Yesterday I called Marathon Brian, telling him “I need Help!”  I proceed to unload on him all my worries and self-doubt about not being able to run.  Worries that I’m not capable of the 26.2 miles.  He listened, asked me questions about how my running and interval training has been going.  I gave him a fair and honest overview…..a.n.d. as I was talking I kinda, sorta, began to realize what a Whiny, Baby I Was Sounding Like!

But Marathon Brian is the honorable sort, so he listened and talked me up — reminding me of how much I have done so far, in just a short time.   My doubt reared up one last time, and I Whined AGAIN about how Hard its been running this past week (Wahhh.  Wahhh.  Wahhh.  Big Baby!)….. and he finally chuckled and said something like, “Look Diane, if this is how you’re gonna do this…..you’re not gonna make it. ”  He chuckled again and said, “Buck up!“

Yup.  Sounds about right.

My whiny baby faded away, and we went on to talk about ideas for “getting some wins”.  MB thinks I need some wins under my belt to knock this chip off my shoulder and get my head back in a positive strong place.  Marathon Brian used to run track in High School, so he talked about his experiences back then…and interestingly enough compared and contrasted his attitudes about running back then, versus now.  Back in high school he was a sprinter.  He loved the short, fast race.  Wicked quick, with immediate payoff.  Now, he’s fallen for distance running and has been doing it seriously for about 3 years.  Before his training for the NYC Marathon last year, he said the longest run he’s ever done was 6 miles.  That still baffles me, because on Week 1 of the real Marathon Training which starts in Spetember….on Week 1, the very first long run, the very first Sunday…is 10 miles.  10.  Double digits, right outta the box. That kind of makes me scared..   Having been a High School athlete,  MB has a competitive streak, and he has an ability to motivate himself, positively, into the unknown of new experiences.  He told me….he ACTUALLY said, that the very first time he ran 22 miles….he was so excited he couldn’t sleep the night before.  LMAO.  I thought to myself, Oh, I won’t be able to sleep that night either……But. For. Very. Different. Reasons. I. Think.     Too Excited to Sleep?  Hardly!  (Note to Self:  Remember to banish the words Scared and Nervous again….you are using them too much Diane!  No good!  You are talking yourself into Being Scared.)

Just then MB said something that stopped me in my tracks.  He said, “Look Diane, you don’t HAVE to do this.  There’s nothing making you do this.”   All night at home, those words were haunting my thoughts.   Diane, you don’t have to do this Marathon thing.  If you don’t want to do this then don’t.  It was then….during those moments when I let myself imagine NOT doing it….that I decided to Buck Up.  Because, the truth is….I Want to Do This.  I Do.

So, then shut up —- and do it.

Yup.   In an Instant, Everything Changed.  It really WAS that quick.  Goals are Dreams with an Action Plan.  In that moment I realized, This was a Goal.  Not a Dream.  So it’s Time to Work, and Shut Up.

Just for giggles…I google Buck Up.  Where the heck did that term come from anyway?  I mean, I’ve heard it all my life from my parents.  But my curiosity is at an all time high in my life these days.  Now, I needed to know….what the heck it means!  LOL

I also found a little information about where the term came from.  Apparently, it’s a phrase from nineteenth century Britain, derived from those bucks or dandies who were regarded as the acme of snappy dressing in the Regency period. In its dandified sense buck up first meant to dress smartly, for a man to get out of those comfortable old clothes and into something drop-dead gorgeous. Since to do so was often a fillip to the spirit, and cheered one up!  The phrase shifted sometime around the 1880s to its modern meaning,  as schoolboy slang encouraging boys to stop acting like a wuss, ninny or coward.  As in — Buck Up and demonstrate bravery in the face of adversity.

Perfecto Marathon Brian.  Perfecto!

Ciao for now…….Diane