This morning I ran for the first time in 4 years. It was 30 degress outside so I had the shivers, my lungs and nose were burning, I was hacking up what felt like my lungs and all sorts of areas of my body were in pain.
So why did I go on a run? Well at the beginning of this year, I told my wife that this was the year I was going to get back into shape. We’re halfway through December and you could probably guess, today was the first time I took action towards that goal.
Today wasn’t any different than any other day that has passed this past year but today, I had the urge to just go for it. The 20 minutes that I ran was grueling and painful but as I pushed past the pain of the initial 5 minutes of my run, my body began to warm up. After 10 minutes, I started getting feeling back in my nose and my fingers. After 15 minutes, I had set a visual marker for the end of my run and I went for it.
Twenty minutes passed and I completed my first run of 2014. I barely ran a mile, I was out of breath and was walking home, with my hands over my head to make sure I was breathing and didn’t pass out.
As I was walking home two thoughts dawned on me.
The first, it is never too late to act on your goals. Maybe you’re like me and had high hopes and ambitions for 2014 but now at the end of the year, you’re starting to reflect on what you didn’t do and teeter-tottering about making new ones for 2015.
Well, it ain’t over until it’s over. You’ve got 13 solid days to do some damage on those goals. Start today. Get the ball rolling so that when the new year hits you’re already moving towards your goals.
The second, push past the pain, it’s part of the process. Life has obstacles and they always seem to get in the way especially when you’re trying to accomplish your goals. Sometimes they cause pain and it sucks to endure through the pain. But just remember, pain is part of the process.
I hadn’t run in 4 years, I’m in my 30s now, it was 30 degrees outside, obviously there would be a ton of pain. But I chose to keep going and push past the pain and when I did. The pains subsided and as a result, I feel more energized this morning, I got to enjoy the most radest sunrise and I’ve made progress towards my goal of getting back in shape.
Now as I sit here writing this post, I fear of the pain ahead. Pain that I’ll feel in my legs and body tomorrow morning as my body says, “I hate you!”, pain of getting out of my nice, warm bed and putting on my running gear to face the elements all over again as I set out for my next run.
Well, to that all I have to say is, pain is part of the process and I just have to push past it. Because after the pain, comes some sweet rewards.
What goals did you set out to accomplish this year and hadn’t made any progress on? Why not start today? Or maybe you’ve already been working on your goals but you’re facing some pains. Don’t give up! The pain is part of the process. Push through it because when you do, you’ll look back and be glad you did.
