Just Get Going

This past weekend I completed my 3rd half marathon. This race took place at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, FL, and was a really great experience. I had been training for this race for some time, and while I didn't run quite as fast as I had hoped I would, I did finish with a new personal best time.

Along the way, I even had time to stop for a pictures with a couple of the coolest guys ever.




These races at WDW are always such a great motivator for me, because there are always runners of every shape and size imaginable. There are people that finish these races, some even faster than me, that look like they would struggle to complete a 5k, let alone a half or a full marathon.

The amount of inspiration you can get from some of these participants is incredible, and they really show that whatever excuse you have for not exercising really is a nothing but that--an excuse.

This weekend I passed a guy that was running the half that had both of his legs amputated. He was out there running with two prosthetics and enjoying the experience, when no one would have blamed him for sitting at home feeling sorry for himself.

Two years ago, a soldier ran the full marathon wearing full army fatigues, carrying his pack with him as he ran in honor of all the other soldiers serving overseas. Every person that passed him thanked him for serving our country, and he just humbly deflected all gratitude to those soldiers far from home.

This year I had some friends run that have never considered themselves runners, yet they all managed to finish their races. One actually wasn't planning to run until the day before the race when another person got sick. She hadn't trained and had every reason not to run, but instead she just went out and did it. She may not have been the fastest person out there, but she finished.

And when you finish something you never thought was possible, you feel so proud of what you accomplished, and it also helps you realize how much more is attainable. I love going to these big races to remind myself of what is possible when you convince yourself that you are able to do anything you put your mind to.

So whether or not you ever run a marathon, or even a 5k, please don't ever tell yourself you can't do it. Because you can.

And afterwords your muscles might be sore, and your joints might ache, but you'll have done something that can never be taken away from you.

And you'll know to never doubt yourself again. Ever.