Just another runner's perspective

Who is your mentor?

Posted

Gale Fischer is a 43-year-old special
education teacher in Battle Creek. He has a wife, Kathy, and t
wochildren,
Torey and Logan. He is an avid runner and writer. He began running in 1997 and
has com
pleted 26 marathons. Gale will provide a monthly column on running
leading up to Lansing’s first marathon on April 22.


“Example is not
the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing."
— Albert
Schweitzer


Wednesday, Jan. 4 — As the holiday season comes to an end,
many individuals begin the new year by making resolutions. A resolution as
defined by Wikipedia is “a commitment
that a person makes to o
ne or more lasting personal goals, projects or the
reforming of a habit that must be reached over the course of
the next year. This
is a goal and not a wish.”


As runners, many of us are goal-oriented.
My first running goal was to run a marathon. I decided to do this after
watching a good friend run in the Chicago Marathon 13 years ago. I started
running the next day and completed four miles in my neighborhood. This
four-mile run was quite a challenge, but it was also a turning point.


Achieving our resolutions relies heavily
on the commitment, focus and resolve of us as individuals. Beyond this
individual drive however, many have mental, physical and spiritual help from
others in achieving their desired outcomes. These individuals are known as
mentors. Dictionary.com defines a mentor as “an influential senior sponsor or supporter.” When many of us
think of mentors we think of a coach, teacher or even a parent who has taught
us, guided us and provided an example to follow. A mentor can also be a friend,
an acquaintance, a co-worker, someone we do not know or even a child. 


I witnessed an example of a child being a mentor
while working the Kalamazoo Area Runners’ booth at the One One Run on New
Year’s Day. A young mother and her middle-school-aged daughter approached our
booth after completing the run together. I learned that the mother had started
running as a result of her daughter participating in Girls on the Run and by
being a middle-school cross-country runner. Her daughter may not have
coached her, but she did provide the inspiration for her mom to start running.


Another more profound example came to me
earlier this fall. My son began football practice in late August, and I
would often drop him off at practice and go for a run. When I returned to
practice, a father of one of my son’s teammates would always ask me how far I
ran. He was a very large individual, whom I guessed to be about 6 feet, 5
inches and close to 300 pounds. I could never figure out why someone as
big as he would have such an interest in my running.


A few weeks after our first interaction,
our conversation turned from my running to his story. He made a lifestyle
change four months prior. He began walking twice a day and drastically
changed his eating habits. Over the course of four months, he lost140 pounds.
My jaw almost dropped as I imagined this gentleman having another 140 pounds on
his frame four months earlier.


A few years prior to this, his daughter
had participated in the Girls on the Run program. Watching their daughter
grow as a result of Girls on the Run inspired his wife to start running. He
wanted to take up running too, but his weight would not allow it. He hoped that
if he lost another 100 pounds, he would be able to join his wife and daughter
for a run. His daughter had unintentionally transformed the lifestyle of
her father through her involvement in running. Although she probably is
unaware of it, his daughter became his mentor. 


Through my years of interacting with other
runners, I have heard numerous stories of adults who decided to start running
after watching their children participate in the sport. The positive influence
that children have on us can be truly amazing. As a teacher and a father,
I have seen these countless times, but stories of children being examples can
come from children whom I have never met as well.


Last fall, WWMT-TV broke a story of 12-year-old
twin girls from Scotts, who were born blind. They received cornea implants to
restore their eyesight when they were a few months old. These amazing
girls have since used their story to educate and inspire the public on the
importance of eye, organ, and tissue donation.


All of us are blessed with the potential
to be a mentor. Mentors can teach, coach, lead by example, inspire or
simply help us remember that although evils exist in our world, there are also positives
that we should focus on to shape our attitude and decisions. Mentors can help
guide us as we navigate the twists and turns of our daily lives.


As we transition from 2011 to 2012, we
should be proud of our achievements, but it is also important to acknowledge others who played a role in these accomplishments. We are not
alone in what we do. There is nothing wrong with drawing on others for guidance
and inspiration. Happy New Year.


Keep running!


Until next time, this has been just
another runner’s perspective.

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