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Turning Errors Into Lessons

What I learned today…

My plan was to run the almost seven-mile trail that wraps itself around the water at Donner Lake State Park in Truckee, California. But at about two and a half miles out, it dawned on me that the combination of hills, altitude, and temperature meant my reach had exceeded my grasp.

Being a child of the tropics, I usually run on flat trails at sea level. Therefore, the elevation was hammering my legs while the almost 7,000-foot altitude was straining my lungs. What’s more, considering that in Miami we call 68 degrees Fahrenheit  “two below,” the bracing 50-degree air was turning my lips and my fingertips blue.

Figuring that a total of five miles would be about all I’d get done for that day, I reluctantly turned around and headed for home.

Out of the blue, I flashed on a memory of a marathon I ran years ago.

Just past the halfway of that 26-mile route, I found myself chatting with the guy trudging alongside me. Talking about our race strategies, it was clear that if he continued running at the pace we were both going, there wasn’t a chance he’d hit his goal time.

“I started out too fast,” he explained. “So by the time I reached 13 miles, I was already exhausted. There’s no way I can make up the time I lost over the past few miles.”

“Me either,” I empathized. “And this ain’t the first time. I’ve started out too fast in almost every race I’ve run, and I always finish much slower than I hoped. You’d think I’d learn, but apparently, I haven’t. Maybe one day I’ll not only plan my run, but I’ll run my plan.”

“When I get back to the hotel,” the guy next to me said, “I already know what I’ll write in my race log: ‘today I learned what it’s like to complete a marathon when I start out too fast.’”

Turning Errors Into Lessons

That comment gave me something to focus on for the next ten miles, even after I had strategically out slowed my running companion.

“Today I learned what it’s like to complete a marathon when I start out too fast.”

“Today I learned what it’s like to do my daily run when I didn’t sleep well the night before.”

“Today I learned what it’s like to prepare my taxes when I wasn’t careful about my record keeping throughout the year.”

“Today I learned what it’s like to call AAA when I was sure I had enough gas in the tank to make it to the next station.”

“Today I learned what it’s like to miss a flight when I didn’t leave to the airport early enough to account for unexpected traffic jams.”

“Today I learned… Today I learned… Today I learned…”

Turning Errors Into Lessons

Imagine if each our mistakes, miscalculations, and missteps could be seen as lessons to learn from instead of errors to regret.

Regardless of what plan you follow, I think the key to turning mistakes into valuable life lessons is simply to look at them that way.

So let’s get back to my more enlightened take on the run I cut short when I was in California last week.

“Today I learned how to run when it’s too cold, too hilly, and the altitude has sucked all the oxygen out of the air!”