“Consistency” is what people will tell you, “you need consistency to succeed at running.” To succeed at anything. I don’t disagree, but one needs to understand what consistency means.

It does not mean everything remains the same. It does not always mean a slow buildup. It does not mean continuous improvement in the traditional way of thinking. It is much more messy than that.

Consistency is for me to continue despite the different stages of the race of life. When a recent foot injury came along, I bought a pair of super supportive shoes and ran exclusively on the dirt running tracks in the gardens. When my son wanted to run with me, he only wanted to run in one garden, so my running got even more restricted. But I carried on.

I remember a time when I experienced knee pain only when I ran slowly, so I raced against the pain every other day and took more rest days. There was a time when I felt I needed to prove something, so I ran long, long distances. My family called me crazy and I certainly was (am) and never one to say no to a good challenge. And I carried on.

Twice I broke ribs (not through running, by the way!) and couldn’t run for 6 weeks. I walked, I cycled, I climbed stairs. Consistency takes many forms. During Covid, I ran up and down the stairs many times. I also ran a half-marathon on the roof. Yes, I carried on.

Consistency finds a way to change when needed while doing what needs to be done. It’s a habit, but you hold on to the details loosely. Consistency runs on far-off beaches during vacations or on icy roads before business meetings. Consistency runs 5k park runs, 100k ultras, and anything in between.

And sometimes when life overwhelms you, you stop. But when the new reality becomes bearable, your old friend is still there. And as you run-walk yourself back to fitness, it is as before, but sweeter.

And my Friend is the One who is always there, sharing every mile. No one is more consistent than He is.

Keep running
Stephan