Yesterday we had our “DASH” around Kampeska Half Marathon. Once again, we have been working on this for the past year. It was our 3rd year of having a successful event. All proceeds went to sponsor DASH, the Watertown police department program developed for kids. DASH is an acronym for Drug Free, Alcohol Free, Safe and Healthy. The mission is to challenge community partnerships to lead by example and to empower Watertown youth to choose to live healthy and positive lifestyles. Friday night we had a 5k walk/run, and a large group of “Girls on the Run” came and participated. This was their goal–to finish a 5k event! It was a great turnout. It was a great way to achieve a goal.
We had great weather for the 5k as the sun came out. Some of us were getting ready for last minute instructions before the event.
Saturday morning came the Half Marathon. It was cool, and foggy to start off with. But we were all greeted with some great views of the sunrise as well!
It was a great way for many people participating to achieve their goal of either completing the Half Marathon, or participating in the relay of 2 people, each running half. Sally and her daughter were going to run the relay, and they ended up running the entire Half together!
Jason, another member of our run club, was cheering his 9-year-old son, and he ran the relay with his brother!
The Crow family was out in force. They also run with the run club. Jason helped work the event, and Vicki, Cameron, and Cooper all ran the half. I know this was Vicki’s first, and maybe for Cooper too. I think Cameron ran one last year with her dad. But they were all cheering for each other, and we were all cheering for them!
We had a ton of people helping on the sidelines as well. Cheerleaders, water station entertainment. Tom and Sue Beaudry were out there cheering and serving!
We were all busy working as well, and Sarah and I, and Jason were zipping back and forth from the start to the finish. It was cold at the time of the start!
It took a team to organize this event. It took even a bigger team the day of the event. And, it took an even bigger team for all of the people who participated in the event itself. It takes a lot of courage to step out of your comfort zone and go for a goal. When we work for something, we are trying to attempt something that we may not have ever done yet. If we have done something of it before, we are always trying to improve upon our previous goal. Never stop trying. Never stop improving. Work for your goals, whatever they may be. It can bring a lot of fulfillments, and a strong feeling of accomplishments when you “DASH to your goals”! Keep moving everybody!
The weekend started off busy. Several people from Watertown drove to Brookings to participate in the Brookings Half Marathon/Marathon. It was not the greatest of weather, but it held off pouring on us until we were at least done running, so that was a huge plus. My daughter Megan had been working for months trying to have a goal of breaking 2 hours. She did it, running officially 1:57:53. She was thrilled! She put in a lot of work, and knew what she wanted to get, and went for it. She wanted to change her goal time. Even prior to the race she kept repeating to herself: I can do this! I worked for it! I will not stop to have to go to the bathroom! Ha! You have to think positive in regard to everything! She made a commitment! A commitment to change! The used that commitment as a power to change!
Erika helped pace her through. I ran too, but I did not put the time in like she did, and no way I was going to hold her back. Thanks Erika! We all have the power to change. As Albert Einstein said: “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” You did it Meg!
Her boyfriend Dan was out there to keep cheering her on. I think that alone pushed her to break 2 hours!
Besides going there to run, we had several out there to be cheerleaders. Thanks for all of the support. Everybody needs encouragement.
Patricia and I were starting off together. First thing on our mind was “get this going” as it was kind of cold just standing there!
I came in at 2:05:06, and I was very happy too! I was happy to be able to run, and finish. The girl coming beside me is Grace Stein. She is from Watertown, and I noticed her beside me at mile 5, and ran with her the rest of the way. This was her first Half Marathon, and she rocked it. At the end we were both pushing each other. You never know who will encounter during things, and how those people can also help you with the power to change, and vice versa! It would have been easy to settle back, and just run, but that is also the allure of running. You go by how you feel, and then don’t be afraid to push it some. Jimi Hendrix said: “In order to change the world, you have to get your head together first.” Right on. Test your limits. Push yourself. If you don’t, you have no idea what you are capable to doing. You have the power to change that!
