You may remember the last time I talked here about our community garden, my knickers were getting all twisted because, unlike previous years, all the plots were taken and there seemed to be some serious “players” ie: they came out with hoes blazing. Some even had their gardens professionally planned and planted. I was going against my own wisdom:
…and fighting feelings of inadequacy because I could barely keep up with the weeds and marauding bands of deer let alone install wind chimes, spiraling trellises and the like.
A few months have slipped by and the garden dynamic has changed.
Few of the plots have maintained their impeccably groomed nature…ok none. Some have resorted to RoundUp or the weed whip. Others are completely abandoned, engraved garden stones and wind chimes shrouded in a jungle of weeds. The rest of us are chipping away, doing what we can, picking our battles….and our cucumbers before the deer get them.
I couldn’t help but notice some parallels between the challenges of gardening and those of running:
- You get out what you put in.
- Sticking with it is more than half the battle.
- Both get away from you pretty quickly if neglected.
- It’s about hard work, day after day. Consistency is king.
- They both make you sweat. A lot.
- They give you an extreme sense of accomplishment.
- They’re both hard but get easier if you stick with it.
- Success comes when you make it a priority.
How about you? Does running “teach” you anything? Are you a gardener? Do you see the similarities?
Oh I love this – so very true!! I try to be a gardener. This year has been great until just recently RATS have been eating my food 🙁 Not sure rats play into running unless it’s those pesky annoying voices in your head sometimes.
This is a great post! I’m not a gardener but my parents always had a garden when I was growing up. My brother and I would always have to go out and pick everything. I liked to eat the vegetables raw.
Running and triathlon teaches me a lot. It is definitely true that you get what you put into it and if you stick with it, it will get easier and for most of us become part of your life!
Love the analogy! Had to laugh at the hoes blazing. Since sticking with a training plan for all the last 2/3 monthsI have learned a lot about consistency. Last night I finally conquered 4 miles of Ozrks hills in less than an hour. Made every day I ran no matter what worth it.
We used to do the community garden plot until a few years ago…we got so tired of the garden being overtaken by weeds…the people who helped themselves to our produce..losing our primo plot to someone with connections in the park district…etc. We just try to grow a few tomato and pepper plants in the backyard. The squirrels seem to be enjoying them this year.
Not sure what I’ve learned from gardening! LOL!
This analogy is spot on! Love this Marcia 😉
I’m not a gardener at all – but I can definitely see the comparisons between gardening and running!!!
Funny how so many people let their plots go after investing the initial time.
I am so not a gardener but I like the analogies. I think I can only do consistency in my life one thing at a time.
I am not a gardener, but the connections you made seem to really parallel running and life in general.
Gardening and trail running for sure: lots of bugs, tree roots get in your way, and your knees hurt from spending time on the ground. 🙂
I can kill a cactus! :O But I love the analogies!!!!!!