Starting around Thanksgiving time I, like most people, decided that yes, I was going to enjoy the holidays. 2012 was a year filled with ups and downs for me. After ten years of running I had finally managed to reach my goal of completing a marathon in less than four hours. I had lost over 25 pounds and was fitter, faster and stronger than I had ever been in my entire life. But then, two weeks before the closing of our new home, my wife lost her job. It really wasn't a bad thing. She had been suffering through a high workload dealing with clients who had insanely stressful problems and had been dealing with a management staff that used employees like cannon fodder. But, it came at the worst possible time for us.
To say that the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's day was difficult is an understatement. It ranks right up there as one of the worst in my life. Money was tight and the oncoming of Christmas seemed daunting. My seven year old son still believes in Santa Claus and if I had my way, he will continue to believe in the magic of Christmas his while life. He was getting everything he had asked for.
So, I am fortunate enough to work a job that has the opportunity for overtime. So work it I did. But through my career I have come to loathe doing just that. Money for me was a means to an end. The end being spending time with my family. The ones that mattered. It also meant spending time out there on the roads getting my miles in. Both of those things took a back burner to surviving.
Thanksgiving was wonderful! One of my favorite holidays because of the food! Christmas worked out just fine! My son got mostly everything that he had asked for and we managed to keep the belief in Christmas magic going strong for another year. New Year's came quickly. Everyone was eager to move on from the stress of the previous year. But things were not looking good. I was cranky from working too much and the job front for my wife looked bleak to say the least. It was amazing that even with a master's degree jobs are hard to find. Then it happened. She got the job that she had been trying to get for the last four months. It was a job working with our nation's veterans making more money than she had in a long time with a pension to boot!
She starts this coming Monday. Lots of changes coming in the next two months. She will probably be assigned to the midnight shift. Lots of challenges also. I have continued with my training through the holidays. But with all the stress of the holidays and our financial situation, it really was not where I would have liked it to be. My diet has been less than stellar. So I have also gained a little of the weight back.
Yesterday's workout was pure hell! I was scheduled to run a watered down version of my speed workout that I normally run during marathon season. I was extremely sore from the previous day's cross-training workout. I had managed to gradually work back up to 45 minutes of cross-training. But my body was not ready for it apparently. I almost got sick about five times through the five miles of speed work that should have been six. I left the gym frustrated, exhausted and full of doubts about whether I could come back from the excess eating, downtime and over indulgence in adult beverages. I went home. I rested. I regrouped.
One of the things that appeals to me about running is the amount of will power involved. Training and fitness are extremely important. Without either, you would suffer through a race. But will power is very important. If you think you can do something, trust me, you can.
Today was a much better day. I ran my scheduled six easy miles. At the end I had enough juice left to complete the mile of speed work that I had missed yesterday. The running gods say that you should never try to make up lost mileage. But I needed to prove to myself that I could. Sometimes settling for average is the worst thing that you can do. You loose sight of your dreams. You loose yourself.
Are you happy with the person that you are today? Are you satisfied with your life? Are you sure that you have done everything that you thought that you could? My answer will always be emphatically, NO! Why settle? When I turn 80 I will hopefully finally qualify to run the Boston Marathon! Your life should be full of constant improvement. Sure, time takes it's toll on your body. But when I look around to other men my age they are overweight, unhappy and appear to be 20 years older! Why? Is will power, clean eating and healthy activity the secret? I think so.
In our nation today obesity, unhealthy eating and a score of related medical issues plague the everyday American. It is time for you to get off the couch. Put down the junk food and forge ahead to the future. Tonight my son and I watched the Avengers. For those of you who did not grow up reading comic books the story is basically about a group of superheros who have issues. But in the end, they work through them and save the world along the way. Overcome your issues, work through your problems because life will always be throwing new ones at you and become your own superhero. Don't stop believing in yourself. If you fall, dust yourself off, get back up and get at it again. It took me ten years to run a sub four hour marathon. A long time. Lots of failures. Lots of challenges. But I stuck with it. This year will be no different. I have set new goals beyond that sub four hour time. I may not be a superhero. But I go to bed every night knowing that I tried my best to be a good father, husband, son, sheriff's deputy, runner, person and role model that I could. Not all superheros wear capes. Search inside yourself and find your inner hero! Run for your life my friends...
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