It's all about the Landing!

Good Morning!

What do you have planned for your weekend?

If your answer is "REST!"  you may want to step back and think about the energy and effort that you expended last week!

A while back I wrote about my sail plane experience. 

As I wrote...it brought back feelings that I have not been able to ignore!

This morning those feelings were again brought to the forefront and strengthened as I watched a "flock" of migrating raptors soaring from North to South...

They were circling and ever so slightly dropping in altitude...

...Then suddenly and without any warning...one would rise!

The others would veer to that area and follow the first up...

It was a magnificent display...

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I have a good friend that runs marathons...

REAL marathons...the almost 25 mile ones...

This person is not one of those people who run quarter or half marathons and lay claim to the real title...

She has no desire to impress anyone but herself...by overcoming her own personal challenge!

No facade...just results!

She is one of the few people that I have met that has grasped the real meaning of a race...

She recognizes that no matter how many people are competing against you...the race remains within yourself...

Jogging to victory over the others is hollow...

Crossing the finish line in second place is a victory...if you have given everything...

Combine the two...and you have fulfillment and real victory...

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What does sail planing and Marathons have to do with each other?

A lot...

The most awesome plane ride is of little value...unless you are keenly aware of where you are at any moment and know with absolute certainty that you can make it back to the airport and land safely...

No matter how much fun you are having along the flight...the important part is the landing!

In running a Marathon...at any given moment you have to balance energy and effort expended and amount remaining...

You need that "kick" at the finish line...but even before that...you need to get within sight of the finish line!

As with sail planing...it is about being keenly aware of your relationship to your real goal...and maximizing the enjoyment along the way...

Think of how you would feel if you crossed the finish line after a race and realize that you ran way too conservatively and could run another 15 miles!  You wasted your race!

Think about heading towards the runway and realizing that you miscalculated and are at too low an altitude to make it...and you are going to crash into a subdivision!

Think about being so burnt out at the end of a week that all you can do is rest!

They are all the same...

It is all about the finish line...

It is all about the landing!

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Success does not happen...it is made...

I admit that there are a few (VERY FEW) instances where success is handed to undeserving people...

This is a rare situation...

but for the vast majority...success is the end result of proper planning and adjustment...

It is about constantly optimizing one's effort expended and reserved...

It is the balance that ensure a safe landing...or the ability to cross the finish line...

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There are 3 important aspects related to this observation...

Each aspect must be balanced relative to the overall effort...

Focusing too much on any one or two will destroy the overall experience...

Let's systematically look at each...

The first one is about energy expended...

The value is answered by...Have I made the right decisions up to now?

"Have I circled too much over this area looking for the next thermal?"

...or...

"I have taken 12,381 steps...have I run too fast knowing I have about 17,000 left to take?"

In any case...the next question is...

Knowing what you know..."What are you going to do next?"

This leads us to the next important aspect...

How will I adjust?

I am too low and immediately need to plot a route back to the airport over an area with the highest probability of thermals...I need to gain 500 feet of altitude to make a safe landing...

...or...

I need to slow my pace by 3 per minute and lengthen my stride by 5 inches to finish at my target time...

Then finally...

The final aspect...is answered by the question, "What do I need to do to make this happen?"

"Turn West and fly a zig-zag course and watch for vultures!"

"Reset my pace timer and count until the rhythm is habitual!"

What is important at this point is committing to the next check...

Successful people recognize that all of those decisions are closer to the right ones...yet...probably wrong too!

So...reevaluating the progress at another point is important...

Constant assessment and adjustment...

Then...

THE FINISH LINE...

THE "WHEW!"  "Safe landing!"

and then...

How much did I have left over...

Did I actually have altitude that I wasted?  Was it a sufficient buffer?

Could I have sprinted faster at the end?  Would it have mattered?

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If you weekend leaves you no room for anything but rest...you may want to look back at your week...

If all that I focused on during that extraordinary flight...was getting back to the airport...I would have missed the experience of the flight...

If all you focus on is the finish line...you miss the race!

Learn to PACE yourself...

Practice And Concerted Effort...P.A.C.E.

That is my acronym for success...and my advice for this week...

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Have a great weekend...

Rest...

Assess...

Adjust...

Succeed...

Pura Vida!