If you are not sure about the power of change, go watch a sunrise or a sunset. When there are clouds, it literally can change by the minute. Guess what? That is what we need to do every day! We have to make decisions that influence the outcome for the rest of the day. Those influence not only us, but others around us. I love this quote by author John C. Maxwell (I read a lot of his books!): “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” You decide. Are you going to be the driver of your life, or a passenger? You have the power to change!
Absolutely! So, what are you waiting for? Use that power you have to make change…change for the better! Keep moving everybody!
Times are always changing. This is probably the only constant we have in life–change will occur! We can learn from those changes or keep making the same mistakes. A great book by John C. Maxwell, “Failing Forward”, is a great way to keep learning from our mistakes. The wind at times this week has been really blowing. I go to the Lake to take some pictures, and I can hardly hold the camera steady. I will wait a little bit, and the scenery will change, and a few minutes later, it changes again. That is truly what life has in store for us as well. Our decisions going forward are based on the decisions we made prior to that. It then keeps building. A decision leads to one decision, which then leads to the next, and so on. One day alone has a countless number of decisions that we make, which then leads to the next. At the end of the day, we can wonder, “well what if I had done this, then this would have happened, and then this would have happened”, and on and on it goes. The whole day could have ended up differently. It can change just like the wind. The winds of change!
My friend and training partner Tom joined us this morning for run club after being out for health issues since October. It was great having him back out and going again. It has been a struggle for him and his family, but he is making progress. We don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring, or if we will have a tomorrow, so we need to fully take advantage of today!
Follow those winds. See what changes they have to make. When we are out running, it makes you tougher when you have to go against the wind. I have told my daughter when we are running and the weather is bad, especially wind and cold, that the bad weather “puts hair on your chest”, and then when we turn into the wind it “rips it right off again”! Those winds of change make us better able to adapt to those tough times in our lives. After all is said and done, they make us stronger! Better! Improved!
Spend your days with people who enjoy the same thing as you. And as Kate shows here, we can all learn a lot from kids as well. As adults, we have to be more responsible, but we need to remember to have “some fun along the way” as well. Each of us still has our own inner kid waiting to come out. That too can change like the wind! So, remember, those “winds of change” keep teaching us something. We just have to be paying better attention to them, and not just complaining about them! Keep moving everybody!
Here we are at the top of Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak). We were hiking up last year, and the fog was beginning to roll in. We managed to get to the top and got to experience some incredible views before the fog got so thick, we could hardly see to get back down. You have to learn how to become more resilient in times of adversity. Everyday life involves this as well. You are going along, things are going smoothly, then the frustrations come on, the stress piles on, and then next thing you know it is like hiking in the fog. You are not sure if you are on the right track. Are you going to make the right decisions? Afterall, one decision results in one outcome, which leads to another outcome, and so on. If you make the wrong decision, what is that final outcome going to be? That in and of itself is stressful. You keep going on and trust your instincts. Trust! And count on others around you to help make the right decisions, and actions.
Jill and Paula were running with me last October when we did our first trail run. You “walked” up the hills! We kept pushing each other. We need to rely on that kind of help each day as well.
Some days seem more uphill than others! Keep pushing. Keeping training (not trying–like my blog last week). “What does not kill you makes you stronger!” I have a T-shirt that I will wear to workout when riding inside on the bike: “What does not kill makes you stronger! Except Bears…Bears will kill you!” Ha! It all depends on attitude, and perspective.
Sarah and I are always pushing each other, encouraging each other. There has not been a shortage of adversity lately when it comes to medicine. There are always difficulties to overcome. That is why when you have time off, you need to have it off, and enjoy it! The weather lately has also been difficult to overcome, and it is easy to say we all feel the same. The wind on Saturday was ridiculous again.
