My Fat Face and Other Challenges: A Lesson in Overcoming

It all started with my fat face. I caught a glimpse of an otherwise innocuous Facebook picture (because isn't that the ruin of us all) and realized: “boo-boo you are on your way to chunky town and we do NOT want to live there.” Having heard from numerous sources that running was the fastest way to shed unwanted pounds it became the motivation to eradicate my vanity madness. Then this summer when my mom underwent some pretty serious surgery and I became head nurse Not-Ratchet as well as personal chef, I found additional motivation – running as a means to manage my frustration, anger, sadness and overactive imagination that, if left unchecked, would result in my padded cell residency.

When I started running in June I SUCKED. No, literally I sucked a lot of wind and thought: “I am.going to.die” with every step. It was NOT an experience I thought I would soon forget. But where 90 seconds of continuous and torturous forward movement seemed impossible just four months ago, I now average four, five – and on a really good day – six miles of mind clearing, body challenging running.

Aaaaand here’s the kernel of wisdom buried in my acerbic wit: 

the beginning of a thing nearly ALWAYS sucks. but it will NOT suck forever.

If you’re a professional, a dreamer, a spouse, a student, an athlete, an entrepreneur or person with a pulse – your beginning was NOT a breeze. You had to fight for it. Have you ever witnessed labor and delivery? That stuff is INTENSE. The glory of labor isn't in the process, but the outcome. After a period of struggle, lots of icky excretions, shouting and cursing comes this amazing little gift a.k.a. a newborn baby. But mama has to work for that child honey! 

In the same way, when you begin your own personal journey be it business, school, marriage, or in my case running -- you have to overcome those crappy little voices in your head – and sometimes the voices of doubters sitting next to you –saying: “you can’t, you aren't, you won’t.” But, for those of you who persevered past the proverbial 90 seconds of initial torture – or in the case of pregnancy and delivery 9 months and some change -- you eventually discovered that you can, you are and you will! And then you’re blessed with something pretty awesome to show for it.

I am proudest of myself when I fight against giving up; when I put one pained foot in front of the other, pant, grunt and push my way to the next 90 seconds and the next 90 after that. My running journey has little to do with my physical health – that’s an added bonus realized when I’m being chased by a pack of wild dogs and I manage to elude them without suffering cardiac arrest – but I digress. My running journey has EVERYTHING to do with my emotional and mental growth. The mere act of running, of forward movement, a little at a time, is figurative and literal transition away from all the bad stuff: can'ts, won'ts and don'ts. And eventually, the bad stuff, the hard stuff that I never believed I could overcome is a surmountable, laughable, blog-worthy memory.

Go on and marinate on that one for awhile.

So, what 90 second "monster" are you committed to conquering? Who or what motivates you? How can you keep moving forward? Leave your comments below!

Until next time, keep saying "I.W.I.L.L."