I remember being a HS senior, trying to decide where I'd go to college, and feeling overwhelmed by the idea that the choice I made would determine the next four years of my life. Good thing I didn't realize it would actually determine the next 10+ years of my life, considering my career folded out of college relationships until I hit about 30, or I might have melted under the pressure to decide.
Well, right now I'm faced with the same kind of daunting decision. I need to pick a training program for the Marathon that will guide me through the next four months... and get me to the start line in decent physical shape and with a mind ready for punishment. The thing is, I know in advance that whichever route I go, the people I meet there, the advice I get, the training experience, is going to have an impact on me for the rest of my life. It's a seemingly simple decision but with the weight of my entire future braided in, I've been befuddled!
The obvious factors to consider include my availability, quality of the program (though this is a bit nebulous to me since I've never run with a training team or had a coach), cost, convenience and size/level of group. The constraints are that I don't get out of work until 6, I'd rather spend less than more on this, I want a group that's my level or lower so I don't get freaked out and demotivated, and that I already have commitments three nights a week.
The more prestigious class meets twice during the week, leaving me NO days off for ad hoc fun. It's early enough that I'd be late a lot. It costs $100 more than the other course, is on the East Side - and I live on the West Side - and is slightly above my level. To make matters worse, in 2000, I actually took a running class with this group (oh there it is, the truth, I did try running a decade ago and failed) but ended up dropping out because everyone seemed to enjoy running and I felt the odd man out. That's a lot of "cons" against my lead choice, based on prestige. And yet, I've kept it in lead position.
The other program meets on the West Side at 6:30 pm. They do a bag check so I wouldn't even have to run home before. At the end, I'd be 2 blocks from my house. It's cheaper. It starts 2 weeks earlier. The requirement for entry isn't as strict, so I might be with people my level. And this program meets one night during the week - a night when I don't have a commitment already - and once on the weekend for a long run, which is how I'm already doing my training. That's a lot of "pros." And yet, I've been reluctant to choose it.
It's interesting to notice my pension for prestige, my strong desire to go with "the best" by name, and trust "the authority" on running, when really I have no reason to believe option two would deliver any less of an experience. In fact, in my heart I believe my success at the marathon will have much more to do with the effort I put in to any program than the specific structure set up for me by an outside party. Both programs will attract interesting people. Either would be fine.
I've finally found the confidence to make a definitive choice. I was looking for a "pro" that would tip the scale in the second program's favor and I found it. The more prestigious program falls on the night I take intenSati; I would have to give that up. On my way home from class tonight, it dawned on me how truly important intenSati has become, how much I love and look forward to being with the people in it, and how my intenSati experience informs my running in ways nothing else could. It's the ultimate cross train. intenSati may do more to get me to the start line than anything else in my life.
So, with confidence, I have decided I'm going to go with the program that really makes sense for me. It's a choice that reflects what's good for me, my personal pros, and not just what might look good on paper, or sound good, or be easy to describe. Feels like a choice I can stand behind.
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