Be Inspired

The question that was recently brought to my attention, "What inspires you?"It has really made me think about all the different things that have impacted me, and brought me to where I am today. Another phrase "the ripple effect," really rings true for me on so many levels. There are just days where I am so clearly able to see the vastly different chain of events that has brought me to the exact point of where I am having these thoughts and time of reflection. Let me begin with this. Running. It is something that almost seems trendy these days. Something that everyone is doing, training for and being apart of. Which might frustrate some, but excites me that people are inspired to take part, be active and get moving!! Running had never been something that intrigued me. I am the klutziest, most accident prone person on the planet, my hand/foot to eye coordination is a joke. I have never actively played a sport, I can barely play ping pong. My lack of athleticism goes back to the fact that I participated in Marching Band for four years in high school mainly to get out of gym class, because it counted as a gym credit. (Band actually wore on me, and I secretly loved it, but know one has to know). I became inspired to run after watching a late night TV special/documentary years ago. I can't remember the specific details surrounding the couple featured, but from what I can remember, was that a woman some how became disabled suddenly, by either a disease, or accident. Her dream had been to participate in the Boston marathon, or she and her husband had wanted to complete this race together, and once she became disabled she was no longer able to walk let alone run. Her husband then began running with his wife, while pushing her in a wheelchair. They eventually went on to have a custom chair built, and he ran the Marathon while pushing his wife. I remember him describing the last few miles of this race, and how the terrain was hilly, making it even more difficult to push his wife's chair, but he pushed on and made it to the finish line. From this moment I could not help but think to myself, why are you not running? There are people who can't even walk, and you are an able bodied healthy person, you need to run. It also made me think of my dad. He had been such an athlete, who stayed active, and fit, and ended up being bound to a wheelchair, almost completely paralysed, and unable to do anything for himself because of Multiple Sclerosis. I need to run for him, and all the other people who can't. I set a life goal for myself that I would run a marathon one day. I still have that goal, but having a goal, and working toward achieving a goal are very different things. A few years ago I had begun training for a half marathon. It was the dead of winter in Michigan, I was working and going to school, and training ultimately fell to the way side. I have run some 5k's here and there, but can honestly say I haven't thought about running, or ran in a long time until recently. Recently my husband and I made the decision to be healthier together. Life, and our new marriage greatly impacted our waistlines, and we both needed to get moving!! So we signed up for a couple of mud run 5ks. Our first one was last month, and he kicked my butt! I could not keep up with him, and my bratty self definitely thought it would be the other way around. I kept thinking, I go to the gym, and take boot camp classes, and used to run all the time. Well the key words there are USED TO. I quickly realized I needed to step up my game to make it through the next 5k, and the following 4 miler! I began running again, with those two things being my ultimate goal. The mention of the Detroit half marathon, in October, was brought to my attention soon after. Someone was talking about how there is an international option where you run to Canada over the Ambassador Bridge, and come back to the states through the tunnel. Which sounds pretty cool. I then stumbled upon and article called, "You CAN run a half marathon." The training did not look too hard, week one is 3, 3 mile runs and one 3.5 mile, with a similar schedule the following week, adding additional miles on the long run day. So I made an agreement with myself, that if I could stick with the training plan for one month, I would sign up for the Detroit half marathon. The little voice in the back of my head has not been to confident, considering the fact that I have tried to train, unsuccessfully for a half marathon once before. I am in similar circumstances now, working full time, and beginning school in a few weeks. It may even be a little crazier now that I am married, and have our household to keep up with :/. But, I have made it through the first few runs, and I can say I am sore, and slow! Not much of a confidence boost to say the least. So this leads me back to a conversation I had a few days ago, and the question I was presented with, "What inspires you?" Followed by, "Whats really stopping you from doing this besides the excuses you are making for yourself?"Hmm.. Nothing. Literally, not a thing, besides my own fear of failure. I am afraid of few things. First becoming injured, also running it alone, running over a bridge (which I am deathly afraid of, and hate heights), and not finishing in the allotted time. Mentally I have begun to prepare myself for this, and have vowed to check my excuses at their point of entry, and pay attention to my negative thoughts. Being fearful, reminds me of something my husband recently said, "How often will you have an opportunity to run over the ambassador bridge?" Which also reminds me of another conversation that I had with my dad, regarding applying for the Peace Corps. When he said to me, when will you have another opportunity to do this? It will be a great experience, and you will learn lessons that no one will be able to take away from you. Do this for you, regardless of what anyone else thinks. He also poked fun at my mom and her lack of adventures. I love my mom, to death, but I definitely got my passion to travel, and live outside the box from my dad. I see how much I am like him everyday, and it makes me wish so badly that he could be here. But not just that he was here, that he could be a part of it. So much of my life, my dad was sick, and could not be actively involved. But through everything, he was a fighter. And knowing that I have the same disease, and there is a possibility that  I may be disabled one day, I need to fight, to stop making excuses, and take every oppurtunitty as if it were my last. The reality is, anything can happen at any moment, and I may not be here tomorrow. I need to stop making excuses, and praise God for every day, and every breathe, and every opportunity I have been given. So this one's for you dad, I hope I'm making you proud!  And I will leave you with the questions, What Inspires you?  What is really holding you back from achieving the goals you have set out for yourself?