Angel Island, Ballyheighue, Hanalei Bay, San Sebastian, Zion N.P. + Kansas' Prairie Spirit Trail
Races you'll love running + weekly recommendations
Good morning, friends! ☀️
It’s (of course) Easter morning, which means we’re waking up to a house and a yard filled with little plastic eggs, themselves filled with jelly beans and chocolates — let’s hope the slugs didn’t get to them overnight like they did last year!
I have lots to share with you below that I discovered this week — including some great pieces on Boston Marathon winner Des Linden, who’s just published a brand-new book, on how she struggles with motivation just like the rest of us — but I thought I’d share these thoughts I found on Twitter by Steve Magness, a longtime sports performance coach and author.
In this series of tweets, Magness argues something that’s counter-intuitive and yet makes lots of sense to me: that we need to be careful about what we invest our identity in, as going too far with any pursuit can lead us to a place we don’t want to be — even if it’s the place we once dreamed about.
Here’s what he had to say that I thought was so powerful:
We tend to hype those who go all-in. But maybe, we should celebrate those who do it gradually. Who have a life and interests outside of their sport or business or craft? It turns out, going gradually instead of all-in makes us act more ethically and leads to more success:
Research shows: -Entrepreneurs who go gradually are 33 percent more likely to succeed than those who quit their jobs altogether. -When we go all-in we are more likely to cheat or violate our ethics. Why?
Burning the boats makes us fragile. We have to succeed, instead of want to. People frame that as a positive for motivation, but it's actually a negative. It may boost motivation, but the wrong kind. It pushes us towards obsessive passion & fear-driven motivation.
When we inevitably struggle, when we've gone all-in, desperation often takes hold. We are threatened: finances, status, and our self-worth are on the line. We get desperate, cheat, cut corners, and often, ultimately fail.
We should celebrate those who do it gradually. Who have a life and interests outside of their sport or business or craft. Who can do things the right way over the long haul; because when they inevitably struggle, desperation doesn’t take hold.
Lots to think about there, for me certainly. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday wherever you are in the world — right now, I’m in my hometown of Augusta, Ga., where it’s much colder and rainier than it normally is this time of year — and that you get in a great run out there today.
As always, keep in touch and let me know how your running/life is going.
Your friend,
— Terrell
🏃 To run
🌴 Ha’ena to Hanalei Half Marathon. You’ll run almost entirely along the shore of the gorgeously scenic Hawaiian island of Kauai at this early-summer race, the place where countless movies and shows from Pirates of the Caribbean to Jurassic World have been filmed. The event offers an 8-miler, which begins at Ke'e Beach in the town of Ha'ena, as well as a half marathon that follows much of the same route, taking runners over single-lane bridges and along Kauai’s stunning North Shore, all the way to the finish line at Hanalei Pier, where you’ll take in the breathtaking Hanalei Bay. Set for June 3, 2023.