I can’t believe that I am ready to give up after one week. Not really. But I had one of those days. I was tired, as in sleepy tired. My upper back was sore and I had stomach pain…all I wanted to do was have a ten hour massage and sip Cosmos – not teach summer school, not run 3 miles and not grout the stairs.
I went to the gym anyway and I just wanted to walk. Walking counts doesn’t it? It seems so silly that I would be too exhausted to run a measly three miles, but I was and I was hurting. I weighed myself hoping that a pound lost would boost my spirits…nada. I weighed the same. Bummer. Why bother? Because I want to run a marathon. It’s not about the weight; it’s not even about the cheeseburger. It’s about fulfilling a lifelong dream and about pushing myself above and beyond what I mentally I think I can do. Frederick Douglass said that there is power in the struggle. Every time we do something that is out of comfort zone makes us stronger…even though we may be kicking and screaming all the way.
I turned on my Ipod and the Beatles filled my ear. I heaved myself onto the treadmill and walked a few minutes to warm up. Then I cranked up the speed to 7.0 and put one foot and front of the other over and over again. It’s that simple. But it isn’t.
