Go on a Date
On December 15, 2020, I got a text from Dr. Steve Pupillo who said “Just wanted to extend the invitation that there is a jingle bell 5K in Canfield me and some friends will be a part of.” The race was happening 11 days from when he texted me.
As a former guest on my podcast, Dr. Pupillo opened up about the challenges he overcame to survive a rare type of cancer while finishing medical school and raising two young children with his wife.
There is no way in hell I could've told Dr. Pupillo no, even though I was afraid to run just over three miles because I hadn't ran in over a month and a half.
But there were rational reasons not to run. I’m visiting with family. My lungs don’t do well in cold air. I haven’t trained and like to be prepared. All these reasons made sense not to do it.
But I knew couldn't let Dr. Pupillo down, even if I only had 11 days to train for the event.
So I marked my calendar for the 5K and got off my couch and onto the track at my gym. The first couple of days were brutal. Three miles might as well have been 30 miles.
But the date 12/26 was etched in my mind, and got me out the door every day to do something, anything, to prepare for the event.
I couldn't get the date off of my mind, especially during the day I didn’t want to train. What was I going to do? What was I going to wear? What the environment was going to be like? are the thoughts that ran through my head.
The race day forecast was a high temperature of 19° with a windchill of 8°. I ran the race with three pairs of sweatpants, three pairs of socks, and six shirts with a hoodie. I finished number 28th.
Looking back on the days before the race, I realized having a date on the calendar to plan for kept me from over eating and oversleeping during the holiday.
Right after the Jingle Bell 5K, I signed up for the 2021 Pro football Hall of Fame Marathon and somebody asked me why. My answer: I do better with dates.
Marking a calendar date and being accountable to prepare for it has changed my daily habits when it comes to health and wellness.
Instead of waiting for somebody to ask you out on a date, you can take yourself on a date by opening up your calendar and marking a time three, six, or nine months out for something you want to accomplish.
Once you have a date, then reverse engineer each week and each day on what you need to show up the best prepared.
Whether it's a 5K, a poem you want to create, or an art project you want to submit to a competition, find events by Googling XYZ event and look at the calendar to see what you can register for.
Your preparation, attention, and focus to detail will leak into all other aspects of your life.