Monday Motivation - Week 27 ~ The Butterfly Effect ....Revisited

"Small things we do add up

to make us who we are as runners."

                                              ~ John "The Penguin" Bingham

You may have (or not) heard of The Butterfly Effect, a concept whose definition reads something like this:

Small variations of the initial condition of a dynamic system may produce large variations in the long-term behavior of the system.  It suggests that a butterfly flapping its wings in Hong Kong can eventually affect the weather in Kansas.

Related to running, John Bingham (aka The Penguin) talked about The Butterfly Effect here, in an article at runnersworld.com.

I like this concept, and have written about it before on the Turtles blog.  Feel free to SEARCH it.  Recent events and comments brought it back to me yet again,  and I found myself thinking about actions happening around me, like butterflies' wings  flapping ..... 

My baby sister, brother in law, and oldest nephew ran their first-ever 5K yesterday, and ROCKED their race. 

My BIL, a HS sprinter many yrs ago and (recently) reformed smoker, ran his race sub 30.  Woo Hoo!  Way to go, J!   And my sister and nephew finished their first race in  a very respectable 45:56.  They had never run more than two miles before this race, which I did not know until we started into the first mile.  Um, what??  We paced with Galloway intervals, a new technique for them, and they did an amazing job.  So proud of all three of them!!!!!!!!  Way to go, K family!!!!   

This morning, we headed over to Track Shack so said sister could get her very own interval timer.  Betsy, co-owner and friend, helped us not only get a timer, but select a  Timex Ironman Kids' watch for my nephew, turning  9 this week  (b-day present/his first running watch...how cool!),  and  advice for BIL  for  what to do with  an  achy knee.  (Brick roads and inclines = ouch!)  They're already making plans for their next races ..... 

Later in the day, I received this text message from my sister:

"Thanks for your inspiration and sticking with me during the race.  We are a running family!"   

I grinned.  And ... cheered.  

Making a difference in the lives of others

truly means the world to me.

This wonderful race weekend came on the heels of a week filled with other conversations, new friendships, and actions related to running.  It was an amazing week of "flapping" all around me.  So here's my question ....

What sorts of things are happening around

you

as a result of your actions?

Think about it. 

Even the smallest action can create

a ripple effect ..... 

I'm betting there's a whole 'lotta' flapping going on!

Happy running, friends....

 Robin

Own your journey. One run at a time.™