by Dan | Oct 23, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
What do we want to “finish” in our lives? What is it we want to accomplish? We all have our bucket list ideas, those things we would really like to do, or go see, or accomplish. But what are we doing as individuals to help that process? Are we working at it diligently, or are we waiting for it to fall into our laps? What risks are we willing to take? Clearly, something has to happen.
When you begin, you start. Just like entering a race, or walk, the first thing you have to do is get to the starting line. Once you get there, then how you continue defines your goal. Are you going to give up before you finish? Are there going to be obstacles along the way? Sure there are! When it is something you truly want, you have to work for it. But you also have to keep focused, and to remember one major principle…
Our minds are our own worst enemy. If we can get past our negative thoughts, and doubts, we can accomplish anything we want to!
You will have to push yourself…persist until success happens! Keep repeating this to yourself. How else are you going to become a better you if you don’t believe success will happen. But you have to work for it. Nothing worth having just happens. That is what makes your accomplishments that much more rewarding too…you earned it! You pushed yourself into that success. You kept your focus on your dreams and visions, and you never let them out of your sight!
You give it all you got to accomplish those goals, all of which help to make you become a better you. When you believe in yourself, amazing things happen!
Bottom line, you become unstoppable. You become a better version of you! What more could you ask for. Before too long, you will start finishing things you never thought you could, or even more, you start finishing things that previously you would have never thought you would have even started!
If you try, you are a winner! When you finish what you set out to do, you become better…not better than anybody else, that is not the goal. You become a better you, which is, after all, what you are trying to do. Keep working on you…there is no better investment. There is no better return on your investment! Believe in you! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3313
by Dan | Oct 10, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
It was a busy, but fun weekend. 18 weeks of training together over the Summer to get ready for this marathon culminated in one day. One day of fun, work…heartbreak! We all had a goal we wanted to accomplish…first, we all finished. Many did not get the time we were shooting for. But, it is disappointment for a short time. Until you are in the marathon, you have no idea what it takes to finish, much less achieve a time you had in mind. We already achieved more than everybody who did not run the marathon. Here is the reward for finishing…waiting for us at the finish line!
Nothing makes you more proud than to have this hanging across your chest! The people along the way were incredible for cheering you on, and helping you to get to the finish line. I had this printed on the front of my shirt, and had people calling out my name from start to finish.
This came into even more help when I began struggling at mile 24. My legs were doing ok, but my stomach was not. I started cramping, and then starting throwing up! 4 times from mile 24 1/2 to 25 1/2. I would keep walking, but as soon as I started running, I would get sick again. I did not know how I was going to get in. Jen and I were running together until mile 19, and then when I looked to my side, then behind, I could not see her. What happened? She was just beside me. I put my head down and tried to keep going. When I was really struggling at this point, the people were literally screaming at me to keep going…”You can do this”; “You are tougher than this race”; somebody waved a sign at me that said: “If this were easy, I would be doing it. You are almost there! Don’t quit now”. I tried to keep going, and then I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was Jen, and she was screaming out “don’t you walk now, we are almost there!” I told her I could not stop throwing up, and she told me she could not feel her legs anymore. Go! I started running again, and then felt a surge because I saw a flag hanging down, and looked back at her and said “there is the finish…let’s go!” Only to find out the finish line was still 0.2 miles from there! But now people were jammed packed on both sides…there was no place to go off and try to hide if I had to throw up, so I told myself “just get across”! And then it was there! We had finished, and Jen was just behind me. We endured. We made it. We dug down deep, just like everybody in that race did yesterday!
I also kept thinking of one of my patients throughout this whole run, and a good friend of mine…Don Hauck. He was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, and had been put on hospice last week. His son Steve was one of my training partners. I kept thinking of him, and when I was getting short of breath, I thought of him. I was choosing to be short of breath then, he had no choice. It helped give me some motivation to keep going. Things had gotten worse over the weekend, and I am glad I did not know it. I received a text message at 5:45 Sunday afternoon from Steve telling me his Dad had just passed away! The marathon no longer had any meaning for me at that moment…I had run with Don on my mind the whole race. You will be missed Don.
Jen received a bracelet from one of the spectators during the time she was struggling…I think it now has more meaning to her than anything of this race!
“You got this”…and it kept her going!
The marathon will always remain a mystery to me. This was now number 13 for me, and I learn something different every time…not just on how to do this race, but about myself. You put yourself through a lot during the training time, and then the actual race. You figure out how to become a better you! You find out what you are made of, and what you can accomplish. You become unstoppable!
You also begin to realize that anything you do in life becomes possible!
