The Top 10 Things I Learned While Running That Have Nothing To Do With Running

"There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success."

Well, race day is officially tomorrow!! Hard to think this day would ever come. I didn’t really keep up with the blogging like I had planned but I wanted to wrap it up by saying thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. My pals at WGVU and the coaches at Gazelle Sports have been instrumental in my success. And of course I could never have made it this far without the support of my friends and family. I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I actually feel ready to take on the race and am really excited! I’ve had so much fun I even publically committed to running a full marathon in October (Yes, I have in fact lost my mind). I do hope to keep up the bogging on behalf of WGVU Engage to keep you updated on the scholarship fund and everything else we are working on.

The scholarship fund is just starting to approach the $12,000 mark which is amazing when you think we were only around $1700 when we started. There are some other events coming up that will help to fund the remaining amount which I will be sure to tell you about in upcoming weeks!

For now I would like to leave with you some of the things I have learned along this journey. . .

The Top 10 Things I Learned While Running That Have Nothing To Do With Running:

10. If it scares the hell out of you, do it. . .whatever it is. Life is too short to be scared.

9. You will never get anywhere if you stay in your comfort zone. How do you expect to learn and grow if you just do what is easy. Life is not meant to be easy, it’s meant to be lived. Although they go fast, God willing, we have a lot of years, why waste them doing what’s easy and normal. Jump out of the box and live a little.

8. Experiences are worth so much more than things. I used think a new shirt or shoes could make me happy. . .and they can. But climbing a mountain, sitting on the beach with a friend, or running along the river can bring me genuine joy. Happiness is good. Deep down, radiating joy is better.

7. Don’t forget the past but don’t dwell in it. Your past is a part of you and as soon as you can accept that, you can move on.

6. Sometimes other people see something in you that you just can’t see yourself. Believe them. And if they give you a compliment, say thank you. We are our own worst enemies and sometimes we really need to see ourselves through someone else’s eyes to gain prospective.

5. Just keep going. When you think you can’t keep going, do it anyways. Cry, scream, yell (hello mile 14) but keep going. What’s at the end is so much more than what you are experiencing in that particular moment.

4. You are the one living your life. You have to deal with your choices on a daily basis. Don’t let what others expect of you to force you into something you don’t want. Maybe your decisions don’t make a lot of sense to the rest of the world. Well, the rest of the world’s decisions don’t always make a lot of sense either.

3. Relax. Seriously, we all need to slow down, take a deep breath and relax a little. Not everything has to happen this minute and the world will not end if you don’t get exactly what you want the minute you want it. In general people are in a hurry, uptight, and cranky. Just relax. So you have to wait an extra minute for your coffee or for a train to go by. Enjoy the sun or start a conversation with the other person waiting. Not everything needs to be a big deal.

2. What you get out of your body is a direct reflection of what you put in it. I don’t think we take nutrition seriously enough. I’m not talking about dieting or counting calories. I’m talking about really knowing what you are putting in your body. It not only affects your physical well being but your mental as well. We are made to eat food, not chemicals or processed junk that resembles food, or pills that are full of who knows what.

1. You cannot get through life alone. I used to think I could do everything myself and I actually had myself fooled that that’s the way I liked it. Well, that’s just not the way it works. If you want to get further and you want to enjoy the journey, you have to let others in. And it needs to be in a genuine, authentic manner. Let people see the worst of you, let them see the best, and let them help. People aren’t as judgemental as you think and if you are willing, they can better you in a way you never imagined.

OK so maybe I have 11 things. My final, and what I think is most important, thing is to really live life with a purpose. Between talking about why the scholarship is so important to me and training for the run, I have really learned to make each moment count. We can float around day to day doing whatever is needed or we can set out to do something great. Everyone should be passionate about something. Passion makes the days worth waking up for and purpose makes the tedious worth doing. Our passions and purposes might change day to day, year to year but those are two things that can really make everything  else worthwhile.

