Run Like A Girl? Yes I Run Like A Girl everyday....
But for me going out on a road run is not my favorite workout-for me it is always a challenge...and today as I Ran Like A Girl, it occurred to me that going for a challenging run is just like the challenges of achieving success in your everyday life and staying on track with YOUR goals!
Taking off on my run today, I challenged myself to go fast, faster than my body would like, faster than my legs wanted to take me...fast! And so, I took off on my run really fast and was huffing and puffing right away; however it did not take long for me to get into a faster than normal cadence that sent me on my 3 mile challenge. Starting off fast is always easy - you are ready, you motivated, you are fresh...but so many times, as with our goals we lose our mojo after the initial excitement is over and we slow down!!
Don't lose your mojo early-keep a steady pace that will keep YOU moving forward!
As I ran down a stretch of straightaway road I was being pushed back hard by the wind...my thoughts "ugh, this sucks but no way in hell am I gonna let it slow me down". Just like in our lives, we need to be strong enough to stay on our path despite the people and situations that want to hold us back from our own goals and achievements.
Don't let the wind hold you back-keep on pushing ahead and moving YOURSELF forward!
Continuing on my trek, I passed a few others along my route who were taking a nice leisurely stroll, one with their dog, one with their cup of coffee, another working at a nice pace listening to their ipod. Meanwhile, I, was internally struggling with keeping my faster than normal pace on target and I realized that, today was MY day to work hard, and it didn't matter what anyone else was doing around me; just like with our own life goals we cannot get caught up in what everyone else is doing!
Don't lose your stride by focusing on others - stay true to YOU and always push yourself forward!
Moving onward into my run, I began to breath a bit louder, which for me kept me on my faster than I wanted to be going pace! Every now and then a person was out on their porch or in their yard, and a few times I caught myself lowering my loud breathing because, for a moment I did not want them to think I was a bit crazy for making so much noise!!! However, after the second person I passed, I realized it didn't matter what others were thinking, and as with my life...this was my journey, my adventure and I was getting it done!
Don't worry about what others may think of your style - get it done the way it works for YOU to keep you moving forward!
As I approached the end of my run I began to pick up speed with all the energy I could muster in my exhausted body and noticed my shoelace became loose and partially untied! I had to make a decision-do I stop my pace, stop my stride, stop my mojo to deal with this situation that could possibly lead to a slight injury or do I keep going?? Well, I decided that my partially untied shoelace was not going to cause me an injury and that I was going to run hard to the finish! Our lives are full of decisions; we must always access the situation and choose wisely to which we can maintain the pathway to our success.
Don't let a set back get the best of you - make the proper adjustments that will propel YOU forward!
Throughout my entire run, I ran right by many STOP signs! Boy, did I want to listen to that large red sign urging me to STOP, subconsciously telling me - "you can't do this, just STOP, you did good enough." But... I did not listen... I overcame those STOP signs; I instead mentally saw big green GO signs, telling me to "keep going, you got this, you are stronger than you think, YOU CAN DO THIS!" During our everyday lives while trying to stay attentive to our goals, we encounter so many STOP signs and many times it may be hard to ignore them, and sometimes we even succumb to them! Don't let the STOP signs slow you down - get YOURSELF in the passing lane and keep moving forward!
Finally finishing my 3 mile challenging trek, I realized I pushed myself hard - not for a race, not for someone else, but for me...for me to see just how hard I could push myself past my conscious limits. My run, my life, is about my choices, my decisions and what I choose to let slow me down. Is everyday a challenging run? Hopefully not- hopefully there are days you just take a jog and stroll down the road of happiness, hopefully there are days when you have a friend to stroll with you, to take a challenge with you. But ultimately, the road to your success is always up to you, challenges and all!
Don't let challenge scare you from your goals - enjoy the path to YOUR happiness, achievements and success and of course...keep moving forward.
To sum it up...I believe Robert Frost was right in saying that you should take the road less traveled...but perhaps there is more to it than that - perhaps it is also about you looking straightaway to the end of that road moving with courage, trepidation, and your own internal drive moving YOU forward. And then when you get to the end of that road, deciding what your next turn is and not looking back, pushing harder ahead no matter how much wind, passerbys, stop signs or untied shoelaces want to slow you down or stop you!!!
RUN LIKE A GIRL ON THE ROAD AND IN LIFE
and
YOU WILL KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!!!!