And after all is said and done, you realize that is was all worth while…even if we fall a little short of our specific time goal. Jen and I were trying to break 4 hours…I came across in 4:02:24, and she was just over 4:03. Owen came across in 3:10,and needed a 3:05 to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Jill cut 35 minutes off of her personal best, and Paula finished here first Marathon ever! And Jim signed up Monday last week to run the marathon with Paula! I have to say, it was still quite an accomplishment for the Watertown Area Run Club! The back of my shirt I ran in sums it up…
It was a successful training time, and a successful marathon day. This marathon will teach us a lot about ourselves going forward, and again, what we are made of. Don’t ever lose sight of what you can achieve. Never lose sight of your dreams and visions. Ever! Work at becoming a better you!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3300
by Dan | Oct 2, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
It is time to begin a new series, one that I have titled “Becoming a better you”. Remember, over time, our goals change. We need to keep updating our goals to help us to live our dreams and our visions. We should never lose site of these dreams and visions. When you keep looking back at your goals, this overall becomes much easier to do. My family is always part of my vision and dreams…my goals. I am thankful that Sarah is with me along the way to help with all of this too. The exercise and running over the years has also been a great escape…a time to think. It helps give me a purpose, and I found this quote which helps sum things up well.
When we have a purpose, things in life are much easier to accomplish. One thing to remember as well, we have all been given our own personal gifts, talents, and abilities…and a short amount of time in which to put it all together to live our lives to the fullest. Don’t waste time…it already goes by too fast.
The exercise has created a bond like no other…it has allowed me to make adventures I never would have experienced otherwise; to meet people I would have never met otherwise; to achieve goals and accomplishments that I thought would have never been possible. It has helped me become a better me, and it can help you “become a better you”.
The activities that you can do as a family are memories to have forever. Nobody can take them away. Yes, you work, but that does not mean you can’t have fun, and enjoy life better as a result. You also get to have different ways in which to spend time with your own family more! But…the running, exercise, activity…teaches you more about yourself than you could have ever imagined. When it comes to trying to achieve something good in your life, it takes time, energy, and interest. You have to work at it! It will not just fall in your lap…you have to earn it. You have to work for it. All good things in life worth having are worth working for. The lessons it teaches you can be unlimited. Give it a try!
So, as I begin on this series, I will cover topics that can help you become a better you. What you can do in your life that can benefit you in many ways, both physically and mentally. In short, how to better know yourself! I will still continue on my “adventure” posts when different events, races, etc come up. The Twin Cities Marathon is next weekend…I am sure this will have new adventure stories in store! We are in charge of our own happiness. Just get going!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3292
by Dan | Sep 27, 2016 | Etc.
This Sunday just marked the end of 9 years…9 complete years of exercise without missing a day! Now I am already into a couple of days of year 10. Where has the time gone? What before was a real struggle trying to make sure I did not miss a day, has now become a habit…second nature. I don’t know where this will end, but I will keep going as long as possible!
I will still continue some of the blog series of adventures, especially when I have new races, or places that we are going to. But now, I am going to be starting a new series. The title of it will…”Becoming a better you”! I got to get away this past weekend, and was allowed some time to really think. Hopefully, I will have some good topics that everybody can get something out of, and help them become a better version of themselves….a better version of themselves in every aspect of their lives. Have a great week everybody. The first in the series of this will come out on Sunday.
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3287
by Dan | Sep 18, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We all want to be healthier, and be able to have the energy and stamina to do things, but it is important to be having fun along the way. Here our run club is getting ready to go for a run…and we are ready! Ready to not only go for a run, but to have fun, and spend time with friends as well. We all have goals in our life, and we want to improve with our goals. When we are running as a group, our times for how fast we run are really not important. It is a social time, and a time to see how everybody is doing, and how things are going for them in their lives. Many of us on our run club is getting ready to do the Twin Cities Marathon in 3 weeks, and many of us also ran last weekend in Sioux Falls doing the half marathon. In events like this, our times can be more important to us then, as we are continuing to drive and improve for ourselves. The next few pictures show Jill Makepeace checking her time as she crossed the finish line, and then the expressions of her face when she realized she had just set a personal record for her finish time.
This is also a driving force as to why we keep trying. We want to be healthier, but we are trying to improve ourselves along the way. If you don’t push yourselves at times, you have no idea how far you can go. Over time, we can amaze ourselves. As individuals, you can look back on your accomplishments, and really can see changes as to the progress that is made…it is also a great motivator! Our minds are usually our limiting factor, not our bodies. It is important getting support from people in our lives who help support us, and who help us achieve our goals. More importantly, they are usually the people who we have fun with as well.
Paula and Jill are having a good time following the race, and both celebrating accomplishments they just achieved. Our run club really can show off the fun we can have.
We can all be “goofy” together! After taking these pictures, we finally got back to running after we got done posing. So everybody get ready, and “jump” into better fitness and health!
Keep moving everybody! Exercise for the health of it! But, have fun along the way!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3278
