Everyday Challenge

by Education Blog

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Posted on November 28, 2017

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A week ago Sunday I completed my first half marathon in Tulsa.  Why a half marathon you might ask?  I honestly don’t know, I just decided during the summer, I was going to challenge myself mentally and physically to accomplish something I had never done before.  I wanted to see if I could still dig deep, if I could be mentally tough, display fortitude and determination that I challenged my former players, students, and teachers with each day.  I mean if you're going to write about all these characteristics shouldn’t you see if you can show them from time to time.  

I began preparing for the race in July and quite honestly probably didn’t train myself near as much as I needed because after finishing I realized I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been.  I didn’t really have a goal in mind other than I wanted to finish in 2 and half hours, and I didn’t want to walk.  It is hard to describe the euphoric feeling I had when I finished, but after reflection there are two things I think it is important to share about this experience.

One, family is important.  Around mile 8, I begin to question sanity.  My body was beginning to hurt, I was thirsty, I was beginning to have shortcut thoughts.  What I mean by shortcut thoughts are those thoughts where I would tell myself, no one will know if you walk a little, or what kind of excuse could I make to just stop all together.  I could blame my foot hurting, knee pain, or just exhaustion.  I rounded a corner and there they were, my family.  They clapped and cheered me on as I ran by and it gave me that little extra boost.  Just when I needed it my family was there and it forced away those shortcut thoughts for a few miles more.  How often do we reach those shortcut moments in life.  I know I have them, but I’m thankful for my family to get me through those moments.  Sometimes it not just our families, but the people we surround ourselves which brings me to my second point.

Positivity can carry you a long way.  As I ran the course there were people shouting encouragement the entire half marathon.  I have always been told, and I have even told people how important it is to be positive, and if you're positive it can help get a person through anything.  I’m sure I have never been aware of just how important it is to be positive until this experience and how powerful it can be to a person.  Not only did the encouragement help me throughout the half, but especially near the end.  Around mile 11 I reached my breaking point again and began having those shortcut thoughts.  My foot hurt, it was uphill, and quite frankly I was ready to quit.  I remember as I neared a volunteer blocking the street traffic, he said to me “you can do this you only have one more turn.”  You can do this, pretty simple words, but at that moment they were the most powerful words I could have heard.  They encouraged me to finish, to accomplish my goals.  How often do we impact the people around us each day with positive, encouraging words?  I’m quite sure I’ve impacted those around me with my words, but how positive have they been?  I’m going to need to work on that.  

Please don’t misunderstand me, because without the preparation I couldn’t have completed the race.  It was the positivity that allowed me to reach the goals I had set for myself, and accomplish something I didn’t think was possible.

Speaking of challenges, the Alva High School Football team will be competing in the State Semifinals Saturday night in Enid at 7:00.  If you happen to see a coach or player you might give them an encouraging word, and let them know the Goldbug Family will be there to support them Saturday night.  It is amazing what can be accomplished through preparation, encouragement, and the support from family.

 

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