I ran and I ran and I ran everyday,
and I acquired this sense of determination,
this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up,
no matter what else happened.
Wilma Rudolf
I headed out Saturday in the wind and cold. I decided a little cold never hurt anyone. I got about a mile out and noticed little snow flakes. I thought, "Hey, it is not too cold, and the snow is kinda pretty. This is great." It was just a small flurry, and I was quite enjoying it. Besides, I was running with the wind, and it felt warm. The flurry only lasted a second. I turned at mile two, and the wind was whipping, kind of a head/side wind, if you know what I mean. A half mile up ahead, I could see a wall of snow. It got closer and closer while the wind got stronger and stronger. As I got into the snow, I stopped to put my hat back on. It was blowing and snowing hard enough that it was hard to see. I turned around when I put my hat on to keep the snow out of my eyes, and contemplated turning around. Then the thought came to me, "How often do you get to run in the snow on May 22?" The answer, not very often. Infact, once a year at the most, but much less frequent than that even. I turned back around and ran on. I was slow, but determined. I proved that slow and steady does win the race, because I outran the snow. However, the wind was a different story. The last mile, I was running against the wind. I think it even pushed me backwards a couple of times. That definately gives new meaning to the term "negative splits."
Today I would like to celebrate determination. I am not always as determined as I should be. However, when I am determined, I can do anything. Determination is the key to success in anything we do. Sometimes, our goals seem impossible, but as Danny Paradise, a yoga instructor stated, "If you keep at it, one day something which at first appeared impossible will become merely something very difficult indeed." I really like this. I think somethimes, we think if we keep trying, it will be easy. He never says that, he only states that the impossible will become possible. I can and will do hard things. Maybe they will never be easy for me, but they will be possible. I am determined to run today so I can do the impossible tomorrow.
My husband got up with me and we just walked. It was somewhat empowering to walk on "vacation". I was going to run but we were in Mesquite in a little condo community where everything looks exactly the same and there are a million units. I took Brian so I wouldn't get lost.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you ran in the snow and the wind! I laid in bed this morning and look at the snow falling and I stayed in bed. I'll run tomorrow and we are hiking to the "G" tomorrow night so I'll make up some work out time!
Nice job running in the Idaho Spring time weather! When's your next marathon?