We all have a story. .

Apparently it has been well over a month since my last post. Who knew it was already March!! I swear it was just 2012. Since my last post, I have made HUGE progress on the running front. I am up to 8 miles!! (And technically I ran closer to 9 this past weekend, but spent a mile of it rescuing a lost puppy so it doesn't totally count). The running group has been AMAZING. If you're thinking of joining a group, you absolutely should. I would not be as far as I am without them. So onto the good stuff. . . .

In the next week or two I'm going to be sending out some info to my friends and family about the LZ Michigan scholarship, my run, and why I'm doing what I'm doing. This is something I wanted to do a while ago, but I've been finding it hard to put into words exactly why this is so important to me. Obviously the running part has a lot to do with my health but why am I so passionate about this scholarship? I've decided it's not the scholarship itself I'm passionate about, it's what it represents. Yes, I believe everyone deserves a shot at an education and to be able to give a veteran or their family member a chance at that is a great thing. Like I've said before, if all it takes is this run to raise enough money to give that to one of our Veterans, then my time, sweat, and energy is absolutely worth it. My passion for the scholarship though, really goes back to the LZ Michigan event and the effect it had on myself, my family, and countless others that day. It was something I wish every Veteran, friend and family member could have experienced. It was supposed to be a one day "Welcome Home", but was so much more than that. It brought about a whole new understanding for us non-veterans, and it brought some healing to those who fought in Vietnam. Unless you were a part of it, no one can truly understand what those men and women went through, but a lot of us have seen the affects it had on those who came back. . . .

You can read all you want about PTSD and the effects of war on an individual but you will not get it until you live it. It's something that weaves it's way into every day life but is so hard to understand. It affects the person dealing with it and their friends and family. It's not something you can take a magic pill and make disappear. It's something you have to accept and learn to live and deal with. My family learned to live and deal with it like so many others.

My family taught me that no matter what, you don't give up on each other. For every bad day, there is always a good one, and as easy as it would be to walk away, you don't. Life isn't easy and it isn't fair. But it is good and it is a gift, and it's so much better to go through with the ones you love. As a kid it's really hard to comprehend all of life's events, but as an adult, I'm grateful for some of the things we went through. I wouldn't be who I am today without my past, and as a family, we wouldn't be where we are. Life isn't meant to be easy. If it were, what would be the point? You can sit and feel sorry for yourself or you can learn and grow and move on. I think the LZ Michigan event helped all of us to move on. Maybe I'm overestimating the effect it had on everyone else, but for me, it changed my life. The conversations I had, and the moments of emotion I witnessed are in my memory forever. 

So that is why I'm running. Maybe not the most eloquent words and lacking a lot of detail, but it's from the heart. Some people will get it, some won't and that is OK. We all have a story and this is just a small part of mine.

Just Do It

I've recently had quite a few people ask how my training is going so I wanted to take some time this week to talk about that and the things I've learned along the way. I've really only been “training” since October but it would take an entire book to tell you everything I've learned thus far. I can tell you most of what I've learned has absolutely nothing to do with the physical activity of running itself.

When I got serious about all this last year and started really focusing on running, I was running/walking on my own anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, 3 - 4 ish days a week. I knew I would be joining a running group starting in January so my main goal was to more or less be able to run and not look like a total fool my first day with the training group. Holidays came and of course eating and socializing took precedent over everything else so I pretty much did nothing the second half of December. Then the new year came and so did the informational meeting for the training group put on by Gazelle Sports. Let me tell you, I have never wanted to run out of a room so fast in my life. There were probably 40 people there, all of whom seemed to know each other and all of whom clearly knew how to run. Don’t get me wrong, they all seemed like very nice people but I was nothing short of petrified. . .like literally almost had to leave and throw up. As confident as I am now, it took me right back to grade school when you had to run with everyone and I was always the last one done with other kids laughing at me (clearly I have unresolved issues from the past. .who knew).

