Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Finding The Strength To Achieve The Impossible

I can't believe that is has been almost three months since I have posted anything on here, I guess I have been settling on the instant gratification that Facebook and Twitter have to offer. I just re-read my last post and thought that I might respond to it and ease many of your minds, I have not given up. I am still going after my dreams of running the Boston and NY Marathons. In fact if you have been paying attention to my race schedule my last two races I have achieved PR's in both (check out my race results here), so needless to say that I have gotten back on the horse and it is full steam ahead towards my goals.

Reading my last post got me to thinking that sometimes you do get stuck in a rut and sometimes it seems like you just want to give up on or readjust  your dreams . This is when you have to be at your strongest and fight to overcome that feeling . Sometimes you need help, and I have a wonderful support group that consists of family,friends and people who got me back on my feet and pointed back in the right direction. It is true that sometimes you have to give up on some dreams or re-adjust them, because life does get in the way . However this should be an option only if it has to be. Too many times people find excuses for not chasing a dream instead of admitting the truth to themselves and others that the reason that they are giving up is that it is either too hard for them to achieve a goal or they are too lazy too achieve a goal. If you want to give up on something, that is fine, but at least be honest with the reasons that you are giving up, at least to yourself.

I find motivation, everywhere. It comes in all forms, shapes and sizes. It comes from things that I find disgusting, like cigarette smoking. I hate the smell of cigarettes, it makes me cringe because of the thought that I have every time I smell it and that is the black tar-like substance that people are putting in their lungs.However, when I am running and I smell this smell, it motivates me because I have made the choice to do something that is healthy for my body and lungs.

I find motivation in people losing weight as well, I see them along the way during my runs or even while I am driving my car. If they are out there walking, running or doing something to lose weight and become healthier it makes me appreciate the strength that all of us have within us to try to be better. A person who I care for and love very much has been successful at this and I am very proud of my mother in law Diane for all that she has accomplished and for her dedication to continue to do the right thing for herself.

My fellow runners with whom I communicate with inspire me as well. It is an inspiration when one of them achieves a milestone, or a dream. It only makes me want to work harder so I can feel what they are feeling. I am so very proud of them and happy for them when they meet their goals, but there is a twinge of jealousy that I feel when they make it. I have to admit it , I am an attention hog, I want praise too.

Finally , sometimes motivation comes out of the blue . This week it came in the form of my track coach from my Senior year of  High School. I happen to be dropping off my daughter at a summer day camp and there he was, in a walking boot. We exchanged pleasantries and caught up on old times, but one thing he said to me when we were talking about his walking boot was " Well I guess I won't be doing any interval training any time soon!" I didn't think about this until a couple days later, and figured that it was time to get back to my roots, a place I haven't been in over twenty years . The track.

As I was doing my interval workout today I kept flashing back to high school and how I took life for granted back then, I won several races without ever really working that hard at it. Now my success in racing has come with hard work and will continue to come with hard work , and when I achieve my goals...it will be so much sweeter.