“What a lark! What a plunge!” - Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
As runners, we are fluent in the formation of goals. Measured by where we are today. Motivated by where we could go tomorrow.
These two destinations, the here of now, and the there of tomorrow, occupy a great deal of our time, daydreams, and conversation. In running, and often, in our broader lives. It’s easy to forget the journey from here to there is a place in and of itself. The transition is a destination. A place we call change.
There’s a reason why we avoid it. That treacherous valley between today and tomorrow. It’s hard.
In running, change is characterized by discomfort. The difficulty of a faster pace, longer miles, more frequent sessions. Of rebuilding a base we lost with injury. Or laying down the foundation for a new place we have yet to reach. In our broader lives, change is equally uncomfortable. Often signaled by the discomfort of loss, unfamiliarity, and inexperience. Of being thrown into a place without a map or a guide. Or wading through uncertainty toward a future that might be unclear.
No wonder this space in between sees so little air time. It’s the part of our own personal narrative where we’re not sure if the protagonist is going to make it out alive.
But what a lark! What a plunge! While change is uncomfortable, it is also vehicle. Progress is change. So is growth. As is learning, and adaptation. Change can make us stronger. Change can make us more compassionate. Like a muscle being stressed, it can ultimately improve our resilience, and elasticity in life. Change can be a grand migration. Change can be a platform to take flight.
The Flyway is a series of essays from our community about their experiences navigating change — the pains, pursuit, and the process of metamorphosis. As well as the places those migrations take us. Both running as a comforting constant amidst change in life, and running itself as the foundation in flux.
We hope these essays help you feel camaraderie amongst the chaos, draw corollaries between the author's experiences and your own, and maybe even help you enjoy the journey along the way.
Because to run is to change. It is to subject yourself to metamorphosis - in that moment, and across those moments. It is to commit yourself today to what you could be tomorrow, and to throw yourself willingly into the valley of discomfort on the way. And if our feathered friends have taught us anything about migration – it’s that these challenging journeys are best navigated together.
So stay tuned fierce flyers, and in the meantime, remember to enjoy your journey, even when the air up there's a little thin.
Head Up, Wings Out.
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