The past several weeks have been full of... I guess you'd call them 'character building' experiences in almost every area of my life. Suffice it to say that through them all I've gained a renewed appreciation for every person who has been through my life in one aspect or another. I've learned that, all in all, these people fall into one of two categories: 1) those who actively support me, my goals, and ambitions through actions great or small, and 2) those who provide the opportunities for the 'character building' experiences I referred to earlier.
I admit that often times it is the people in category 2 that I have the hardest time appreciating in the moment. However, in the end, individuals from both groups end up playing a valuable role in my life. The contribution of those in category 1 is probably obvious. These are my family, friends, acquaintances, mile sponsors.... everyone who in some way lends positivity to my life and goals. What about those in category 2 you ask? Surprisingly, I find I benefit from them just as much. Sometimes when I find myself in need of that little push of motivation (particularly at the end of a hard run or a challenging period of medical problems), I'll imagine all of these 'category 2' people. The people who weren't supportive of my goals, of me, or just managed to make my life really difficult for any length of time.
And thinking of them during challenging times has taught me one thing, despite all they put me through... I AM A FIGHTER!!!!
The Seattle Marathon is just 2 months away, and despite seemingly unbeatable odds there for a while, I am on track to finish and finish it strong!! Special thanks to my friend James, I've gotten through some of my longest training runs- 16 miles two weeks ago, and 20 miles just yesterday. LET'S DO THIS!!!!
18.2 miles left to sponsor. Expect both
facebook and blog posts to become much more frequent. We are going to ROCK this race for a very deserving cause!!
