the body achieves what the mind believes

"it takes the same amount of breath to say a supportive word as it does to criticize, yet one could very well mean the difference between someone achieving the impossible and giving up altogether. which will you choose? ~ susan lacke for competitor.com

 i was reading this article today and was thinking how very true the above statement is.  when i was deciding to sign up for the ice age 50k the non-runners in my life were very skeptical about whether or not i could do it.  they didn't understand WHY i would WANT to do it.  many though it was an impossible goal.  the runners in my life (bless their little hearts) were very encouraging and didn't once question whether or not i COULD do it or why i would want to... they questioned my time goal but not whether or not i could finish the distance.  maybe that's sort of the same thing?  a little bit?

when someone tells me they're going to do something i don't question it.  i just believe them.  i think that when someone wants to do something they are fully capable of doing it if they want it bad enough.  i've done things i previously thought impossible.  i know anything is possible.

yesterday morning several of my friends started off on a journey to run the kettle 100.  there are 3 distances: 100m, 100k, and 50k.  i am so proud of everyone who went out there and gave it their all!  so many amazing athletes running with their hearts when their bodies were not cooperating.  they are so inspiring.  some people finished last night and some finished this morning... all left a bit of themselves on the trails.  it's a beautiful thing.

someone asked me not too long ago why the people who run these ultra distances do it?  do they actually enjoy these distances or is it just a competitive thing?  i have to say that i believe for most of them it's the pure love of running that they do it.  you have to love running to be out on those trails for that long.  some of those people yesterday were out there for more than 24 hours.  when i ran the 50k i was out there for more than 5 hours and while the last 9 miles were torturous they were also beautiful and transformative.  i loved running that race.  i enjoyed the majority of it and even the painful parts gave me something in return.

there's something very soothing and healing about being in nature.  being surrounded by the earth untouched by the modernization of humankind.  it feeds the soul and mind.  gives energy and drive where previously there was none.  being out there doing the impossible with everyone else who was out there doing the impossible made it possible.

anything is possible if you believe.  maybe next year i'll run the 50m instead of the 50k... why not?  gotta have goals.

next time someone tells you they're going to do something... believe in them.  keep in mind that if you choose negative words and/or disbelief... that might just be the thing that stops them from attaining their asserted goal.  on the flip side... your positive affirmation could be just the thing that pushes beyond wondering into believing that they can achieve their goal.  you determine the energy you put out into the world.  wouldn't you rather it be positive?

oh, the possibilities...

running has become a very arduous venture as of late.  so much so that i've practically given it up in my mind.  i've almost written it off as a thing of the past and have actively been getting rid of or downgrading my spring/summer races.  i am having the most challenging time completing anything more than 3 miles without numerous walk breaks which makes me alternately overwhelmed with disappointment (to tears in fact), and seething with anger.  on wednesday i ran in one of the most beautiful places i can think of... vero beach, florida.  part of the run is paved and then part of the run is on a protected sandy road that skims the river.  the entire run is breathtakingly beautiful and yet... the entire time i'm running my focus is on my pain.  where, how much, what kind, and the severity of it.  my focus is also on how long i can force myself to go before i simply have to take a walk break.  my walk breaks are timed and are never more than .05 on my garmin.  however... there are a lot of them.  each break makes me more and more incensed which brings on the tears because the anger has nowhere to go.

yesterday we went to miami overnight for a heat game and while walking around miami i kept getting these shooting dull pains in my leg.  not encouraging in the least.  *sigh*

i have no idea how i'm going to rectify this situation.  i have no idea what is wrong or how to fix it so i keep thinking that i'm simply going to have to stop running altogether.  this makes me so disconsolate.  what am i going to do if i can't run?  how will i find that happy place?

today i saw this:

this makes me feel better and less downtrodden.  makes me feel like i should give it some time and try to figure this mess out before i just give up completely.  what i'm going to do in the interim is beyond me... i simply do not know.  i have all these races i've scheduled that i really really want to do.  the most important is the lakefront marathon so maybe i'll just give up all the others and focus on that one?  maybe i will lay off the running for a month or two and then try again?  i honestly have no idea what will work and i'm afraid that no matter what i try nothing will change and then i will feel so much more defeated.

cliché… sometimes shiny is a challenge

there was a time in my life where i was all doom and gloom.  i was wired that way.  my childhood was not one that afforded me the frivolities of a positive outlook on life.  it was fraught with uncertainty, disfunction, discomfort, and worse.  in the past few years i have learned quite a few things that have had a powerful effect on my life.

i have worked hard to rewire my brain to view the world in a different way and i can tell you… it was no easy task.  it was and still is a challenge.

this morning on the drive to work i was listening to the radio folks as they were talking about "9 things that happy people do that other people don't do" and i found myself smiling at it because i could relate to many (if not all) of the things that were being listed.  it is really surprising how powerful small changes like the ones i'm about to list can be in one's life if you just commit to them.  i know that it sounds like it's easier said than done and i used to be that person who didn't believe that it was that simple.  now tho'… i know it is that simple.

you change your mind you change your life.  i truly believe that.

the list:

1. happy people don't blame other's for their problems. 

2. happy people don't overreact to the present moment. 

3. happy people don't use negative language. 

4. happy people don't feel trapped. 

5. happy people don't focus on a single passion or relationship. 

6. happy people don't dwell on past failures. 

7. happy people don't spend more time than necessary around unhappy people. 

8. happy people don't gossip. 

9. happy people don't procrastinate.

every morning i wake up and i feel fortunate for everything i've got going for me and i am thankful for all of it.  i feel practically charmed for the way my life has panned out.  i believe it begins there.

i have tons of problems.  who doesn't?  it's how we look at, choose to view, and ultimately deal with our problems that will make or break us.  i'd rather look at my life and see what i've got going for me than what i don't.  i think the above list is a really good reminder of things to keep in mind.

it is really easy to fall into a hole of doom and gloom but really… why?  someone somewhere will always have it worse than you.  there is always a way to find the happy in any situation.  there is always a way to see the positive.  it may not be easy but there is always a way if you want to find it.  so find your happy…  what made you happy today?