The waves were roaring beginning in the afternoon. Some days life is just like the weather. You wonder how you are going to weather the next “storm” that comes on. You just have to remember for all of the challenging times, there are good days that follow.
There are those days when so many things go just perfect. You just wish you could clone those days. But if we did not have the “stormy” days, we really would not appreciate the calm, peaceful ones. You never know what life is going to throw at you. Stay positive. Keep pushing. Just like we may have multiple decisions to make each day, and each of those decisions may influence the next one, if we don’t keep going, we will never find out what those decisions may mean. I was just talking to someone the other day that I wish at times that I had the ability to be able to fast forward time to see how things would turn out. But we don’t have that luxury. We are going to make mistakes. We need to learn from those mistakes. Each “mistake” is a learning opportunity to be able to get it right the next time. Or at least to do better! That is why we “strive to survive”, more so some days than others. It is kind of like golf for me. I rarely go because I am really not very good at it. But, if I hit a good shot, (out of 80 bad shots over 9 holes!), it makes me at least come want to come back for more! Adversity if part of life. It is your life. Make the most out of all of those “experiences of life”. Keep moving everybody!
I am currently reading a new book, titled “The Power to Change”, by Craig Groeschel. It has some very interesting points. In it he talks about how we all have goals. Whatever that goal is for each of us, we try. “You’ve really tried. That’s the problem. Trying doesn’t work. You’ve been trying for too long. Trying never achieves consistent results. We’ve seen it time and time again. The vicious cycle:
You try. You get tired of trying. You quit. You feel embarrassed. You regroup. You try. You get tired of trying.” And on and on it goes. “Trying doesn’t work. Training does.”
What is the difference? “To try is to attempt to do the right thing by exerting effort in the moment. To train is to commit to developing strategic habits that equip you to do the right thing in the moment.”
For me, this hits it right on when it came to me and running a marathon. I was not going to “try” and run a marathon, I was going to “train” to run a marathon. That “training” takes months of dedication, planning, building, outright working, to get ready for a marathon. This goes for everything in life, and all of our goals. You need to “train” for them, not “try”. They are never easy. They require work. It if was not a “goal”, it would not mean much to us. That discipline is going to come down from deep inside each of us. We are in control. That does not mean we cannot get help from others.
When it comes to running, our Watertown Area Run Club helps each other to achieve our running goals. Those running goals are also our personal goals, and life goals. It is not just about running. We join together in one activity to help fulfill whatever goal each of us may have. Friendship and support are at the top of the list.
Our group as a whole allows each of us to “train” to become better, not just at running. We “train” to become better people. We have each other’s backs. Several people always have some personal link to each of us over time.
Tom Beaudry has been one of my “training” partners for decades. There is a reason we are not called “trying” partners. We did not “try” together. We “trained” together. Each one of those “training” partners bring back memories.
Steve Hauck and I “trained” to be able for Steve to finish his first marathon. Then that brought us into the Disney world marathon scene. Oh, the memories that we and our families have had because of it! Running was the initial goal to get us on this track, but “training” is what kept it all together, and the true meaning behind all of it.
Jill Makepeace has been a part of the run club since its inception. Here we are having a squat contest before the Half Marathon then next day in Denver, and the picture of her is blurry because she is moving so fast! Who won? Depends on who you ask! If you ask me, I won. If you ask Jill, she won. But the reality of it all, we both won! We have been running together, for sure on the Sundays every week, for years. We are not out there “trying”, we are out there “training”.
Then, of course, is Sarah. We “train” in running, work, life in general! We are in a continuous training mode for whatever life throws at us. We don’t have to “try”. We “train”. That is the dedication we all have to have in life to be successful and achieve the goals we want. So that is the major point now. Everybody, “Quit trying!”. Get out there and start “Training”. If you want it, truly want it, then train for it. After all is said and done, by “training” for those things in life, they will have more significant meaning. I would rather be known for having “trained” for my life than just “try”! Keep moving everybody…”train” for it!
