Being a runner, you may face personal challenges on the journey…and sometimes lose focus. I love to hear how running has turned someone’s pain into triumph or challenges into victories. The other day I heard someone say they were disappointed that they had to walk during a race. They were legit upset with themselves—not to mention this race was super hilly. I said to myself, “I’ll walk a hill in a minute (i.e., without hesitation).” Some of those hills can be brutal! Just sayin’. It’s easy to get down on ourselves. All it takes is one word or one negative thought. “I didn’t feel strong today”, “My pace wasn’t fast enough”, “I suck at this”…the list goes on. I’m guilty of it myself.
My husband is a part of the “Care-free Running Club”. He doesn’t wear a GPS sportswatch, he doesn’t care about his pace…he just runs. He reminds me often that running should be a care-free experience. Whether or not our long run met our expectations or whether or not we pushed hard enough—running is still a gift! For non-competitive runners (like myself), our competitive nature sometimes gets us all in our feelings and we start losing focus of what’s important. Running is freely given to almost everyone. Unfortunately, there are others who can’t experience that freedom. It makes you appreciate the gift much more. So if you’re having one of “those” days where it’s just not coming together…pull it back and say…”IT’S OKAY…I’m here!”
Need a little Fitspiration or Runspiration?
I came across a video about a homeless man who is preparing to run in the San Francisco Marathon. You read right…Homeless! Ronnie Goodman turned his life around through art and running. Watch his awesome film testimony!
The road to recovery and redemption.
We’ve heard many times that words have power. During a few of my recent training runs I started fixing the words that came out of my mouth. In other words, I started speaking words of life (even when I felt like I wanted to pass out or wanted to talk negatively, etc). The energy was different and it just worked! I felt much better after I was done. I felt victorious. I felt strong. We have to tell ourselves that we CAN, even when our mind and/or present circumstances says we can’t. We should never give up. I think Ronnie is a great testament of that!
Ronnie will be running with great purpose for a non-profit in the San Francisco Marathon, giving back to those who helped him.
Wishing you God’s best, Mr. Goodman! You are a true inspiration!
“My running goes hand in hand with who I am. It makes everything feel at peace. I really don’t want too much. I just wanna get up and stay healthy and just enjoy this moment right here. Every runner wants that.” —Ronnie Goodman
Galatians 5:1
Ronnie is definitely inspiration! Just goes to show that when you stop making excuses you can do anything.
I’ve recently had to re-train myself to run (haven’t done so in a while because of health issues). I’m not a natural runner; it takes me a while (a few months) before I actually enjoy it. I wish I could be like your husband and do “care-free” runs! I feel like if I did that now, I’d give up too easily. Right now, I need a clock to tell me when to start and when to stop. But maybe in the future when I’ve learned to love running again! :)
What an inspiration! I also love the sound of your husband’s running club – I love to run but I hate tracking. Thanks for sharing!