Sara Hall: Learning Life Lessons Through Running
(Elite Athlete Blog -Entry 11)
Posted June 13th, 2008 at 4:00 PM by Sara Hall
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Sara Hall
Welcome to the official blog of U.S. middle-distance runner Sara Hall. Sara’s list of running accolades include being a former NCAA All- American at Stanford, the 2006 USA 5K road champion, and the 2006 champion at the Continental Fifth Avenue Mile. Check back every other Friday for her latest entry at http://sarahall.thefinalsprint.com/
There are many lessons that I’ve learned from running that I have applied to my life outside of the obvious- “perseverance” and “goal-setting”. The idea to write about this came from my coach at Stanford Dena Evans. (Dena is a perfect example of this herself because she has taught me just as much about life outside of running as she has about running itself).
Investments: Ryan and my first year out of college, we were ultra frugal. Neither of us had any money before we signed our contracts, and having lived on campus all four years at Stanford, eating in the dorms and rarely spending money, it was a huge transition year for us to be writing big checks for life expenses. We felt strongly that the money we had been given was not ours, but entrusted to us by the Lord to manage wisely. However, I think we took it to the extreme, reusing ziploc bags and eating Thanksgiving dinner leftovers for a month.
One of the areas we skimped on too was massage. The thought of spending $80-100 for a massage seemed outrageous at the time, and so instead we tried to work on each other and just get by without it. By the end of the year, Ryan and I were fried from the long year of intense training, and looking back we wonder if getting more therapy could have helped prolong our season. After the season, our coach Terrence said something that stuck with us, “If you’re going to do this (be a professional runner) you’ve got to do it right”. It was then we realized what he had been telling us, “you have to spend money to make money” and that making small investments can have bigger payoffs, especially when it comes to your health. There’s no sense in living off the dollar menu at McDonalds if you’re going to pay a fortune eventually in medical bills.
Mundane: When people hear me say I am a professional track athlete, they say, “Wow, that’s so exciting! What a fun life!”. (That or, the typical “how many miles do you run a week? That’s more than I drive in my car!” Little do they know how many times I have heard this). But in reality, our lives on a day to day basis really aren’t that glamorous. In fact, some days they are downright boring. Ryan jokes that sometimes he feels like he’s retired. Eat, run, eat, sleep, eat, run again, eat, sleep. Sometimes the monotony drives me crazy and I just want to hop in my car and head for the border.
However, I’ve learned from running that even when in pursuit of something great, the mundane is necessary. Every great accomplishment has had years of groundwork behind the scenes to get to that point. If I had it my way, I would work out on the track doing all-out repeats every day, but the easy runs and resting are just as necessary. I will remember this one day when I am not running, that no matter what I’m doing, whether changing diapers or sitting behind a desk, that greatness often still requires monotony.
Needs: Another thing we’ve learned from being on Team Running USA is to pay attention to what makes you comfortable. “A happy runner is a fast runner” as Terrence reminds us. Though I don’t think it’s good to live a life of self-indulgence, pampering yourself with whatever will give you immediate gratification, to perform well you need to be living in an environment that’s positive and comfortable, because inevitably your emotional state impacts your performance to some degree. Some people are better at separating these from others, but at the end of the day, when you are happy, confident, feel loved, accepted, and valued you carry that positive energy into your endeavors. It’s been a struggle for me this year to have spent a lot of the year living away from Ryan (while I am training and sea level and he at altitude), but it has caused to me seek out and incorporate other things that bring me joy into my daily life and not dwell on what’s missing. You have to figure out what makes you tick as a person, and always make room for that to maximize your performance in whatever endeavor.
Breakthroughs: The other day, Jen Rhines and I were doing some medicine ball throws outside the weight room. We were about to start throwing the ball back and forth when Terrence said we should try throwing it to each other over a tall cement wall. It took us a few times before she got the ball over the wall, but afterwards, we never missed. I joked with her, “It’s just like breaking 15 minutes, eh Jen?” (in the 5k- something Jen did for the first time 2 summers ago and has often since). I’ve seen in running that all it takes is one time to affect your learning curve. The same is true in life, whether riding a bike or experimenting in the kitchen. Sometimes all it takes is one time to experience something and it clicks and your perspective shifts forever.
(To Be Continued…)
Thanks for reading!
- Sara
Check back on Friday, June 27, 2008 for Sara’s latest entry at: http://sarahall.thefinalsprint.com/
To comment on this entry and to send feedback & questions to Sara, please click here.
Support the “Move a Million Miles for Ryan Hall” Campaign:
Donate to Ryan & Sara Hall’s “More Precious Than Gold” Campaign and Support the Humanitarian Efforts of World Vision:
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: Dena Evans, elite athlete, elite athlete blog, elite athlete blog series, elite runner, faith, glorifying god, goal setting, god, lessons from running, perseverance, Ryan Hall, sara hall, sara hall blog, stanford, team running usa, Terrence Mahon, tfs elite athlete blog series, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
The Final Sprint
“I’ve learned from running that even when in pursuit of something great, the mundane is necessary.”
Right on! Thanks Sara for sharing your heart. I am blessed, inspired, and especially encouraged by your thoughts on how to live this life for Jesus in a practical way. All of us are created for greatness. In that understanding, the small details matters as much as the big stuff. God sees it all and develops our character accordingly. You and I are being fashioned for His purposes here on earth.
When we understand what it is we are created to do, we reflect the glory of God. You are reflecting the glory of God in your daily living. You are making a huge impact for Jesus in the way you choose to live. Be encouraged.
It’s awesome that you, Ryan, Josh, and others I don’t know who are, zealously pursuing God in all that you do.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:30 pmjust wondering what is the average weight of distance runners(women)? do coaches set limits on their athletes weight?
June 16th, 2008 at 3:19 pmSarah I read your June 13th Journal entry about getting in the mentality you had your senior year at Montgomery High. To refresh your memory that was also the year God greatly used you to impact my daughter Kate, possibly saving her life from an eating disorder! Kate just graduated from Masters and is heading out on a short term mission this fall before starting graduate school! We pray that God blesses you will success as you focus on the true prize and run your best race on July 6th in Eugene!
June 24th, 2008 at 4:32 pmHi Dear Sara,
August 8th, 2008 at 2:54 pmDo you remember me from SRBC? Pastor Dan and I get the magazine WORLD and read the article about Ryan going to the Olympics!!!! Then I got on the Internet and read your article:Learning Life Lessons Through Running. I was blessed by your words on “The Mundane.” For the past 3 yrs God has been using me to speak at retreats, conferences, and at Frontier School of the Bible. In the future, perhaps I will be able to use some of your thoughts on the mundane. How wonderful God brought you a godly husband. Please say hello to your mom and dad from us all the way in Nebraska. We will be watching for Ryan in the Olympics on TV. God continue to bless you guys.
Be sure to check out the new running book entitled “100 Miles to Destiny.” If interested in purchasing a copy of the novel, please contact the author, Will McCarthy, at wmccarthy@100milestodestiny.com or call
August 27th, 2008 at 1:14 pm(650) 212 - 1955.