This is more of a personal post, but it seems that my "Motivational Monday's" are meant to give you a bit more insight into my life, who I am as a person and to share with you the things that motivate and inspire me :) I've been a runner for 20+ years and my runs mainly have consisted of a few 5K's, 10K's, a Duathlon and just last year, I completed two very awesome 1/2 Marathons (which is by far my favorite race distance). I originally started running to lose weight while I was in college, but much to my surprise I found it to be a GREAT stress reliever, so it has forever stuck and is now something that's just become a part of who I am. When people ask me if I've run a lot of races, my typical response is "No, I just run because I don't know any better" :). I've also had several people ask if I've ever run a full Marathon and my response was always the same......."Absolutely NOT, NO WAY/NO HOW/NEVER EVER will I". Well, I guess I better bite my tongue the next time I say "Never"...........
As most of you know, I lost my beautiful Mother to Uterine Sarcoma 3 years ago and it has completely turned my life upside down and is by far the WORST thing that has ever happened to me. I spent an entire year and a half in a deep depression and honestly didn't know where to turn. Thank the Lord for His grace and mercy and for my amazing family and friends for lifting me up when I couldn't take another step.
After my Mother's passing, I had lost a ridiculous amount of weight and had completely stopped running for about 6 months. With the grief imposed weight loss I was afraid to run, but I really missed it and I knew it was something I needed in my life to help me move forward, to help me grieve and to help me heal. So, little by little I started running again, but it wasn't an easy task after a 6 month break (which was VERY frustrating). With each agonizing step, I just kept repeating "Every step I take is for YOU, Mom" and the next thing I knew we were holding our first annual 7 10K's for Sarcoma event and just yesterday I ran my very first FULL MARATHON in 4:22:22 in honor of my beautiful Mother. I am also thrilled to report that with the generous donations from family and friends who sponsored me, I was able to raise almost $1,800.00 toward Sarcoma research!! WOW, what a fantastic journey this has been, full of many highs and many lows, but what I've learned the most from this training adventure is that it has not only been very healing for me, but it's also helped teach me that only MY mind is what will hold me back from doing what I think is "impossible". It's what lies within myself and only inside of me that can determine what I'm really capable of.
Today's Motivational Monday is based on running a Marathon, but I believe that life is a Marathon and only YOU can draw deep down inside yourself to see what you're really capable of. Have a blessed day everyone :) I'm going to go ice my aching thighs. ha ha
"The marathon's about being in contention over the last 10K. That's when it's about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what's left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon." -Rob de Castella How TRUE this was @ EXACTLY this point!!!
My beautiful girls raced out & ran with me through the finish line, while my amazing son captured it all on video :) What a beautiful moment I'll cherish forever!! 
Pointing to the Heaven's above. "Every step I took was for YOU, Mom!!" 
My incredible hubby
My AWESOME/AMAZING/WONDERFUL Kids (my BIGGEST Cheerleaders!) 
No comments:
Post a Comment