This week, I drove the Around the Bay race route with my friend Linda. While we were driving, I was thinking about the importance of staying focused at the beginning of a race.

It’s easy to get caught in other people’s excitement during a race. Especially when you are lined up with the other runners and starting gun goes off. Everyone sprints out of the gate.

And if you aren’t careful, you’ll sprint along with them.

The problem with sprinting out of the gate is that it throws off your pace.

You get caught up in other people’s energy at the expense of focusing on your own. Before you know it, you must refocus or your race will be a disaster.

It’s one of the benefits of training. You get used to the feel of your pace.

So, when the race starts, the best thing to do is to stay focused on yourself and go at the pace that’s right for you. Don’t get caught up with the crowd.

But it’s also a good thing to think about with your goals too.

You are running your own race in life. You’re following your path.

It’s easy to look around you and see people further ahead than you. Achieving the things you want to achieve.

But focusing on them isn’t going to help you. You’ve got go at your pace.

Getting discouraged by someone else’s success doesn’t help you reach your goals.

Focusing on concrete tasks that you can do to move forward is the way to get to your goal.

Run your own race. You’re only competing with yourself.