resilience

This month seems to be flying by, my first 18 days are behind me and I look forward to the days ahead with giddy anticipation. Yet not everything has been sunshine and rainbows. I feel the threat of a dark cloud lingering... Not just because I live in a notoriously cloudy region, but rather the coming of events that will surely test my resolve as I pursue my goals. At a grand total of 25 miles a week and my excitement for each run growing exponentially, this is about the time when the running gods attempt to challenge my commitment by threatening to crush my hopes and dreams.

Okay,  maybe a tad over dramatic... This week I felt an all-to-familiar ache in my foot, a warning from my third metatarsal that a stress fracture is on the horizon. Sure. Why not. The great thing about warnings? They're easy to ignore.

However, being that my intentions are to complete 50 miles of hell in less than 3 months I thought it wise to listen to my pain. So I reluctantly jogged a pitiful mile each day until the aching stopped, which took about 3 days...for now. I suspect I will hear more from my foot soon, so my training will fluctuate greatly over the next few weeks. Every time the universe decides to dump toxic rain all over my running parade, I can't help but sink into a depression fueled by woes, junk food and an endless stream of  "why me" echos. So naturally my mindset began to head south at the thought of yet another injury getting in the way of my goals. 

I have to self-correct this behavior immediately before the inevitable snowball effect. So rather than start sending out invitations to my pity party, I elected to take a more proactive approach to my injury magnetism: I got myself a stability ball, a stability platform, and some rocks (for foot strengthening, not throwing). I will do everything in my power to prepare my body and mind for success, which is going to mean going above and beyond for someone as injury prone as myself.

I am inspired, both by a weekend of watching my track heroes debut at one of the first indoor meets of the season and by this...

These are blossoms... in January. Just as these small flowers fight to stay alive against the winter's chill, I fight to keep my dreams alive in the face of whatever adversity comes my way. Yes, I would love to make my goal of running all 365 days in 2014, but the reality is that this is only a small piece of what I'm trying to accomplish. I have a passion for this sport that motivates and drives me. I dream of national competitions. I dream to inspire others. I dream of realizing my full potential. I dream of greatness. This is what I aspire to, a feeling of accomplishment and self-fulfillment that transcends a resolution. Like the blossoms, I will remain resilient to the obstacles that will surely find me.