Dedication

I went for my first run last night dedicated to finish the run.  I didn’t set a pace to meet, a time to beat, or ever a distance to run, I just wanted to go out for a run and stop when I felt ready to stop.  It felt great for the first twenty minutes or so but then the years of being out of shape really started to weigh me down and I found myself having doubts.  Is this really something I want to do?  You’ve tried to do this before and it never worked out, what makes you think it will work this time?  You’ve gone far enough for the first day just go ahead and head home.  Despite all these feelings for some reason I continued on.  It wasn’t some supernatural desire or anything other than that this time I was able to say “no this is really important to me I need to keep going.”  I finished out the run with an average of a nine-minute pace and completing about 5 miles.  It felt good to go that far despite how slow my pace was.  It did get me wondering though what was different with this run since the other times that I tried to pick up running again I had quit?  Was it that I had just made the commitment to run that day and quitting wasn’t an option, but later in the weeks or months to come it might be, or was it that I had really started down the road of success?  After thinking about this for a while I came up with the idea that I need a running partner, someone who doesn’t have to run with me but to keep me accountable for my goals and help me through barriers.  Every time I have tried to pick up running again I have tried by myself.  Even when I was in the best shape of my life I still had teammates and friend who kept me responsible for what I had set out to do.  It seems to me one of the best ways for success is to share your goal with someone so that the next time you are thinking of quitting you will have that reminder that you are not only letting yourself down but your partner as well.

To be inspired, to feel a greater calling, to see a new way of life.

With the Olympics going on right now we are reminded almost daily of what inspiration really is.  With the motto of the Olympics being “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, meaning swifter, higher, stronger, it’s obvious that it should bring out not just the best, but the extraordinary in people.  We get to watch athletes like Michael Phelps, Shawn Johnson, and Bernard Lagat inspire us and strive not only for greatness but for eternal glory.  To be remembered beyond death is the only way to truly know that you have inspired not only your generation but their children’s children who will hear your story and dream of reaching such greatness.

            So is this ability to inspire reserved only for the greatest of us, the few who are able to perform beyond what seems humanly possible, or can an everyday man do something inspirational enough to convince those around him that greatness can be found in not just the ability to perform the impossible but also found in the desire for and unending pursuit of greatness? 

I have always watched the great endurance athletes of our time and dreamed of having their talents and physical gifts, but have never come close to running a sub 15 minute 5k or completing a marathon in under 2 hours.  So instead of looking for inspiration in what I can never achieve I want to look for inspiration in the dedication of these amazing athletes.  The day in and day out decision to perform to the best of their ability.  The endless miles and hours they spend alone not competing with other athletes but with themselves.  I want to be able to overcome my own hesitations and barriers and become inspirational with my dedication and commitment to continue on day in and day out.

I have always had a passion, a love for running.  There is something freeing about it.  When it is just you out there on the road your only barrier is yourself.  These barriers may hide as long hills, bad weather, injuries, hangovers, or time away from friends and family, but in the end the barrier truly is only yourself.  I haven’t been a consistent runner in several years and my desire now is to get back to what I loved.  I hope that through this goal I can inspire others to pick up old passions that made them happy and content with themselves regardless of what it was.  So this will be my path, my journey, and my struggle to inspiration.