant you start down the backend. This thought and feeling occurred to me as I've navigated difficult times in my career.
Hate Your Job? Don't Quit While You're Running Uphill
There will be times when you're not thrilled with your job and that doesn't mean it's time to quit. You'll have tough stretches when you feel buried with more work than one person can reasonably handle. Times when you don't see any clear growth path. You feel stuck reporting to the wrong person. You're questioning working for that company in any capacity or even in your chosen field at all. During these darkest times I can guarantee this one thing - when you're feeling at your worst, you're decision-making skills will also be at their worst. When things feel the hardest, almost painful, when just moving the smallest bit forward at the slowest pace takes all your effort that's when quitting seems like the easiest thing to do. Don't do it. You're running uphill and you never quit while you're running uphill.
Almost always, things will get a little better at some point. It's at this point when you're not so stressed and you can remove your emotions a little that you should make a decision. If you wait until you're 'downhill' you can make a lot more rational choice that so greatly affects your immediate life and could drastically impact your future.
Author: Bryan LeDuc