A personal note

I have been running for enough years, and have enough non-running friends and acquaintances, to know that many people who do not run think that runners are just plain crazy.  They often agree with someone who once said, "Running would be fun if it weren't for all that running."  So I get that many of you can't understand the desire to run...  just as I don't like swinging a tennis racket in frustration at a ball that likes to go anywhere besides where I aim, or trying to hit an even tinier ball with a golf club.  But I do get that these activities are just as important for exercise, stress relief, and relaxation for you, as running is for me.  And I admire your skill and patience.

So when I tell you that I am unable to run right now, your initial thought may be, "Wow! Aren't you fortunate."  However, when you take someone who loves running as much as I do, and has been running for as long as I have, it is when I can't run that I TRULY AM CRAZY! 

You may have heard the expression "Life is a Marathon".  And for any of you who have ever trained for a marathon, or for any other long term challenging goal, you know that there are many obstacles to overcome in finally meeting that goal.  So when we come up against an obstacle, we can either give up, or we can find a way to get over or around it, and keep moving forward. 

Not being able to run makes me cranky and difficult to be around.  So for my own sanity, and for the sake of those who have to spend a lot of time around me, the only option is to move forward.  This is where your trainers can often follow the lead of our Warriors.  We have had the privilege of working with many of you for 2 or more years now, and we know that life has handed many of you some pretty big challenges, some on par with not being able to run and others that make it seem inconsequential.  We have seen you face surgeries, injuries, illnesses, job changes, and just about every other stressful thing that life can throw at you. 

And yet you bounce back and move forward.

• Amy: you inspire us when you face a medical challenge with your child and you show strength and resilience, and tell us you are climbing stairs at the hospital to keep moving!
• Steve: you inspire us when you ask for a workout to do as soon as you can walk into the gym after your surgery. 
• Calvin: you inspire EVERYONE when we see you pumping dumbbells with your arms while your foot is healing.
• Phyllis: you inspire us when you tell us that you typically aren't someone who would stick with an exercise program, and yet you show up smiling month after month.
• Carolyn: you inspire us when a "little" tendinitis forces you to abandon pushing 40 pound dumbbells overhead so you torch a TRX core fry that leaves the rest of us on our knees.
• Cary: you inspire us when you choose to tackle a 10k race as your very first race.  Then, when your training buddy (who we think got you into the race) could not participate, you didn't let that stop you!
• Sabrina: you inspire us when we know that you are dealing with a family illness and yet you resolve to make as many trainings as possible and do what you can do in the moment.

And I could go on with examples from each of you.  The point is that even though it is our job to try to motivate and inspire you, you do the same for us, as well as for your fellow Warriors.  The power of a group of tough Metabolic Warriors to support, encourage, and inspire each other is amazing...  whether it is to do another push up, or to face a major life challenge. 

I don't know yet whether this is a temporary running hiatus or permanent.  What I do know is that I will find an alternative way to keep moving forward thanks to the encouragement and strength I gain from seeing each of you "running" your own marathon.