The countdown is on and the changing to a new year, is upon us!
December is full of anticipation for the ending of one era and boasts the changing of the guard. We put so much stock in this fresh start only to be here again year after year, wondering where did the time go? Why did I not see change this year? Cursing our inability to change and frustrated we are that much closer to the end of time. December marks the final push to the finish line, looking at the past year’s to-do list wondering why it never got done.
I am no exception and in light of this I am looking at 2022 alongside of you. The difference is my 2021 to-dos are pretty well to-done! I have the finisher medal and my body feels the accomplishment of jobs well done. As I look forward to 2022, planning and setting goals, my search includes the possibilities for racing!
There are many opportunities to put my body to the physical test of running, cycling and swimming in the upcoming year. I have two races planned so far. One, a new registration, and the second a carry-over from a 2020 deferral. The new race to me is, Irongirl and the carry-over is Trimuskoka. There are so many fun options. There is adventure racing, trail running, cross country expeditions, and triathlons. At my age, there is less competition on the race circuit, so I hope to come home with some podium standings this year.
I came to racing later in my life. Before I took it up in 2017, I was strictly entrenched in the race of life, focused solely on day-to-day challenges and was not doing very well. That seemed enough for me. Looking back, I was settling for so little. In 2017, I registered for my first “tri-a-tri”. This short course race is an opportunity to get your feet wet, try it out, and taste the victory. A chance to explore new passions. At this time, I was in the top third of my age category and the competition was stiff. It gave me a chance to see how racing against my own abilities was to be first and foremost, because if I had pitted myself against others, I would have been very disheartened. I was racing against people five to seven years my junior at a time in life when that span makes a big difference. The podium seemed so far off so I set my sights on finishing! That became my goal. Simply to finish, without humiliating myself. As it turned out this was a great plan and fertilized my future love of challenging myself on the physical plain.
The greatest learning was gleaned when I realized there is no finish line, only milestones along a greater plan. I learned, with determination and intent, I can accomplish much more than I expect. The second greatest learning is how it is not about finishing, it is about the journey. Planning steps, building focus, and setting goals is what has improved my life overall. I have learned to love the race, not the finish line. I know now, through racing strategy, I had not been running the race of life very well. I had missed a huge piece of my life because I was always focused on the finish line, which alluded me every time. I missed out on the journey. Being a grandmother is giving me the chance to recapture those lost days. The wisdom of aging at its finest when we put into practice the lessons we have learned.
The physical journey on my feet, racing, has cleared the path for my heart and soul to live. While lost in mid-life human circumstance, my soulful living was clouded and small, waiting for my ego to get out of the way. Through racing, pushing myself to be my best self, the soul was able to partner with the ego, tame it and shine through. Nothing in life is free from exertion and overcoming inertia is the key to living fully. A stagnant pond while home to other life forms, in itself is missing out on travelling down the mountainside. The cost of getting to something greater requires payments of planning and intention.
Many of my races, over the years, were not my greatest achievements, however I crossed the finish line of every race I have ever started. That, by itself, is wonderful. There are no failures in our lives only results. Results, and learnings from a job well done. With each crossing of the finish line, my learnings from that race took me into the next. What did not work for race A was changed for race B and often it was life outside of the race journey that needed adjusting or was my greatest joy.
I remember one race both my daughter and I did. It was a long one; 15 km cross country. It was my second-year racing and my first year of sobriety. My daughter left me in her dust, and I persevered behind her. I remember being in the bush and was following the trail. From what I remember, it was a winding trail through the bush, and I could see a clear path through the bush. This trail kept winding back on itself, like a snake. If I had wanted, I could have sprinted through the trees and got to the same point. That would have been cheating, the race required me to follow the plan, the trail, to finish with integrity. I continued through and up a very steep, sandy hill. My legs were tired, and I was feeling the stress of the distance. I continued through hill and dale, under train tracks and through the forest and suddenly broke through into the field. I could see the finish line banner. As I approached, I could see my daughter, having finished, and her family standing beyond the trellis. She set down my 18-month-old grandson and pointed at me. It was a Hallmark finish, as he took off running toward me and I toward him and as I crossed the finish line I scooped him up in my arms. Cheers where shared across the crowd and many came to me after saying they had tears in their eyes.
The greatest race of all is the race to love. Loving self, life, circumstance, and challenge is a race well worth running. The partnership between the heart, soul, and body is the perfect trifecta. When you bet upon yourself you can only win. As I head into the third trimester of my life leaving behind the finished races of my past, I bring forth the learnings from these races and bet on my future. The different shoes, change in diet, both food for body and food for thought, have radically changed over time. I hold the starter pistol of my own race and I write on my own finishing banner to run through. I am the child running into my own arms, representing what is to come. The life race I am running has potential to be the best race ever. The challenge comes knowing there is no witness of how great it was until our last breath.
The summer of 2022 I will finish a minimum of two races that will keep me focused on training my body and caring about what goes into it. 2022 will be another year to set achievable goals, passionate reasons for being, and fertile ground for lessons to be learned. As I sit with the aging day-by-day, I am reminded life is what we make it. Left to its own devices, life just fades away into the early morning dreamland and disappears on the dawn’s early light unless we take control to make it count.
What part of your race needs to be better planned, reviewed, and reworked? Do you need a coach? A partner? Reach out for help, life is a journey, a marathon, not a sprint!
Cynthia Breadner is a grief specialist and bereavement counsellor, a soul care worker and offers specialized care in Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy with special attention as a cognitive behavioral therapy practitioner and trauma incident resolution facilitator. She volunteers at hospice, works as a LTC chaplain and is a death doula, assisting with end-of-life care for client and family. She is the mother part of the #DanCynAdventures duo and practices fitness, health and wellness. She is available remotely by safe and secure video connections, if you have any questions contact her today! [email protected] breakingstibah.com
