Focus

Focus.

I’m on the treadmill at the gym, doing my standard Wednesday morning easy four miles. The wintry mix outside has driven me to the ‘mill for only the third or fourth run this training cycle. I hop on there, press the appropriate buttons, and start running. In front of me, a rack of t-shirts.

Focus.

That’s the word on the shirt in the center of the rack, right in my line of vision. It’s the word Tough Guy Trainer used when he tagged me on FaceBook last week. It’s my word of the year for 2018.

Focus.

There’s some kind of Batman movie on the TV set and occasionally I glance at that but I prefer staring at the t-shirt with laser-like vision. Last year was all about the relentless pursuit of recovery and the absolute joy of returning to healthy running. Last year was about re-birth in ways I still can’t articulate entirely. I bring those ideas with me into this year.

Focus.

It’s a little crazy, but in this moment, on this treadmill, I can feel all of last year gathered up inside me. I have a marathon to run in very soon. I love the marathon and this is part of what I love about it. The feeling of running and running and running and everything else falls away. The marathon teaches me how to do this, how to focus, but this is my word for the whole year, for all of 2018. Let’s go.