“The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.”

We’re starting the 35th week since March 15th, and I said in February that I thought we were in for two years of real difficulty, and if I’m right, we’re one-third the way through.

During my morning run today, I started to think these difficult times are a lot like a run. The first part is always hard, because you have to figure out a pace you can sustain. It’s also at the beginning where you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

In the middle, you just sort of use the steady pace to reflect, and try your best to enjoy the surroundings and appreciate the fact that your body is actually doing what you asked of it – i.e., the “Zen-mode.”

Then comes the final stretch where you can start to envision how great it will be to finish strong. It’s a mix of self-doubt, confidence, and jubilation.

It’s popular these days to say, “You got this,” and it’s actually apropos, but I’d prefer to say, “The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.”

The best advice I’ve ever seen during something that requires endurance is stenciled on the on the road in three places going up Haleakala in Maui.

Breath… Breath… Breath…