Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Perseverance

It's National Running Day! Do you participate? I like to think of this day as Running Awareness Day. Although if you know anything about runners, then you know that we make every day Running Awareness Day. As I tell people, don't ask me about my running, because I won't stop talking about it!

Did you know that besides being National Running Day, June 3 is also National Chocolate Macaroon Day and National Repeat Day. National Repeat Day? National Repeat Day?

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

It seems that whenever there's a National Day of Something, and there are a lot of them, everyone wants to participate. Especially the good ones. Wouldn't it be great if everyone who started running on National Running Day actually stuck with it? Experts say it takes 6 weeks of participating in an activity to make it a habit. Running is hard, no doubt, but with motivation and a purpose, a lot of us persevere....



Why do you run? What do you run for? What makes you keep running, even when you don't want to go another step? How do you find the time in a busy day to go for a run? How do you push through a tough run in the heat and humidity? In the bitter cold? Do you run in the rain? What makes you train for a certain distance?

How do you do it? How do you persevere?

When you think of a runner, what traits come to mind? Determination? Grit? Dedication? Tenacity?

Perseverance is the trait of a person who continues on a course of action in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. I've written a lot about my biggest source of discouragement. Me. Yes, my biggest enemy is the voice in my head that tells me I can't. Over time, I've gotten so much better at pushing past that voice. Even when Becky isn't threatening me with burpees.

A little bit wet...
Here's the story of a little battle I won with myself last week, on a rainy morning before work:


This morning, I woke up, tired. I didn't want to run.

The voice in my head tried to get me to go back to sleep.

I got up anyways. Made my coffee.

Looked at the weather forecast. Saw the rain coming.

Got ready anyways. Headed out the door.

Tired legs, rain pouring down. Started the Garmin.

Ran down the road. One foot in front of the other. 

Reminded myself to take it easy. No goal, no time for this one. 

Just run.

Wanted to make a pit stop. Pushed on.

Finished up. Glad to be done. Glad to have gone.
No regrets.




Just as I persevere through those tough runs that I don't want to do, that ability to tough it out transfers to my life off the road as well.

After that run, I headed into work for a typical crazy Saturday morning. My schedule was jam-packed with patients. As happens sometimes when I'm facing a tough run, I felt a little bit overwhelmed as I approached the morning. And just as I pushed through today's run, I pushed through the morning, taking each visit one at a time, like I do with my miles. Just as I did with my run,  I gave my all to every patient I saw. Sometimes it would be easy to take a shortcut, to blow off a concern. But the runner in me, who gives her best on the road, gives her best at work too.

I wasn't always like this. In my pre-running days, I'd just call in sick when I didn't feel like going to work. I used to call them "mental health" days. I sure could have used one today. But I would have let a lot of people down. Most importantly, I would have let myself down. And so I went for my run. And then I went to work. I gave my all. I did my best. I left work, feeling satisfied that I did a good job.

Running makes me better at everything I do. Running makes me not give up, even though I might want to.

On the road and off.

We persevere.



How do you get yourself out the door when you don't feel like going for a run? What do you do when your mind is telling you to quit running? And has your strengths gained from running translated over to real life? And are you running for National Running Day?

I'm linking up with the awesome Wednesday Word link up on Deb Runs! Check out what everyone else says about Perseverance! 
Kristen at Jonesin' for a Run has a great linkup for National Running Day! Check it out for tons of inspiration!

 

Lisa at Running Out of Wine also is hosting a linkup for National Running Day! More posts to read for inspiration!


  I'm also linking up with the DC Trifecta: Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia on Friday! The topic is National Running Day!



69 comments :

  1. Again, more Wendy Words of Wisdom :-) Thanks for the constant inspiration! I'm hoping to head out for a few miles later in the day, after my PT appointment.

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    1. I need to inspire myself...sometimes I just don't want to go....

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  2. Actually, I probably won't run today...it's yoga for me, and I need to give the legs a rest. But I"m still celebrating all that is running!

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  3. Wait chocolate and running together?! Who knew this is the best day ever :) Since running is so tied into my social life it is a great motivator for me. Have a great day!

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  4. I feel like running brought out the best qualities of me. Qualities that got crushed when I worked a corporate job and through office politics and such, a tiny part of me started believing I sucked. The clock part of running and the difficulty of it are things I've come to love most. It's totally objective. My time is my time. A finish is a finish. Nobody else can take credit for it. Does that make sense? Massive hill repeats for me today. Bring it!

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    1. Totally makes sense to me. My job tries to crush my soul, but running keeps bringing it back. I get it!

      Enjoy those hills....

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  5. Love that Linda Johnson quote! It's so true though, when I'm leaving for work I feel so blah if I didn't make it out for my planned run. I never ever come back from a run wishing I hasn't gone out. Something I need to remember more when I'm making excuses not to go outside to run!

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  6. Wait, what is National Repeat Day? Do you just repeat everything you do?

    I probably won't be running today given my injury, but I might not be able to help myself from a really slow run around the block just to get one in!

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    1. I'm not running today (altho I'm keeping that on the downlow) because it's yoga for me, but since yoga keeps me on the road, I think it counts for something, right?

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  7. I had no idea that today is National Repeat Day. I hope that my students don't realize this and just ask me to repeat things over and over again for the sake of doing so. It gets so annoying when I have to do this because they aren't paying attention!

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    1. LOL! I don't even know what National Repeat Day means...I couldn't find any info about it...

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  8. I love this day. I have already been so inspired reading National Running Day blog posts and it's only 9:30!
    Runners are definitely a determined bunch. After all, our sport is considered a punishment to some people. You need grit to handle it!

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    1. I read a ton of posts on the link up at Jonesin for a run...talk about inspiring!

