Today, before I head out to the gym and come back with yet another workout (I know! I just never stop do I?), I wanted to pose another question for you.
What inspires you?
Yesterday I posed the question "What goals do you have?" but it's sort of an empty question if you don't know why you've set that goal. Am I right? So after you think about what goals you have - goals for this week, month, season, year, or maybe for your whole life, let me know what inspires you to either set that goal or to continue working towards it. I'll go first.
What is my goal and what inspires me?
Goal: Run a marathon
Inspiration: The personal feeling of pushing my limits and discovering how much I'm capable of as well as any story of people doing the "impossible."
As many of you know, my main goal for this blog is to compete in and finish a 2012 Ironman, but on my way towards that ultimate goal, I have a ton of smaller goals like running a half marathon which I did this past month. So my next goal on that ladder of goals is to run a marathon. Another point that some of you know is that I used to detest running; I thought people who ran for running's sake were a little weird in the head. haha So obviously there's something inside of me that has inspired me to overcome that mindset and, I admit, actually find that I now enjoy running. So what made me take on the goal of running and what makes me continue plugging away at it? Obviously running is a part of the triathlon and in order to train for the full event, I had to run eventually. It was my weakest point, so I wanted to tackle that first. After I started running 5, 7, and even 10 miles for training runs, I fell in love with running because I feel like I could run forever. I thoroughly enjoy knowing that I am pushing limits. Speed limits are tough, so I find it more natural to push distance and endurance limits. I get an incredibly boost of pride every time I run for a new distance or time record, when I push myself past a point I used to think was my limit. It is incredible to get it in your head that your body may not have limits and/or simply realize how much you're capable of. Beyond that feeling, I like to read stories about people who push their own limits. There are plenty of athletes out there pushing incredible limits in ultramarathons, deca-Ironman races, or a number of other events, but the most inspiring to me are the physically disabled athletes. Team Hoyt and Sarah Reinertsen are great examples in the Ironman races and then Philippe Croizon, a quadriplegic who swam the english channel. These people are step-by-step erasing the word "impossible" from our vocabulary, showing us that practically anything is possible if you put your mind to it. So when I think about myself, I say "If Philippe can train to swim the English channel, what can I do with all four limbs?" or "If Dick Hoyt can complete an Ironman in his sixties while pulling/pushing/carrying his son the entire 140.6 miles, there is no reason for me to EVER think I can't do this." Their stories show me how far I am from my true limits. And there's no point in living if you can't keep testing those limits.
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