According to the campaign message, Under Armour is driven to redefine the female athlete and yes, I love being a part of it. Don't get me wrong, I do not think I single handedly can redefine anything. I was reading a book and love how it stated that one person is not big enough to make real change. I know...gulp! How dare I say that when so often we hear you can make a change? Well, yes, you can. But I am not naive enough to think that my little compost bin in my backyard is changing the world. My bin with thousands, perhaps millions others, is making the change. I am part of it. And you need to be part of the change you want to see. If you aren't, you are decreasing its odds of success. You need enough force to push that potential energy into kinetic energy and today, I am convinced I am part of the movement to redefine the female athlete. And here's why.
Being part of this campaign has changed me. It has changed how I view myself and my potential. It has reconnected me with my goals and given me more confidence in myself to achieve them. I have heard from other participants that they feel the same way. We are each individual pieces of the larger force. We are strong and capable women uniting to reach a goal and providing support even though we are competitors. What is more beautiful than changing I can't into I can...or at least will have the courage to try?
What is more beautiful than having the strength to pull yourself out of bed when the bed is warm and cozy? It is dark outside. You don't even see moonlight. And your goal - to run on a treadmill at the local gym. The goal isn't glamorous or exciting. But it is your goal.
What is more beautiful than having the courage to stop looking at the time slowly going by and to run and have faith? I tend to break down at the end of my longer races and really just want to know how much longer. When I ran the Maui Marathon with dear hubby I even asked him and he gave me a short lecture on how important it is to know your landmarks so you know how much further. Not the response I wanted. At the Honolulu Marathon I was at that tipping point but an angel who came to my rescue approached and told me not much longer, just keep running, you got this beautiful. What magical words to hear and I did finish that race feeling strong. Therefore, I know I need to train my mind and today I started to commit to that. My goal was 5 miles at tempo pace. I saw 0.1 miles, 0.2 miles, 0.4 miles, 0.5 miles. No way will I succeed if this keeps going. I told myself NO LOOKING until three songs have passed. Okay. 1.86 miles. 2.4 miles. 3.6 miles. 4.0 miles. Weakness took over and I looked after one song. I told myself not again. Two more songs. 4.74 miles. The finish line is in sight. Done.
What is more beautiful than being true to yourself? I love that running allows me to embrace my competitor side but I also love the support of the running community. I love that we care about our success and others. And yes, we may get jealous at times and yes, we may really want to pass that guy or lady right in front of us, but at the end of the day. We care. We are compassionate. That is beauty.
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the sound of children's voices.
Daily Affirmation: I am beautiful. And no, I wouldn't have always been able to say that.