Regardless, I filled the paperwork out right after the meeting and signed myself up. Face your fears head on right? I had a boss not too long ago that was huge on pushing people past their comfort zones, and I think I finally get it. You really will never get anywhere if you don’t. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being comfortable and happy where you are but if you have bigger dreams and that feeling like you could do more or be more, you just have to do it. It’s scary hard, and apparently makes me physically ill, but beyond worth it.

The night before our first group run I barely slept I was so nervous. It sounds ridiculous that I was so scared to simply run with other people, but I was, and I know there are a lot of other people who understand that. I got to our meeting spot around 7:45 (I still don’t understand why these things can’t start at noon) and was so grateful to see a pace leader with a sign that said 12 minutes and up. I started looking for the “and up” group and to my surprise I wasn't the only one! There were 4 or 5 of us and our amazing leader Katie who instantly put me at ease. For some reason I thought it would be a group of people who run 5 minute miles and go 10 miles a day but it wasn't at all. Even the people who were significantly faster than us were so kind and supportive. We did a 3 mile run that day and I left thinking “that was fun!” and “maybe I can actually do this!” As much as I've told myself I can do this since the beginning, there’s always that stupid voice in your head that says you can’t. I don’t know that I've shut that voice up for good, but it’s well on it’s way out.

We've had one other group run so far and while it wasn't easy (run to the hill, run up the hill, down the hill, up the hill, down the hill, up, down, up down, then oh yeah, still gotta run back) I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the time I spent with new friends, I enjoyed the feeling of pushing myself, I enjoyed hearing other people tell me good job, and telling others the same. After just 2 runs, I can say with 100% certainty I would not be able to reach my goal of running the 25K on my own. I need the help of other people and there is nothing wrong with that.

I really can’t say thank you enough to Bridget, Michelle, and Cortney from Gazelle and to Francine with the Grand Rapids Running Club. I know you probably don’t think much of it but the emails and kind words hear and there have really meant a lot to me. If anyone out there is thinking of joining the LZ Michigan 25K team let us know. And if you think you can’t . . .tell that little voice to shut up and just do it.

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe it's already 2013! I wanted to share a quick update on where we are at with the scholarship fund. Thanks to all of you, the fund currently sits at $6910.66! We received every last dollar of the $1000 matching money. . . . what a great way to kick off the new year! Now if you do the math, we still have a long way to go. $23,089.34 to be exact. And approximately 6 months to do it in. Certainly sounds like a lot but we are on the right path and heading in the right direction. 

With the new year comes all sorts of new projects, goals, resolutions, and WGVU's 40th Anniversary! We have some great things coming your way and some amazing opportunities to get involved. Along with a lot more on my personal journey to run a 25K, get healthy, and raise $30,000, I'll also be sharing with you everything else the Engage Committee is working on. There's a lot more to us than just this scholarship, even though that is my personal focus and the reason I'm writing the blog. 

If you ever have questions for us or want to be involved please let us know! The point of our committee is to engage with the community so we love it when you talk back. Send a message here, go to the website (http://wgvu.org/), chat with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WGVUEngage), whatever you feel like! As I share more about myself, I welcome you to share your stories with me, ask me questions, give me advice, ask me for advice (at your own risk), anything you want. 

Personally, I am super excited for the new year; for new challenges, for new opportunities, and new experiences. I know there is a lot of uncertainty in people's lives right now, but we can choose to focus on the positive and choose to do the best we can with what we've got. I happen to think we've all got a lot more going for us than we give ourselves credit for.

I'd like to leave you with a video clip kicking off WGVU's 40th Anniversary. We can't wait to spend 2013 celebrating with YOU!


Watch the Video Here!

If you are interested in supporting the scholarship you can go online here to make a tax deductible donation: https://secure.publicbroadcasting.net/wgvu/LZMichigan/form.pledgemain

If your business is interested in being a sponsor please contact us at  veterans@wgvu.org