Do I quit now? Do I hang it up?
These are the questions that have wandered through my mind since finishing my tenth long distance {13.1 miles or longer} race yesterday. 
I cannot deny in those last three miles when I walked fighting the pain so much I felt like I could get sick the thought entered my mind that I never wanted to race again.
Ever.
Running is not easy for me. It’s a struggle for me, always has been and always will be.
But, I have to say that there is something about my lungs feeling like they are on fire and feeling pain all over my body that makes me feel alive; it’s those moments that the athlete in me is ecstatic!
As Babe Ruth said, “Its hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
That’s me. I want to be that person. Years down the road, I hope people stand around talking about me tell stories about how I never quit, I never gave up despite the circumstances in front of me.
If I had backed down from challenges that arised, my life would be so different from what it is right this moment and I love my life. I want to be that person that always gets back up and tries again despite the number of times she gets knocked down. I want to be the one with the courage, the one that had the strength to walk away from what was breaking her down.
There are always different mindsets we can choose to view through. I could say that it’s time to hang it up and really, take the easy way out.
But, instead I choose to see it as an opportunity to come back stronger and better then ever before. I see it as a way to regroup, to focus on my weaknesses and improve upon them. You can change your weaknesses if you truly want to, the choice is yours.
Running helps me to LIVE instead of just EXIST.
I don’t quit. I won’t give up. I will take on this challenge opportunity just like I take any opportunity life brings me.
I simply refuse to just curl up on the couch and stop my pursuit of excellence in life. Health and fitness and pushing past my own limits brings this fire into my life.
If I had stopped my health and fitness journey every time I got tripped up where would I be right now? I wouldn’t be inspiring others to change their life. I wouldn’t be the mom I am today or the woman I am. I am certain I would have never learned to love myself.
Everyday is a choice, everything is a choice. When our choices align with our goals, we will get to where we want to go.
Until Next Time~
Sooner or later … Every road has a change in direction. Some have U-turns, detours, forks. Famous American poet Robert Frost called it “The Road Not Taken”. I wish you all the best of wisdom and good healing as you choose your next steps. ?
Always love your words of wisdom! I would say it has had a change in direction- running used to be about losing weight and trying to PR… now it’s just about living my life fully!