Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Midweek Motivation!

Yesterday I embarked on a 45-day run streak that will lead up to my 45th birthday on November 17th. That day will also see the third anniversary of the day I decided to start running. I won't go into my long-winded "journey" for you, but the short and sweet is, I was someone who said I would NEVER be a runner. I was a competitive swimmer all my life, running was our punishment! But in the fall of 2013, some very persuasive friends convinced me that I needed to do a triathlon with them..."You'll only ever have to run 3 miles" they said. What they didn't understand is to a non-runner, three miles seems IMPOSSIBLE! When I started, I couldn't run for 5 minutes straight before I thought my lungs were going to explode...I said to myself "I am going to die before I can ever run three miles" But, I found a quote that first week that has stuck with me for the last three years; "Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and soon, you are doing the impossible". And yes, that spring I did the impossible, I did my first 5k race, then that summer, I did my first triathlon, and I found that my "impossible" kept getting harder to define. So, in October 2014, less than a year after I got on a treadmill and barely ran for 5 minutes, I did my first TC 10 Mile. I was terrified, I had never run double digits before...I had never run in a race this big before (over 10,000 runners!). But I knew that I had it in me, I knew that I had done was was necessary, and possible, and that my mind and body, which were both so determined before that I was not a runner, were on the same page. I crossed the finish line of that race and a switch flipped...I was a runner, I had run for TEN MILES non-stop, and I knew that I wasn't finished. The next day I signed up for my first Half Marathon, and the day after my first Half Marathon I signed up for my first Marathon. And I'm still not done. This year I did my first Half Ironman, and in a few years I plan on doing my first Ironman...what started with 5 out-of-breath minutes has become a lifestyle for me, an example for my kids, and a testament to being able to achieve what your mind believes.
So, as we approach the biggest race weekend in Minnesota, and I approach my third straight TC 10 Mile, I just want to say...You've got this! What ever "this" is...you CAN do it. Start with what's necessary, then do what's possible, and soon...you WILL do the impossible.
Happy Wednesday Runners!

1 comment:

  1. Love this! You are awesome!!! Can't wait to hear your race recap for the 10 mile. Hope it went well. It was so great seeing you at mile 23. That was such a huge pick-me-up at such a tough point in the race. Thank you for that!!! Maybe we can run a race together sometime:)

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