There are 6 frogs on a lily pad. Three decide to jump off. How many frogs are left?

Every sport has a “hard date” start. Baseball always starts on the first Monday of the first week of April. For football, it is the second weekend in September. For running, it is June 1 or so I decided. For unknown reasons, I have always looked at this date as the beginning of the running season.

Things change after June 1. The miles start to accumulate with rapid consistency. Diet starts to tighten up and flexibility is limited; that is, “I planned on running 13 today but 10 was fine.” May 30th — that would have worked. After June 1, it is no longer an option. Why? DNF is NAO. Did not finish is Not An Option.

It is also the time when I design my events and corresponding training plans. Also, I listen to others sharing their events and training, their high hopes and dreams of longer distances or better times and great experiences. The energy is just intoxicating as there is nothing like an event. Looking to create a new, different, better version of yourself? Do an event. Any distance and the person who finishes is almost never the one who starts. Something changes along the long miles. It reminds me of the kid who digs inside his box of Leggo’s, looking for a blue square and instead, finds a green star. . . which then becomes the centerpiece of the project.

Before the events, before the green stars, there is the training and this is the deciding factor. The events are the end result of what occurred 4 months or so prior. If training is dedicated, there will be 5 stars, 4 circles, 3 octagons and a partridge in a pear tree. So each year, I ask myself the question, There are 6 frogs on a lily pad. Three decide to jump off. How many frogs are left?

The answer is 6. Yes, 3 decided but deciding is not doing. And all of the grandiose events and accompanying celebrations that are planned will never happen unless the work is done. It is easy to confuse the two (deciding and doing), assuming they are interchangeable but at mile 18, only one comes to the forefront.

June 1 marks the beginning of the running season. It is also the Time of Choice. Decide, contemplate, plan, deliberate, coordinate or premeditate and get one result. OR Run. Rinse. Repeat. And get another.

The old Quaker expression says it best, “Pray is good. Just be sure your feet are moving.”