No matter who you are, the New Year always seems like a good time for some introspection. As part of that introspection, I created a list of my favorite ice creams that I have made over the past two years. As I reflect back on my past two years of ice cream making, which coincides with the two year span in which I was preparing for the New York City marathon (my first marathon), I am struck by not just my favorite ice creams, but the number of life lessons I have learned from ice cream making and running.
Persistence is Key
When I first started making ice cream, I was not very good at it. The first few flavors I made were not the way I envisioned they would be at all and the ice cream did not hold together very well. I was ready to give up, but I kept at it and eventually ended up making ice cream that I was proud of.
Similarly, when I first started getting into running, a 10K seemed like a long distance to me. I distinctly remember training for the Scotland 10K (my first 10K) and wondering if I would ever be able to do it. I had to train for a long time, just to make it around Central Park once. Now a 10K is nothing for me. In fact, I can run 10 miles with ease. I say this not to brag, but to point out how perspective and persistence is everything. I am sure there are people out there who find a marathon easy, while I am struggling with my three laps around Central Park. However, these days as I am approaching that third lap in Central Park, I can't help my be amazed with how far I have come in such a short time. Two years ago, I would have stopped after 1 lap, now I can keep going. Point is that the more you practice, the easier things become. Don't get discouraged so easily!
Life's About the Journey, Not the Destination
It can be awkward to step outside your comfort zone and failure often hurts. The more I have experimented with ice cream, however, the more I have come to love the ice cream making process (cheesy, I know). Sometimes it really is about the journey and not the destination. Not all my ice cream flavors came out well, but along the way I have learned a lot. I have learned what works and doesn't work when it comes to making ice cream. I have learned which steps I can skip and which steps are necessary to take. I have also learned a lot about the different components of ice cream and how chemicals interact in ice cream. I have learned that before you freeze ice cream, you need to cook it first (not something I ever would have guessed). I have learned about things like food stabilizers, something I had never previously heard of. None of this is life changing information, but it is interesting and it keeps my mind engaged.
In life, it is important to not just keep your mind engaged, but also your body. Marathon training was challenging to say the least. It was taxing on both my mind and my body. However, I learned how to push myself both mentally and physically and to not give up on a goal. Trust me, there were plenty of times along the way that I thought that a marathon was beyond my physical limitations and I contemplated quitting. I didn't quit though. That may seem like such a simple and obvious statement, but not quitting on a goal is half the battle. Long story short, expand your horizons and try something new, you never know what you might learn along the way. Even if you learn nothing, you'll at least be impressed by the progress you've made and how far you have come. I told myself during training that I would never run another marathon. It was too painful and too time consuming. Less than two months later, I'm contemplating training for the Philadelphia Marathon in November.
It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right
I never would have gotten through marathon training without my husband. He was with my through every step of my training, whether that was verbally encouraging me as I ran or simply motivating me to get my lazy butt out of the house when I saw him going for a run. When it comes to running, especially long distance running, having a partner to help motivate you is huge. Your partner does not have to be a romantic interest. I had plenty of friends who came out the day of the marathon to cheer me on. The energy of the crowd definitely fueled my run. It's hard to do things all by yourself, but with the support of others you can make things go out of sight.
Patience Truly is a Virtue
Good ice cream is not something that can be made quickly. It takes many steps and often a couple days. The ice cream has to be made (usually in many different bowls); it has to cook; it has to chill (usually overnight), it has to be churned (usually for 45 minutes). If you rush in making ice cream or try to skip the wrong step, the ice cream will not come out well. Like so much else in life, if you're going to make good ice cream, you need to take the time to do it right. On the other hand, what's the point of doing something, if you're not going to do it right? So set aside the time you need to get the results you desire. It took me two years to train for the marathon, but eventually I got there! Be patient with yourself, especially when you're learning something new.
Everything in Moderation, Including Moderation
When training for a marathon, it's easy to become caught up in extremes. A Marathon after all is an extreme distance to run, though not as extreme as some runs today (such as ultra marathons). When running that far, it is easy to become caught up in being healthy. Being healthy is of course a good thing. I don't want to discourage anyone from being healthy. However, it is also possible to take health consciousness too far. For example, when I was running my first health marathon, I became so health conscious that I almost found myself becoming paralyzed when it came time to decide what to eat. I didn't want to eat meat because too much meat leads to cholesterol; I didn't want to eat too much carbs because carbs lead to sluggishness. The list could go on. Obviously, however, fueling a marathon run with just fruits and veggies is not a way to be successful. Luckily for me, I broke out of this phase fairly quickly. Eat healthy, but don't obsess over it. Enjoy your meals. If your meals include ice cream from time to time, well then so be it. You'll probably burn those calories off in your next training run.
My advice for the upcoming year, push yourself to explore new horizons, but while you're pushing the boundaries, be kind to yourself and have patience with yourself when you make mistakes. Making mistakes is an inevitable part of learning something new, so have faith that you can master new challenges and settle in to enjoy the journey. Along the way, don't be shy about enjoying that bowl of ice cream, if you need one.
Until next time, keep calm and get your ice cream eating (and running) on.
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