Last night, I went for a run.
It wasn’t particularly memorable - it actually started out very normally. Heading off through Brentford and then Chiswick towards the large roundabout in the centre of Hammersmith, all was as expected. I was maintaining my usual pace around 4.45 minutes per kilometre, feeling comfortable and about to turn for home, having completed 6 kilometres of my intended 12. It was at the turning point that things started to get tougher: suddenly the wind was in my face; the rather foolish decision to go out only 30 minutes after having eaten came to fruition as I felt a bout of indigestion; the fact that I hate running in the dark started to play on my mind.
As it happened, I didn’t make it to 12. I ducked out at around 10.5 kilometres because I just didn’t really feel like pushing things any more. Many would see this as a defeat, albeit quite a small one in the grand scheme of things, but I learned quite a while ago that such disappointments should be taken in one’s stride, pardon the pun. Nothing was at stake here: I was up against only myself; there weren’t many other hardy souls out at 8.20pm on a Sunday night working up a sweat; there would have been little in the way of celebration had I made it home having covered my full intended distance in an injured state. However, when I questioned myself whether the run had been a waste of time, I knew that the answer was ‘no’. I had learned from the experience that pushing myself so much shortly after dinner was too ambitious, and I wouldn’t do so again. Nonetheless, bad miles are better than no miles.
Running has become a keen interest of mine since the first lockdown. I’m not obsessed with it, but I have grown to recognise the benefits, both physical and mental. In truth, I’m already fairly pleased with my current state of fitness. At 41, being able to run a half marathon is quite handy (I did one last year, and I’ve signed up for one in April), and having younger staff at the College referring to me as ‘fast’ is also pleasing. Even my regular parkrun statistics say that I’m a ‘local class athlete’. Though I’m not sure exactly what this means, it sounds impressive. I’m content with where I am at the moment - it’s perfectly respectable - but I want to be faster. Such a mindset, and sense of drive, has pretty much always resided in me as far as I can recall.
One can’t just get better at something without some sort of plan, and my first port of call to find ideas to do so is usually research. I bought a couple of books near Christmas in the hope of finding some sort of magic formula to get myself faster. Both provided ambitious running schedules and several case studies which covered personal stories of inspirational improvements which offered further motivation. I’ve been able to take some ideas from them and am putting them into practice where possible - it’s hard to juggle work and family commitments alongside the regularity required for consistent improvement. Last year, I also joined a running club, the Ealing Eagles, which provides me with a supportive environment and means with which to give myself a better chance of succeeding in my goal to get quicker. Not only is the club filled with friendly and welcoming individuals who are a pleasure to be around, but there are a range of well planned and led voluntary activities which complement my schedule.
Much of the time in my day job is used in an effort to inspire students that they need similar ambitions and goals in their lives, particularly in the short term. With GCSEs or A Levels an omnipresent challenge for our students, many of them don’t need extensive guidance on getting these in place.
There are some, however, that seem paralysed by a fear of failure. In fact, I would say that this is the main obstacle for staff at the College. There are some students who lack the propensity to believe in themselves, who have such a fragile level of confidence that they need to be nurtured extensively to see the right way forward requires putting oneself out there, learning from mistakes and building lasting relationships which fuel improvement. This can manifest itself in many ways - from those who rush and knowingly hand in work below their best to those who evade mock exams to avoid final judgement for the work of a term.
The first steps to such realisation are always the most difficult to take, but however these are taken, they are crucial to set students on the right path. Sometimes it needs an informal conversation where a little encouragement is imparted. On other occasions, more robust and direct intervention is required, whether through enlisting parental support or making sure that extra time is spent in College with teaching staff.
Several students whom we take on, particularly those who have gone through tough times before in their education, have walked this path, but the sooner they find that resilience is the key to success, the more progress they make. To use a cliche, the students are embarking on a marathon, not a sprint, with us.
And as with my run last night, the adage is very clear: if one doesn’t try today, there is no way that one can get better tomorrow.