Progress and Running.

Today, I made progress.

Let me just start and say that I’m a regular dude. I never really admit this, but most days I’d much rather sit around the house, eat, and watch movies than do something active. Just like everyone else, I drag my ass to the gym, kicking and whining to myself every time, and even though I absolutely hate running, I hesitantly put two feet on that treadmill and hit start.

I began my journey last year only able to run a mile before my lungs start to burn and my legs feel like giving up, then I’d quit and lift weights. Something I’m a little more comfortable with.

But you do not progress if you stay within your comfort zone, and I knew that. I just didn’t want to accept it. My weakness was running, and I used to try to avoid it in every way possible. I’d tell myself, “2 miles is your limit. Run to 2 miles and you will be tired for sure and that should be enough for you.”

For a while, I ran to what I thought was my limit, and nothing more. That was, of course, until I read a Bruce Lee quote. To paraphrase it, it says “If you put limits on what you do, it will spread over into the rest of your life. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.”

I think about that quote every time I run. It’ll hurt, it’ll burn, it’ll be tiring, but you have to keep going. Go until you physically can’t run anymore. If you feel your legs get tired, go faster. Run until your legs go numb, and then run some more.

I never really notice if I’ve made any progress with my workouts, but today it was definitely apparent. I used to quit after a mile or two. Today, I ran 7 miles in 53 minutes without a break. Although I’ve been in races longer than that, this is the first time I was comfortable with my own lungs and my own legs to push myself to run faster with each successive mile. Without getting winded or getting stomach/leg cramps midway. This is the first time I can say I’m actually proud of how far I’ve gotten, and I can’t wait to see where I’ll be in the next 6 months.

This was by no means an easy journey. It was hard as hell. And it’s still in the beginning stages. But for those who give up on themselves early on when they feel like they aren’t getting the results they want fast enough, I can only tell them to get back up and challenge themselves to earn something.

Like my man Bruce said, if it kills you, it kills you. Nothing worth earning comes easy.

15.02.12

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