My Running Manifesto

I have written this post in my mind a million times, even before I had a forum in which to share it. Inspired by Scoutie Girl's challenge to "kick down that door" and by the running of the Boston Marathon today, I am posting (for myself and to, hopefully, inspire someone else...) my running manifesto... (Disclaimer: the bold words are stolen lovingly from Fort Minor's song 'Remember the Name.' And, in full disclosure, it is a rap song...)

Ten percent Luck...

I am the daughter of a runner. It wasn't my choice and was something I fought and rebelled against for a long time. But the circumstances, knowledge and example that my dad exposed me to are priceless. I am lucky...

Twenty percent Skill...

While running comes naturally to the young, somewhere along the way, we forget how to do it. Or more likely, we begin to fear it. We fear how we will look. We fear how we will feel. When I began running, I read books on how to run a certain way, breath a certain way and dress a certain way to improve my speed. While I learned alot and found shoes that made running easier, my skill comes from consistently lacing those shoes and putting one in front of the other. I am skillfull...

Fifteen percent Concentrated Power of Will

I will make goals and I will honor the promise that I make to myself to reach them. I am learning to accept that, sometimes, my "good reasons" for not running are just excuses. I will show my son an example of self-discipline and that we have control over our behaviors. I am willfull...

Five percent Pleasure

Running is not an activity of self-sacrifice and masochism. Running's rewards are endless and personal. Running has pulled me out of a depression, helped me lose weight, strengthened relationships, and has given me inspiration to improve myself in other ways. Running gives me pleasure in ways that I never anticipated. I am happy...

Fifty percent Pain

I appreciate pain..both the physical kind and the kind that comes with pushing myself mentally beyond my normal confines. I want my son and future children to know how to deal with pain. Our current society has scrubbed and neutralized our experiences that we no longer know how to deal with discomfort. We want things easy and our children want things given to them. While black toenails and chaffed skin are inevitabilities for anyone who puts in longer miles, the lessons of endurance, perserverance and tenacity that I have learned make each blister worth the pain. Running has given me moxie. I am courageous.

Give a hundred percent

I run slow. I do not have a runner's body. But what I have, I will put in with complete abandon when I run. My 100% may not be someone else's but I will challenge myself to never sell myself short. I will give 100%.

"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought."
--Arthur Blank