As I'm sitting here on a Saturday night looking over all the new "friends" I've acquired on my Facebook page, it dawned on me that I've been remiss about writing a blog post recently. So, here goes.
Yesterday, I did my usual Friday morning thing: up, eat, bike to gym, beast out, ride home, eat, work, sleep. While at the gym, I did an extra long weight routine because I want some bulk before heading home for Christmas. It's my deepest hope that if my shoulders are Hulk enough, the family members with whom I'm not so popular will leave me alone.... I digress. Once finished, I hit the treadmill for 3 miles at a higher intensity than I'm used to. Just as I was ready to start my cool down, one of my running/gym buddies hopped on the one next to me. Mind you, she hadn't seen me for about month, because I took off time before the Marine Corps Marathon and after to get some rest. This is a brief paraphrase of our conversation.
"Hey! How's it going? I haven't seen you in a few weeks, and I was starting to get worried! How did Marine Corps go??"
"UGH. Marine Corps was a near disaster. The weather was crappy. You may have heard....there was this little HURRICANE that slightly affected conditions. It was 50* and 20mph wind. My legs were shot from sightseeing before the race because we knew the city was gonna shut down our last day there. I ended up in the med tent with hypothermia and dehydration after nearly passing out in a Chipotle....it was awesome."
"Wow, that really sucks. I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you didn't give up! You'll have a great story and you got to hug hot Marines! What are you gonna do now? I can't imagine you'd want to to another anytime soon...."
"ME? Screw that, I'm doing ING Miami marathon January 27th! Onward and upward. What doesn't kill me makes me run faster, right?"
"You're a better woman than I am. I think I would've called it quits for a while after that. But I think it's gonna make you even more determined to train harder and do better."
"You're right, it has. I'm more committed than I've ever been to clean living, eating, and training. And I'm gonna train as hard as I can for the next four months to make it happen."
As I sit here with arms and shoulders so sore from yesterday's lift that I can barely move them, this conversation is resonating in my mind. There are so many times over the last 4 years that I could have and sometimes should have given up. Through the first marathon at Disney being a actual disaster, to running races in the rain that ruined phones, to weathering the split from Michael, to the nervous breakdown last spring, to having to pawn my grandmother's diamonds to pay the electric bill this past summer, I should have stopped training and taken care of business. The thing is, I am the business. And so when I keep training and stay focused, what I'm really doing is taking care of business. Right now, I'm enjoying more success than I've ever had in my life. So, for all the times I could have given up, the Marine Corps Marathon is just one more time I can look back on and say, "Rebekah, at least you didn't give up." And I'll say that to myself every time I look at that swagtastic, spinning, sparkly medal hanging proudly on my rack. Then, I'll go get another one to hang next to it.
Yesterday, I did my usual Friday morning thing: up, eat, bike to gym, beast out, ride home, eat, work, sleep. While at the gym, I did an extra long weight routine because I want some bulk before heading home for Christmas. It's my deepest hope that if my shoulders are Hulk enough, the family members with whom I'm not so popular will leave me alone.... I digress. Once finished, I hit the treadmill for 3 miles at a higher intensity than I'm used to. Just as I was ready to start my cool down, one of my running/gym buddies hopped on the one next to me. Mind you, she hadn't seen me for about month, because I took off time before the Marine Corps Marathon and after to get some rest. This is a brief paraphrase of our conversation.
"Hey! How's it going? I haven't seen you in a few weeks, and I was starting to get worried! How did Marine Corps go??"
"UGH. Marine Corps was a near disaster. The weather was crappy. You may have heard....there was this little HURRICANE that slightly affected conditions. It was 50* and 20mph wind. My legs were shot from sightseeing before the race because we knew the city was gonna shut down our last day there. I ended up in the med tent with hypothermia and dehydration after nearly passing out in a Chipotle....it was awesome."
"Wow, that really sucks. I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you didn't give up! You'll have a great story and you got to hug hot Marines! What are you gonna do now? I can't imagine you'd want to to another anytime soon...."
"ME? Screw that, I'm doing ING Miami marathon January 27th! Onward and upward. What doesn't kill me makes me run faster, right?"
"You're a better woman than I am. I think I would've called it quits for a while after that. But I think it's gonna make you even more determined to train harder and do better."
"You're right, it has. I'm more committed than I've ever been to clean living, eating, and training. And I'm gonna train as hard as I can for the next four months to make it happen."
As I sit here with arms and shoulders so sore from yesterday's lift that I can barely move them, this conversation is resonating in my mind. There are so many times over the last 4 years that I could have and sometimes should have given up. Through the first marathon at Disney being a actual disaster, to running races in the rain that ruined phones, to weathering the split from Michael, to the nervous breakdown last spring, to having to pawn my grandmother's diamonds to pay the electric bill this past summer, I should have stopped training and taken care of business. The thing is, I am the business. And so when I keep training and stay focused, what I'm really doing is taking care of business. Right now, I'm enjoying more success than I've ever had in my life. So, for all the times I could have given up, the Marine Corps Marathon is just one more time I can look back on and say, "Rebekah, at least you didn't give up." And I'll say that to myself every time I look at that swagtastic, spinning, sparkly medal hanging proudly on my rack. Then, I'll go get another one to hang next to it.
I am one of your new Facebook friends and glad to see you also blog. I also think your pretty amazing and very inspiring
ReplyDeleteHappy Running!