what running has taught me about life

yesterday evening i left work and inhaled the evening air deeply.

it was almost the air of a wet summer evening,

and i knew the rain had come, and was coming again.

when did it get so warm?

this morning i awoke to fog, descended low upon our treetops,

blotting out the distant ocean and scenery beyond.

the rain dripped heavily on the concrete below my balcony,

and i felt an urge to be outside.

i hadn't been out running in almost four weeks,

because of the bootcamp that left me with quads aching

almost too much to walk, let alone run!

but i pulled on my lulus and my running shoes,

and dante's old blue nike sweatshirt

(my favorite for rain-running)

and headed outside.

my breath came heavily and my legs complained

due to my training-hiatus,

and my mind kept saying
"it's your first run back... you can take it easy on yourself"

so that by the time i got near the end of my pre-planned route

i thought i might as well just ease up and walk the rest.

but i remembered something i used to tell myself

in training times past...

finish strong, as strong as you started.

push through and the last kilometer makes all the difference.

my bootcamp instructor had echoed this sentiment when she said

"it's those last ten reps, when you're really feeling the pain,

that really give you results. so do them, no matter what!"

so i pulled my shoulders back, clenched my abs,

and picked up my pace again.

i ran right to the end, thinking all along that

staying strong and pushing through

are things we should be trying to do in every area of our lives.

because if we stay strong and keep pushing

even when something seems hopeless or unnecessary,

that is where we will see all the difference.

in my job, which doesn't seem to have any relevance to my career,

if i push through right to the end i'll have a satisfied employer

and an excellent reference that can help me get a new position

that is closer to what i want to be doing with my life.

with school, if i hadn't kept my head up

and made it through the full five years it took

to complete my bachelor's degree

(even though i was insanely busy my last year)

i wouldn't have a degree to show for it

and all those years would have been wasted.

it often really is the last stretch that matters most,

and it's so important to keep going

even when things are getting too hard.

because if you want to see results,

it's continuing when you want to quit

that's going to get you there.

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