The proverbial finish line (spoiler: there’s no medal)

Well, the time has come to summarize my learning experience with learning to run for fun. Here is a breakdown of some of the things I learned throughout this process: 

Social media as a teacher and culture of sharing 

One thing this project and this course has taught me is how valuable social media is in learning a new skill. It doesn’t matter what platform you look at, there is content made by every kind of person for every type of learning you can fathom. I stuck to Tik Tok as my main resource for this project and there was endless amounts of information and advice. I found that Tik Tok embodied the notion of culture of sharing we discussed in class. Yes, there are a million videos that say the same thing, but who cares because that just means there is a wealth of sharing and that is amazing. When learning something and using social media resources, I really like that you could stumble upon a couple accounts that really resonate with you or you could learn from a different person every time.  

Ride the rollercoaster 

I have mentioned it before, but you just have to ride the rollercoaster when learning a new skill. Any process that is challenging enough and meaningful is not a linear process. I typically had one good and one bad running day per week. I had multiple days when I did not want to run at all but ran anyways. Although I have come to enjoy running, I felt like the hard days increased near the end of the project; my calendar was so full that it would have been easier to not run or to waste my energy on running. I will say though, I don’t regret a single run that I went on or wish I had spent my time differently.  

Tik Tokking 

In logging some of my progress and process through Tik Tok, I have been introduced to some skills that have helped in producing content. I still feel a bit awkward about making Tik Toks because I don’t really know what I’m doing still. I mean, I know how to put them together, but I don’t really know the trends or what style of a Tik Tok works best for particular content, etc. Ricky Bobby knows what I’m talking about. Needless to say, I don’t think I will be an influencer anytime soon (unless we can start making $ in Canada doing it, in which case I’m on board…I’m kidding…sort of…). 

I have listed some of my major takeaways from this learning project below.  

 Points of self-awareness
-I like being accountable to a running partner
-I enjoy being outside more (not that I didn’t before, but now it is where I spend as much time as I can)
-I am a better runner at night
-I am a better runner with music because I naturally increase my pace to keep beat which has earned me a personal best during a few weeks ago (that I have since beat again)
-I have a singular focus when running and am incapable of remember that I need to take picture/record some content
-I am slow but consistent in my progression  

 Dislikes
-running on a treadmill (you can’t change pace like you can outside and its boring because there’s nothing to look at or distract you)
-it has undone all hair wash training I’ve done
-running with a stroller
-there is no crowd waiting for me when I return from a run to hand me a medal and cheer for me (I guess I have to enter a race to get that reception)  

What it has left me with 

This learning project has left me with a sense that I can learn anything I want to because of the teachers I have available at my fingertips. There truly isn’t much of an excuse to not learn something I’m interested in. It has also left me with a sense of accomplishment because I did what I set out to do. I feel accomplished after every run, when I hit the little goals I set for myself, and when I don’t allow myself to succumb to the pull of not running.  

Final tally 

I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats to see if I am close to my 58k June goal. Well, I am proud to say that so far in the month of June I have stuck to my pace of 13 km per week to make it to my goal of 58 km for the month. This was no easy feat. In the past 3 weeks I have been beyond busy with wrapping up 3 spring classes (I don’t suggest taking this on), being home with an infant and 4-year-old, planning and hosting a 4-year-old birthday party, attending weddings, etc.  

Although we have crossed the finish line for learning projects and this class, there is no line to cross in building a positive habit rather evolution and self-satisfaction. Thank you for following along my journey of learning to run!