As I write tonight, I’m wearing my favorite One More Mile shirt. I bought it when I started running and it reads on the back, “Dear God, Please let there be someone behind me to read this. “ LOL I think that’s the silent prayer of any beginner runner. It certainly was mine.
It made me remember the Half Marathon. For miles and miles, I was running behind this lovely lady — who gifted me with some Food-for- Thought…which I’ve been chewing on for two weeks — calorie free! Her T-Shirt was more serious than mine. It carried a lesson for all of us — whether you are a runner, or not — doesn’t matter. Her shirt read, ” Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength!” WOW. Let that linger in your brain for a while.
It turns out this is a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger. [Yup, you guessed it — Google.] The ironic part of my story is this — I was running behind this lady for the first half of the Half. She left me in the dust as the second half began to eat me. But it was during those second 6.5 miles that the words I had been staring at for the first 6.5 miles….began to mean something to me.
The concept of “winning” wasn’t anywhere near my consciousness. My form of Winning – was Finishing. I knew as I set out through the Starting Line tunnel that I would Finish the Half. I had trained for it. I had made myself Capable. What I didn’t know was — how would it feel? Just how HARD was thig going to be? I had No Idea. But I was about to find out.
The second half was a Struggle. I had to fight my way to the Finish Line. At the time — it sucked! LOL Really! It hurt. My legs were T-IRED! They wanted to stop. They wanted to Surrender! And let me answer a question that had been a mystery to me until April 22nd, and may still be a mystery to you. Is it possible to Sweat in the Rain? Well, Yes, D@mn Yes, it Sure Is Possible! Living Proof Right Here –> Diane!
What I learned crossing the finish line, because of my Struggle to get there — was — that I. AM. SCRAPPY. I Am a Fighter. I started the Race with a certain amount of Strength that training helped me build. But I ended the Race with a new and different type of Strength that only overcoming my struggles could build. By enduring the struggles of those 13.1 miles, refusing to surrender to my legs, and overcoming them — I Built the Strength that helped me Earn Success.
At the end of my chewing Mr. Schwarzenegger’s words…I’ve concluded it sums up to something like this:
~~~~If you expect to live your life without struggles…..frankly, Im not sure how much Success you have a right to expect!~~~~
Harsh? Sorry. But I think it’s true. You have to toughen yourself up through training, and get out there and… Struggle. Struggle! Survive! NEVER SURRENDER! and Success will be Yours! Ain’t Nobody Big Enough or Mean Enough to Stop You.
Ciao for now……Diane