This summer, I’m working as an assistant running coach at a local high school in Irvine, California. It’s a volunteer position to start with, but the idea is to transition to either a formal job with the school (which I could manage alongside my other work during the day) or start a private running club for middle school kids who want to run in high school.
There is a history behind this endeavor: my son went to this high school (he graduated last year), and I know the coach. I approached him several weeks ago and expressed my interest in expanding my love of running in new directions, so we discussed several ideas. We’re starting by working together in the summer and will then see how it goes.
Even though I have four kids, educating or coaching isn’t a natural activity for my introverted character. But I’m loving it so far! I’m learning a lot from the coach and enjoying the initial sessions more than I expected.
I assist in different ways and often just observe. The coach also lets me run with the varsity team boys. They are fast! But I’m good enough to keep up with them. Yesterday, we were doing a mid-week long run. I was feeling great, even though it was a hot afternoon and I was running at a much faster pace than I would normally run my mid-week runs. When you run in a group, you almost always feel stronger. The boys had a speaker playing energizing pop songs. The coach was biking behind us.
I felt so smooth, so composed. We ran nine and a half miles. The entire run was a happy experience, but there was a moment, about halfway through, when I felt a special spike of bliss filling my mind and body. I realized, this is pure happiness. This moment I’m living right now, running in this pack with the fast boys I can teach and who are stretching my endurance, is one of the best experiences ever.
If someone had told me a decade ago that I’d be going through this experience, I’d never have believed it. A running coach?! A potential job at a high school?! Feeling so happy?!
Did I go to Cambridge and Harvard Business School to be an assistant coach for a high school running team? The decades-long international journey, with its many ups and downs in the corporate world and the world of entrepreneurship, and now this new world I never knew existed and had a role for me?!
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying I’m abandoning the world of business. I wish. I’m in no position to retire. I have huge bills to pay and a large family to support. So, for many years to come, I will try to juggle all of these endeavors.
Still, it’s fascinating how non-linear our life journeys are…
In half an hour, I’m heading to another afternoon of this adventure. I’m enjoying it even though I’m not getting paid for it. It doesn’t feel like a chore or burden. I’m learning. I’m running! In my experience, when you’re putting effort into something without seeking immediate monetary gratification, you’re onto something big.
Am I onto something big? I don’t know. For now, it’s just volunteering during the summer and experiencing something that I love so much in a new way.
Let’s see.
For the lack of new pictures, I will reuse the one from the weekend when I worked for the first time:
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