I'm calling this "The Tale of 2 Halves" for a couple of reasons. First, Lee Ann and I both ran half marathons two weekends ago. Each of us showed our personalities big time in the way we approached and prepared for them. Second, Lee Ann and I are wholly different in most things, which works really well when we act and function as one.
So let's talk about the two half marathons. Lee Ann had been invited by her sister to run the Little Rock Marathon, while I had a work trip to Florida that would end with the Seaside Half Marathon. Now here's where our personalities really start to come out. Once Lee Ann knew she would be running, she started planning out her long runs ahead of time. Sundays became long run days. Wait let me re-say that. On Sunday's the top priority was long runs. This had to happen. These runs had to happen for her so she could feel like she was prepared enough to finish 13.1 miles and not risk any injury.
Then you have me and my preparation for the Seaside Half. I had known that I'd be running the Seaside half for a couple of months. My reaction was one of "okay, I can probably run a half." Some would say this is a overly confident reaction, and you'd be right to say that. Occasionally, I would join Lee Ann on a Sunday run (three times). I feel like this is proper preparation for a half marathon in my world. Deep down I know this is terrible preparation in reality but my personality shines through and says "that's just details-do it anyway."
I like to think I'm fit enough to do a couple of things whenever I want to just from being on the move (this is also referred to a being in "a ready to go state") as much as we are. I also rely on my knowledge of my heart rate and what it's doing. I feel like as long as I know what my heart is doing I can handle most endurance events. Now I know that this a faulty idea and has a breaking point...but again those are just details. Who needs em'?
So let's fast forward in this story. Lee Ann went into the LR half 1) super cautious and not wanting to push it too much and 2) just wanting to just enjoy time with her sister. So how did her half go? Awesome. And to plan. Lee Ann and Laura ran and at a comfortable pace and talked over the first ten miles and in the final three miles they both decided to push it and and hit the jets. She finished as happy as can be and fit as a fiddle. This I think is Lee Ann's 4th or 5th LR Half to complete. In my eyes, she didn't need to worry about anything.
Okay let's look at mine. I set pretty stupid competitive goals not really understanding what I am saying or what it would really take to accomplish them (at times...and I might add in stuff that I do not take relatively seriously...i.e. recreation). I will also add that I am an extremely competitive person. I'm talking potentially ugly competitive, both with myself and others. Have grace with me here. This is why you will rarely see me compete. It's just no good for my soul. So I say to myself, "self, see if you can finish within 1 hour and 40 minutes at the start of the race. Never mind the math....details...but for those of you who are runners you know that's a pretty stupid pace for an untrained athlete. So naturally knowing all of this, I shoot off like a bat outta hell and run at a pretty uncomfortable pace. Long story short, I was able to pull of an 8:30 min/mile average for the half putting me at 1 hour and 52 minute finish. BUT I was definitely in pain for the next four days. My body felt like it had been put through a meat tenderizer. And yes I was crying like a baby to Lee Ann about it while she's doing burpees the day after hers. Man cold level type stuff.
I talk about the two half marathons in how we prepared for them individually in order to highlight the differences in our personalities. LA is pretty type A when it comes to tasks and the details it takes to accomplish them at the highest of levels. Now in saying this, LA is also one of the goofiest people I know. Reference back to some of our instagram videos. Dr. Beatrice calling.....
Now with me, I'm weaker in the "details" category at times. I just look at the finish line and start moving towards it. I'm still working on the balance of working hard and working smart. For the majority of my life I've just started projects without really planning and when I find a better way to do something or am told of a better way to do things, I change course and adjust, just as long as I keep moving forward.
These two personality types make for some pretty different perspectives as we work together on most everything. But I would say the thing that we are continually learning is how to define these differences as strengths and really how to cover each other in places we are not as strong. This works for us most of the time and when we have strife or arguments it's usually because we forget each others strengths and just wish the other to be just like us and our strengths. That philosophy doesn't really work because we in doing this, we don't bring out the strengths in the other. As a team, we are also working on letting go of our own individual pride and acknowledging when our other half may be more gifted in a particular area or subject.
I think the big moral of the story is....If you have a specific way or system that you like in order to get things done, that's okay. But what's better is that if you can work with the people around you, utilizing everybody's strengths to accomplish the things in front of you, everyone shines.
And there's plenty of room for everyone to shine.