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  9. I have a hard time getting up to run in the morning. I run after work. However when I do drag myself out, I feel better all day. And running in the rain. me. Never! You are inspiring.

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  10. Happy National Running Day! Yes, running has given me a lot of confidence over the years, too. And sometimes I hate every minute of it but never regret having stayed with it and gotten it done!

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    1. Rarely do I hate it, but I do have those runs where I can't wait to be done, for sure!

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  11. LOVE. Nodding throughout. There are so many days when I know that I just need to get my feet out the door. That I just need to start. But I drag. And I drag. And I drag. But then I go. And it isn't easy... but there are all those moments along the way when the sun shines, or the wind catches you and carries you, and at the end, you feel better.
    Sounds like life, huh?

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  12. Oh, my gosh...I can't imagine NOT running. I've been running since I was 16 (so...23 years) and I do it because it's always fun. No matter what the weather is like, how my body feels or how late I stayed up the night before, there is always something fun about my run and I feel really weird if I'm not doing it nearly every day. I'm so glad you enjoy it, too!!! Happy National Running Day!

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    1. You captured my feelings exactly! Every run is different, every run is an adventure!

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  13. Some mornings, it is HARD getting up and getting out, but you're right. It's all about being tough runners.

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  14. Happy National running day! I'm hoping to get some quick sprints in tonight!

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  15. Happy National Running Day! Happy National Running Day! Happy National Running Day! Happy National Running Day! hehe - When I lack motivation, I remind myself about how much better I'll feel after the run. If I start running and it's tough, I tell myself to just get through one mile - usually it gets better after the first mile :)

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  16. Hi - just stopped by real quick to say hello on National Running Day - a day, rather ironically, I won't be running (ggggrrrhhh).
    I love your top in the first photo BTW - cool.
    Cheers
    Jac!

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    1. I didn't run today either. It's a planned yoga day, and I needed to do it!

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  17. I love this post! As an XC Coach, people at the college I coach at always tell me how discplined my students are. I'm thinking, that's because that's just a trait runners have ;) We push ourselves without needing other people to tell us to do so. We wake up or run late because we have to get our miles in. People ask "Why pay to run?" or "Are you gonna win or something?" Runners push themselves despite not being elite or pro...I truly love the running community!

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    1. Yep, disciplined is another great word to describe runners!

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  18. I haven't ran in a few weeks but feel like today is the day to get a small one in :)

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  19. I lay my clothes out the night before and roll out of bed and immediately change. Once I have my workout clothes on, that's enough to motivate me to do something. If I really don't feel like it, I will tell myself a short run, or a short swim... and it usually turns into a longer one once those endorphins get flowing.

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    1. I do the same; especially if it's an early morning run. Then for sure I have no excuses!

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  20. National Repeat Day - really?! I love that Linda Johnson quote - it is so true! Have a great day!

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  21. I've never gone on a run that I regretted...never ever....that's what I remind myself when I don't want to go.
    Any run that I did skip, I did regret....and the rest of my day went downhill from there.
    Now there are rest days that I plan in advance, but that is different....that doesn't count as not going:)

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  22. I think things can look so daunting - be it a run or a crazy workday - before you actually get started. But once you get started, you just push through until it's done. That's definitely something running has taught me to do, and like you pointed out it's something that translates to other facets of my life as well. For me, making the decision is the hard part. Once that's done, I almost always follow through.

    Happy National Running Day!

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  23. Running has definitely taught me that I can do things I didn't think I could. There's no way I thought I could run a marathon when I first started running. And now? Well sometimes I'm just nuts :)

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  24. 4:45 is my time too! I feel so guilty when I don't go. Must be a runner problem.

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  25. You nailed it Wendy...no regrets.

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  26. Great post! Running definitely makes me better at other things I do. I love running first thing in the morning, because I just get up and go. There's no time to talk myself out of it! Thanks for joining in the link-up!:)

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  27. Happy National Running Day! I went for a quick run yesterday to celebrate and posted in via video on Instagram. :-)

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    1. I actually didn't run yesterday bc it was a planned yoga day. In my mind, every day is Running Day!

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  28. I didn't run yesterday because my husband was out of town and I didn't have anyone to watch the little. I should have gotten up to run this morning, but the sleep won. I have been up late the past two nights and this morning just wasn't happening. But - I'm making my husband pick my daughter up from school so the plan is to go after work. The rest of the day is tough if you skip an AM workout - it nags at you all day long.

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  29. Happy National Running Day to you too!!! For me, the hardest part of running each day is usually just getting started. So I attempt to break the process up into a whole bunch of little steps. Often, I tell myself to get out there and do 1 mile - and if it sucks, then I can stop and go home. But usually, once I get that mile done, it's so much easier to just keep going!

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  30. Your posts are so inspiring :) My legs were killing me on National Running Day, so I just walked 3 miles with my daughter.

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  31. there are many days where i just don't want to get out there but during this run streak i've learned that if i can just get out of bed, the hard part is done! :)

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  32. Wow! That is quite the commitment...running in the rain. I would've turned back over and went to bed. I missed out on a few runs this week due to the weather. Hopefully next wk goes better. Way to go!

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    1. Our weather is so crazy here...if you don't go, you'd never go...

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  33. I always had a running buddy waiting on me at 6am so I had to get my but out of bed and moving on time lol.

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  34. I feel like starting is the very hardest part sometimes! I'm still having issues forcing myself to get up earlier in the morning to work out, but...gonna keep workin' at it! I admire your perseverance! :]

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  35. I love the way you tied running into learning to persevere in work and other aspects of life. Hope you had a great National Running Day, and thanks for linking up!

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    1. It was a great national running day! Another reminder of why we run.

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