It’s about Time!
The other day I was running, surprise, I know ;), and a lady
joined me for a few miles. As we were talking (okay—she really, I can’t talk
& run especially NOT at 5:30 in the am) she asked me if I had kids. I said
no, you? She mentioned that she was divorced and had 4 children. She began to tell me how difficult it is to find
the time to train with four kids and then proceeded to say “you’re so lucky you
have the time to train. No wonder you can do Ultra’s”.
Her comments annoyed me
(hence this post) and got me to thinking about what it takes to be an endurance
athlete. I came to the conclusion that TIME has nothing to do it! Quadra mom
has the same 24 hours in the day as I do. How she chooses to use those 24 hours
are her personal choices. Although I don’t have children, I still have responsibilities
of my choosing, which may or may not and sometimes do, take priority over my ability
to train. So what I've discovered is that it doesn't take TIME to train, it
takes desire & discipline.
You see, I was out there at 5:30 am just like she was. Not
because I had the time, but because I have the discipline to wake my sometimes
not so lazy ass out of my nice, warm, cozy bed.
I have a saying that
I love, which goes like this “you always have the time to do the things you
want to do!” So those of you, yes you, which use work, kids, family, pets,
whatever, as excuses to NOT exercise, they are simply that…excuses! The truth
is you do not have the desire (NOT TIME!)
This isn’t a rant about exercise (and how you SHOULD do it…although
you should!) it is a rant about how my accomplishments or lack thereof should
not be characterized by the level of responsibilities in my life, but rather by
the amount of discipline I apply!
The reason I am an ultrarunner is NOT because I have time due
to my lack of familial responsibilities, but rather because I have the desire
and discipline to wake up long before the sun and put in the hard work and
discipline it takes to be an endurance athlete.
I have endured -5F as well as 95 + F degree temps, 40 mph winds, rain,
snow, sleet, hail (sometimes in the same day). I often run for hours on 2-3 hours of sleep, I
run up and down bridges, I run laps around a track, I cross train, I do yoga,
and dare I say it…I sometimes run on a treadmill! I don’t say these things to
point out the fact that I am amazing (although I am), I am merely making a
point that I do all of these things because I have the DESIRE to do them!
So congratulations quadra mom! You have the desire &
discipline to run along side of me at 5:30 in the morning. I bow down to you,
not only as a mother (the absolutely most important job in the world), but also
as an athlete. In exchange for my admiration, I would appreciate the same level
of respect, not as a single girl with no kids, but rather as an athlete! I can
guarantee that our sport DOES NOT care if you are a mother, father, child, homeless,
have a disability, or have a billion dollars! Our sport rewards those with desire and
discipline.
So for all of you who say “I don’t have the time”, you can
now officially stop using that excuse. (Yes I am the expert on what we should
and should not do, in case you were wondering!)
Instead we should own up to our true selfs and realize that the reason
we are NOT getting things done in our lives is because we do not have the
desire. Remember: “You always have the
time to do the things you want to do!” End of rant for now.
XOXO,
Moderngypsygirl.
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