Distractions

A crazy thing happened yesterday in Fairmont Park. No, not what you're thinking. I was running in the Mission Inn Half Marathon, at just past a mile, when all of a sudden a phone rings. I can honestly say that as it was ringing, my mind was all, "no, that's not a phone ringing. We're in the middle of a race. Phones don't go off in races."

I was in a pack of maybe 8 guys, cruising along at about 6:30 per mile, and one of them makes a surge to the front of the group -- like he wants some privacy or something -- pulls out his cell phone from I-don't-know-where and says, "Hello?"

Hello? What, are you kidding me?

Either I'm getting a lot slower, or this is just plain redonkulous. The guy proceeds to have a conversation with whomever, finally yelling into the phone, "I can't talk right now, I'm in the middle of a half marathon!" Well, duh, what are you carrying your phone for in the first place?

No joke here, but on my way back after the turn-around, I saw a woman carrying on a conversation on her cell phone. Goodness. What's the world coming to.

All this reminded me of how easy it is to get distracted from the moment. Most folks who run half marathons have spent a fair amount of time preparing for race day. 13.1 miles is not exactly a distance most runners can just role out of bed and go do. Because of that, I'd assume, one would want to put the entirety of their focus and concentration on the task at hand. Eliminating distractions, like, say a cell phone in your shorts(!) would be a given, wouldn't it? Again, I'm just assuming here...

What are you focused on? Anything? What have you spent a lot of time preparing for? What are you willing to give up to achieve your goal? Or are you too distracted by the tyranny of options, the din of being busy that you can't zero in on what is really important?

One of the consequences of a culture that thinks "you can have it all" is that we fail to see that "having it all" can be a major distraction from "having what's good." As you pursue a major goal -- such as a berth at CIF Finals this weekend -- I challenge you to think about what (or who) may be your greatest distraction from achieving that goal and kindly put it "on hold" for the time being. Trust me, it will be waiting for you after success has been accomplished.

Being able to talk on one's cell phone while in the middle of a competitive half marathon may be a modern marvel, but it certainly isn't a way to finish the race with any semblance of athletic dignity.

Hey buddy, the clue phone is ringing, and it's for you!