As I write this, I am preparing to leave for New York to take on my 3rd marathon. After picking up some God-awful virus last weekend and then having a reoccurence Monday night with a trip to the hospital for IV fluids, I've been sitting in my bed for days, resting and taking in fluids to get my engine moving again. People ask me what motivates me run.
· Running has opened my mind to undiscovered places where I can do great thinking.
· My runs are about taking one step at a time and sometimes being unafraid to turn back.
· My biggest inspiration is that each run will teach me something new.
· Running ‘redefines my impossible’ and I’ve done this over and over since taking it up.
When I was young, I had a really hard time fitting in. The children in the schoolyard would bully me. In middle school I was thrown into the garbage can daily for being “different”. I grew up a life often feeling very misunderstood. My need to please everyone led to a love affair with food and a lack of focus on my own being. Into my prime years, I saw my health and wellbeing deteriorate. And while this led me to serious bouts of depression and loads of medical problems, I woke up in 2005 and decided I wouldn’t be a victim anymore. I was going to take control of my life and I did and do every day since.
All of this amounted to something really simple: believing in me and knowing that death is the only thing we will all face, I decided it was time to live. Life is finite and we are truly what we want to be IF we choose to be ourselves and be open to a lifetime of learning through setbacks and failures.
I’m not the fastest runner, nor am I ‘built’ to run. Running has taught me that imperfection is okay and it’s what makes me real. We tell ourselves we have to be the best at everything because we are too focused on what’s going on around us and not within us.
So I run in New York this year to continue a journey I’ve set for myself: the 5 World Majors before I die (London, Chicago, New York, Berlin and Boston). In my mind NY marks 50%+ of that goal. I really thought I was “done” after my pregnancy, but the same fire that I had in me to take control of my life several years back reignited when I chose to train earlier this year 65 lbs heavier. With about 20 'bricks' left to lose, I’m going to keep moving!
The late Steve Jobs said something so profound that I carry it with me every day now. It reads:Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
I run this Sunday with the Team for Kids and will dedicate my miles later today. Stay tuned.