The Tale of a Run

Thursday, March 27, 2014

My pre-run ritual was interrupted by sheer beauty. "Mamãe, we're hungry," they said. I thought, "people who are busier than I am run. I can do this." By the time I stepped out of my house I tried to give up at least 3 times. I had all sorts of excuses, from these cute kids need me to it's raining. I decided to get out there and find my happy anyway.
Aren't yall supposed to be asleep? Haha!
My back was against the wind the whole time. I thought about how much effort is needed to keep up with this hobby. I decided to distract myself from the bad weather conditions and find beauty wherever I could. I saw this gorgeous lake. 
Focusing on beauty distracts me every time. 
I greeted a person who visibly had problems in both of her legs but was out there exercising. I called myself blessed. I thought about one of my confessions which is "running is for healthy people. I'm blessed to be out here and I am blessed to run, so I'll keep running." I thought about my future runs and I felt good about my speed. I try to train with runners who are more experienced and faster than I am so I was thankful that I will be able to keep up with them. 
Towards the end of the run I ran through some fence construction. The sidewalk was closed which meant I had to run through a patch of mud and grass. I thought about the old Gospel song "Guide my feet while I run this race." I prayed, "Lord, literally, guide me cause I dislike running in uneven paths." If life was that easy. I've had seasons in life where everything was but smooth but somehow God was there as a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. For that, I am thankful. 
I heard a small dog barking and I kept running. The little dog escaped from his badly fenced yard and came after me. This girl immediately became Boston Marathon material: I ran for my life! I thought, nothing like a dog to make me run super fast. I looked back and the little dog was out of sight so I kept going. I had a little over one mile to go but I was already thankful and full of energy. 

I reflected on the 3 things that got me and kept me out there: Preparation, Visualization, and Encouragement. 
Preparation because without it, it's difficult to accomplish such a task. My running clothes were ready, my alarm clock was set and the coffee maker programmed. There was no doubt this run was going to happen. In my Preparation stage I had to go through some adaptation. I wasn't counting on feeding my cute kids and having to entertained them in my sleep deprived stage. 
I had to Visualize my run. I had a clear picture in my mind of how this run was going to happen. I thought about where I was going, what I would most likely see and how great I was going to feel. There was no doubt my legs could do this for they have covered 21.2 more miles than I covered today. It was my mind I needed to convince. 
My husband is my chief Encourager. He told me together we could make my run happen. When I got back the kids were ready for their day. What an amazing man I have! I checked my Instagram and several friends sent me encouraging messages when they saw my gloomy, pre-race mood. Their words were supercharged with courage that went straight to my heart. I appreciate each one of them!

This tale is meant to tell you that you and I have plenty excuses not to accomplish something. The key is to use Preparation, Visualization and Encouragement to get us through our daily challenges. 
Just like me, you stand at your front door. What's stopping you from accomplishing your goals? The wind might not be on your back but my friend, you have what it takes to overcome.
Lauren said...

Love this! So inspirational!

By the way, where is that lake trail? Is it here in Houston? It's gorgeous. I'd love to check it out sometime!

KW said...

This was a really inspirational post. I also look at my surroundings to distract me. Right now, everything is so green, which is a positive for all this darn rain.