The brain has two hemispheres that are separate and don’t interconnect. The logical left brain does our business activities, trying to steer us into pleasure and away from discomfort. The creative and intuitive right side is an unlimited source of solutions to problems and connects us to hidden strengths.

As we accumulate stress, the left brains sends us a stream of messages telling us to “slow down” and “this isn’t your day” and even philosophical messages like “why are you doing this.” – Jeff Galloway

Your left brain doesn’t want you to run 26.2 miles. It doesn’t want you to run 13.1. It doesn’t want you to run a 10k.  It doesn’t even want to do a 5k.  Your left brain is perfectly content watching football.

If you can’t overcome the negative messages generated by the left side of your brain than you can’t run. It’s that simple.

Distance runners will often say that it’s all mental.  Many marathon runners will say that the hardest part of a marathon is overcoming the mental challenges.

The practice of law is the same way. Preparing for a trial is a lot like distance running. It’s hard and time consuming. And sometimes my left brain would rather be watching football.

The key is to first identify the noise being generated by the left side of the brain and then destroy it.

How?

Think positive thoughts.  When I run and I’m starting to feel it I think the word “fly” or “glide”.  Doing so activates the right side of my brain. And my creativity overcomes the pain.

The point is that while practicing law you’ve got to figure out how you’re trying to defeat yourself and how to overcome it. I use different go to motivational phrases that I use while running in my everyday practice.

If you see me in court and hear me mumble “I got this”. You’ll know why.

“Stress + Rest = Improvement.” -@jeffgalloway

The pattern is constant. Run. Walk. Long run one day. Rest the next.

Rest is half the equation. Hard work is the other half.

My best runs have come when I’ve built up mileage. Rested for a short period and then run again.

Stress plus rest equals improvement. It’s a law. One of the few laws that the Connecticut General Assembly has yet to codify.

Before I started training I looked at rest as weakness.  I would think to myself that I should be running everyday.

This caused a few bad things to happen:

1. I’d get injured;

2. I’d burn out; and

3. I’d feel guilty about not running.

Bad, bad, and worse.

Jeff Galloway’s training programs have built in rest days.  In fact most marathon training programs build in rest days.

I’ve learned through running that rest isn’t a luxury. It’s necessary for improvement.  Looking at rest that way, there’s no need to feel guilty.

This is the first of several posts on what I’ve learned about law through running.

The first and most important lesson is that someone starting out in law needs a sherpa.

Before I ran, I used to scoff at running books on the shelf. I thought who needs a book on running? It’s just a matter of moving your feet. This was when I’d run 5ks. My usual MO was to sign up for a spring race. Train by running as fast as I could. Get injured. Run the race. Then not run again for a year.

Late last spring, I decided to train for a 5K. I downloaded the Couch to 5K app for my iPod Touch. I loved it. It balanced running and walking. It preached gradual build ups and had a set program of when I should rest and when I should run.

A strange thing happened as I prepared for my 5k. I felt great. I wasn’t injured and I was looking forward to running. So much so that I toyed with the idea of signing up for the Hartford Half Marathon.

Then one day at Barnes and Noble, I found my running sherpa otherwise known as Jeff Galloway. I bought his book on running and I followed it all the way to the finish line.

I learned from Galloway (a Wesleyan grad) how to train injury free. Everything from how much to run, how to run, when to rest, what to think about while running and nutrition.

Starting out in the legal field is a lot like heading to the starting line of a marathon. It’s hard.

The learning curve in a lawyer’s first year of practice is very high.

Young lawyers need sherpas.

If you’re an associate in a firm then you need to seek out mentorship. If you’re going solo out of law school you need to seek out mentorship from other lawyers.

Lawyers like runners are usually very helpful and eager to teach.

If you’re starting out consider getting involved in your local bar association. Also consider checking out Solo Practice University.

Getting guidance from attorneys who have some miles on their shoes is vital to succeeding in the practice of law.

_____________________

A little aside. One day I’m talking with Bill Leone a partner at Leone, Throwe, Teller & Nagle about running. He was asking me about what I was doing to train for the Half Marathon. I told him I was following Jeff Galloway’s book. Bill smiles and says, “Jeff and I were classmates at Wesleyan.”  A literal intersection of running and legal mentorship.