The Race that is Set Before Us

What started as an attempt to cultivate some self-care on a balmy Saturday in my new home state of Florida turned into a deep reflection of how we measure progress. As a caregiver for a loved one with COPD, I find my free time is minimal at best.

Even so, I try to take time to work on my health and, more importantly, my lung health. Both my parents had COPD, and other chronic lung diseases also run along both sides of my family tree.

Finding focus

I set out the morning of my first 5k with two goals: to not just show up at the starting line but to finish and not be last in a sea of over 1200 people. I lined up in the middle of the pack, somewhere around the 12—to 14-minute mile markers. I sized up the people around me.

An older lady in a lime green t-shirt with a similar body type was my first human beacon. Someone I would focus on keeping up with.

When the horn sounded, the plan I had vanished into thin air- as the lime green t-shirt sprinted out of sight at a pace I could not keep up with. I picked another person to follow.

This time, I selected an elderly man that was walking pretty fast but still, at a pace I could keep up with. After roughly a quarter mile, you guessed it- I had to pick someone else to keep up with.

A beacon of hope- to keep my eye on in the sea of race bibs and littered water cups on the road at my feet. This process of comparison was more exhausting than the actual race itself.

Breaking free from the trap comparison

I focused on running a stranger's race and not setting my sights on running or walking my own. You may compare your progress walking at the mall with that of strangers. You may wonder why another patient in your doctor's waiting room or pulmonary rehab is able to walk unassisted.

It is easy to fall into the trap of comparison. At all stages of life, we try to keep up with other people, whether it is at work, sizing up the quality of our gardening skills in our neighborhood, or who put in the most effort with the side dishes at the family potluck.

If you took two people that are of the same age, sex, and weight, and they also shared a specific health condition, like COPD, for instance, You would uncover many differences.

Pre-existing conditions, Genetics, Prescriptions, and external factors like nutrition, stress levels, and support systems can impact the patient.

Running your own race

While there are benefits to getting support and encouragement from people who have been diagnosed with the same health condition, it is important to realize that the invisible variables can cause us to chase an unattainable beacon.

If we try to move at our own pace for our unique medical journey, the extra support on the sidelines can help us from signing up to starting the race and thriving at every moment along the way.