Choices and Winning the Uphill Run

My running buddy and colleague, Janet and I finished the Wine Country Half this weekend. It was a great race and I had the opportunity to run part of it with Valerie Bertinelli, who looks amazing after shedding 50 lbs. She's 49 and 123. Talk about motivation!

The course wasn't flat; California is a beautiful place, but for a runner, the terrain is tough. It's like my father used to say, "we didn't have air conditioning and had to walk uphill to school". BLEH! Hills are easy if you choose for them to be! It's all mental.

In fact most things in life are mental. I have found the most happiest people in the world are the ones who consciously choose to be happy! They are emotionally stable and understand the importance of emotional/physical health. We all have a choice in how we feel and more importantly how we respond. Taking a 'hill' is about mental preparation and believing you can get over it. I have found that it's amazing what the body can do when you believe in yourself and have the right tools and people around you.

Let me brag on my friend Lisa. She's a fellow runner... After hurting her foot recently, she's consistently out to rehabilitate herself so she can run again...first by walking, then moving faster and eventually she WILL run again. That's determination. That's a CHOICE to win, to be happy....to take a hill with confidence!

I ran 9-9:30 pace most of this race until Mile 10. I stopped because the course delivered a nice kick to my left side. The weather and wine overwhelmed me with joy and I overpranced. I could have pushed to the end and had a personal best under 2:09 but I consciously chose to walk. With Chicago in October, it's not worth it to me to risk an injury long term for a short term gain. Timing is everything in life as it is in this journey.

Life offers us all 'rolling hills'. I see these as opportunities to challenge our minds and bodies. How we respond to the course is a CHOICE.

To your health.

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