What marathon training taught me about myself: Find your OWN inner-grit and determination

I took a break.

A

VERY

LONG

break.

From running. My last full marathon was in Berlin (yes, Germany) in 2014. What was an exceedingly difficult race for me for a myriad of reason, none of which had to do with being lack of preparation and training and much more to do with my stubbornness and refusal to accept my injury and sit-out a “once in a lifetime” marathon race that allowed me to also visit the homeland/mother country (aka Poland) before the race and following the race, our “one and done” visit to Oktoberfest. BEST beer event ever, but I’m getting too damn only for excessive beer consumption.

Deciding to end my long-distance running has had more impact on my life than just hanging up my running shoes and ceasing my training. It was never about finishing first or in the top whatever of my age group. That is not where my fitness level has ever been, nor is it something that I am willing to make the necessary sacrifices to be able to be competive at that level. That is my truth.

However, the discipline and endurance and comraderie of the running community is what I have really been missing these past few years. Recently, I was able to attend Pelotonia in Columbus, Ohio. A cycling event that raises money for The James, a cancer research hospital affiliated with OSU. While this was a cycling event, the spirit and banter that I absolutely fell in love with in the running community was there as well. I saw it in the eyes of the cyclists, I heard it in the conversations after they completed their distances, and I felt it in the spirit that surrounded the riders, the volunteers, and the staff who work tirelessly to find a cure for cancer.

It’s the same GRIT and DETERMINATION that I felt when I started this journey of finding my own “inner-athlete” after a lifetime of believing I was not capable of anything in the “sports” genre. Seeing the collective goals of fundraising and crossing the finish line, no matter the time or effort one needed to endure to get there, is the foundation we all need to understand to continue to challenge ourselves to set and achieve goals in life. Once we find our careers of choice, and/or partners/families…what is next? Do you dream of achieving something bigger than yourself? Do you dream of pushing your limits to find what you are capable of doing? Do you want to dig-deep to unpack the false-narratives you might still be holding on to from childhood? Finding BIG things like training for a marathon, or climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, or participating in a charity-ride are all opportunities to get off our couches and LIVE in this world.

It occurred to me recently that my stepping off this course did more than just end my running/racing “career” (as it was) and settle into something that feels more like I am floating without direction than just hanging up my running shoes. And it isn’t that I am inactive. I walk everyday (Pokemon Go is my newer-nerdy obsession….don’t judge), I practice yoga 2-4 days a week and have a trainer 2 days a week. However, for me, I recognized something is still missing……

So…. I reached out to one of my best running peeps, bought a new pair of running shoes, and committed to start training again for something that feels beyond my/our reach- and for the first time in more than a minute….. I feel that inner-grit and determination starting to grow inside me. I feel that:

I want to run even if it’s raining.

I want to have meaningless chats or ones that seemingly solve all the world’s problems on my running course.

I want to wake up before dawn and anxiously get all my running gear out for a race.

I want to travel to a city unknown to complete a race that truly has absolutely no purpose or value beyond helping me re-kindle my inner-grit and determination that I loved feeling while I was proudly a “runner.”

I want to feel sore, get blisters, and have disgustingly sweaty clothes that require special detergent to get the stink out of them.

I want to live fearlessly again……..

What’s your ‘marathon’?

What are you letting go of in our life without even realizing it’s impact on you?

Join me…in making this next year one of absolute GRIT and DETERMINATION!

Peace… in your journey…..

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