If you read my last Push It Wednesday post than you know I am actively participating in the Under Armour What's Beautiful campaign as a FitFluential Ambassador.My #IWILL goal is to run strong and beautiful in two marathons this year. One in September and one is December. They are the same two marathons I ran last year and I am really hoping to run both of them without any nagging coughs or other health issues. Fingers crossed.
You can listen me explain how I came up with my goal HERE but it is time to make it S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). After all, how can I measure strong or beautiful? How can anyone? In some regards, strength is easier to measure because you can establish parameters that lifting x pounds or doing x push up's makes one strong. But is that true? Isn't it relative to the person? And what about inner strength? How do you measure that? The mental strength needed to complete any long distance run to me is completely impossible to measure.
And what about beauty? It can be argued that a symmetrical face is beautiful and our symmetry measured with a scale of beauty applied but I argue, this is only skin deep. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. And in all reality, I find the inner beauty, the strength of character, the compassion, the heart of gratitude, the giving nature, the intellect, etc. of a person to be the true definers of beauty. Beauty is from within and blossoms up. A beautiful person doesn't necessarily have to have the face that society considers beautiful and that is the beauty of things!
So why establish a goal that has two subjective elements? Because they are two elements that are at the core of my essence and how I want to live my life. I want to model a life I would be proud my daughter followed. I want to model strength and beauty...and I am talking inner beauty, the beauty of character.This is why I love the essence behind the What's Beautiful campaign and am ecstatic to redefine what's beautiful for the female athlete. It isn't a number on a scale. It isn't a size. It isn't a symmetrical equation. It is the essence of being female, demonstrating strength, being committed, pushing limits. and all the while, being nurturing. Now that is beautiful!
How will I know I have achieved my goal? Yes, I do have time dreams of breaking a 4:20 and then 4:00 marathon but I can achieve my goal without that icing on top. My metrics are running my training plan. Not giving up when the going gets tough. Adding in core training and strength training. And come race day, I will know I have run strong and beautiful if I stay true to myself, believe in myself. run my own race, and appreciate the gift of running I have been blessed with. I will smile and thank those who support me and all the other runners. I will run with a grateful heart. And when or if I hit that wall, I will refuse to give in to temptation to slow down. I will dig deeper, listen to what my body is really saying, and move on!
What goals are you pushing yourself to achieve? Feel free to join me on Team Push It where I will be putting up weekly challenges to help us all become stronger and more beautiful!
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for these kind words from a dear friend.
Daily Affirmation: I am able to keep my priorities in life balanced.
