Is 4,000 a big number or a small number?

The right answer to whether 4,000 is a big or small number is…it depends.

  • Donuts: That’s a lotta donuts.
  • Pennies: That’s small; 4,000 pennies is only $40.
  • Students: For a high school, 4,000 students is big.
  • Population: A town with a population of 4,000 is pretty small by most people’s standards.
  • Calories: Four thousand calories in a meal is ridiculously large.
  • Social Media Followers: A social influencer with 4,000 followers is looking for more.

What about 4,000 Mondays?

My friend Jodi Wellman, one of my assistant instructors at UPenn*, wrote a book** discussing how we have about 4,000 Mondays*** in our lives, so we should make each day count. Think about it: even though 4,000 Mondays might seem like a lot, it’s important to value each one. For example, you might think it’s okay to lie in bed today because you have so many Mondays ahead, but that mindset overlooks the value of each day.

This morning, while driving to our summer running session, I realized that we have only ten Mondays until our first cross-country practice, and only twelve Mondays before school starts in the fall. Sure, starting school isn’t as dramatic as “death,” and there are plenty of Mondays ahead, but after those ten Mondays, Katie Li and Sandhya will head off to college. Life will get a little busier when school starts, and our schedules will get a little tighter, so we won’t have as much time to just hang out together. So, each Monday, and every day we run with our friends this summer, is precious. Not just because those miles will help us achieve better times at Crystal this fall (though they will) and make the first set of Matador miles in September more enjoyable, or at least less painful. Consistency in our training matters for running, and the camaraderie of training as a team helps so much. But more than the running, each Monday and each day with our teammates and friends is precious.

So this summer, yes, try to show up to run with your friends every morning. Partially because your running will improve, you will get stronger and faster and healthier, and the team will form bonds that will be valuable at practices and races all season long. But more than that, because the bonds and the experiences and relationships you have matter so much. Take a few moments every day to think how lucky you are to be young and healthy and running in a beautiful place, with friends who share your joy. Plan some fun things to do together (even if that is just to go back and watch some anime this afternoon****.

It was great seeing all nine of you at practice this morning. I hope you enjoyed seeing and running with each other. Thank you all for coming to practice today. I can’t think of a better way to spend one of the 624 Mondays I have left than with you.

Remember…summer running, all summer long, Monday through Saturday at 7am.

Recruit Incoming Freshman

Mira Ram brought up a great point–not everyone coming from middle school knows about summer running!  I have three suggestions if you want to help spread the word…

  • Kennedy graduation is at 5pm on Tuesday, June 11, on the Monta Vista track. It’s not a bad idea for a bunch of you to be there at the entrance, dressed in MVXC swag, to post a sign saying “cross-country summer running at 7am” and invite kids to come. Who knows, you might pick up some more teammates!
  • Post some signs around Monta Vista and Kennedy with information.
  • Don’t forget to talk to anyone with a younger brother or sister in the incoming class, or even younger (it’s OK to invite 8th graders to run with you, too).

Spread the word!

Graduation

My third graduation in three weeks (after the University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins) was nice. Seeing the Monta Vista seniors graduate was great! I am going to miss you all…but I also think it’s pretty cool that I graduated at the same time as you did. Margaux, Megan and everyone…we are all class of 2024! I did not have that on my coaching bingo card with I started coaching at Monta Vista in 2011.

*Jodi was one of the assistant instructors in “Positive Psychology and Individuals.” She wrote the best, most thorough, most useful notes when she graded my papers.

**”You Only Die Once.” Jodi also has a web site, fourthousandmondays, and gave a TEDx talk.

***Jodi, if you are reading this, I have not read your book yet! MAPP, you know; none of us have read a “book” just to read a “book” in months. But I did buy your book, had it shipped from Powell’s, and it is waiting for me on the beach. 

****I want to plug Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken here. It’s about three girls who were not going to leave anything off their bucket list.