Going All the Way

This is my view at the end of every run. See that wooden lodge pole fence on the far left side of the photo? My backyard is literally on the other side of that fence. There is a moment at the end of nearly every run where I must decide whether I cut the corner and hit that dirt path, or whether I stay on the paved Greenbelt path and run all the way run to the corner. And by “all the way” to the corner, I am being dramatic. Running “all the way” to the corner adds no more than 10 seconds to the entire run.

Once I make that decision, the next moment I must decide whether I finish the run at the fence, or follow the paved path up a hill – or more precisely, a slight incline – for another 0.3 miles to my front door.

Some days, the decisions are easier than others. Other days – like this past Saturday – when I was 13 miles into a training run and the summer temperatures were rising, the choice is harder.

But here’s the thing, it has been years since I have opted to finish on the dirt path and at the fence line.

Why? Because if I take the dirt path, I haven’t run the entire run. If I finish at the fence line, I haven’t run to the end of the run. Unless I have injured myself during the run (which happens occasionally) or there is a mountain lion blocking the paved path (which, thankfully, has never happened), I have to run “all the way”. That means I choose to stay on the paved path and finish the run at the top of the hill.

Turns out that making those decisions at the end of the each run are a lot like the decisions I face each day. In the office. At the gym. In life. It seems there are no shortcuts to finishing, whether it’s finishing the run, the task at hand, the workout, the whatever, or any of the things.

You have to put in the miles. You have to go all the way. You have to run to the end…even when there is a shortcut staring you down and tempting you.

Do the hard work. All of the hard work. It may not be easy, but it will be worth the finish.