That was one thought that occurred to me during the first mile of the Warrior Dash (all up hill, I might add.)
Life tosses obstacles in front of us all and no one is born prepared for them. We have to learn to train ourselves to deal with the unexpected.
I am the first person to acknowledge that I was completely unprepared for the Warrior Dash in New Hampshire on Saturday, September 15th. I was not alone apparently. A lot of people did not expect that the first mile of the 5K Obstacle Course was going to be run up ski trails on Gunstock Mountain.
Life is guarentied to lead us along the ups and downs of our own journey and occasionally block us with a seemingly insurmountable wall. I am out of shape and I learned that harsh fact on Saturday. I also learned that it is okay to pause on the trail to catch my breath in order to maintain my pace . I passed a couple of signs that pointed to the easiest way down the mountainside, but was never once tempted to take the easy route. I didn't look back the way I came. I did look up once at the top of the giant hill and quickly felt small compared to the mountain. I looked down immediately a few feet in front of my runner's shoes and kept moving one foot in front of the other towards my goal. It's okay to look back if it is to acknowledge where you came from and to use your past for the lessons it shares.
I was not ready for the race and I could have trained another year to prepare myself. Though I committed myself to finishing the race, I was not racing against anyone other than myself. I was also happy to see so many people cheering and clapping and encouraging each other to push thier own limits and battle on up the mountain!
While on the mountain, I lived in the moment. I understood what it meant to LIVESTRONG. I knew where I came from and where I was going. I felt like Zoë was resting on my shoulders, very much like the way Luke Skywalker carried Yoda through the swamps of Degobah. I had the motivation to run the race, the determination to keep taking one more step, and the persistance to leap over the fire pitt and finish the race. It was not easy. I questioned my ability to climb a 20 foot wall, but I did it. I kept battling on, and believing in myself!
Team Zoë, Battle On!