What’s Your Why?
What will drive you day in and day out? What will push you to get up before the crack of dawn or in the dark of night to go train? What will get you to push past your physical and mental tiredness? It’s your “why”. When we’re talking about life necessities, like food, a roof over our head, taking care of our loved ones, it’s easier to find that why in terms of earning a paycheck somewhere. Those things are glaringly apparent to most of us. But when we’re talking sports and fitness finding your why hits a little bit different. There isn’t that sense of survival linked to these things. For the vast majority of us, we’re not professional athletes getting paid to run a race or hit the gym as a career. It’s a choice we make, a want.
For me, my foray into running began years ago as a way to memorialize the passing of my close friend in her loss to cancer. I needed a way to process the hurt of losing her and for me, signing up for my first marathon was it. So I signed up for the Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon with barely a 5k under my belt, found a training plan online and went for it. As the weeks wore on, no matter how much training sucked, no matter how tired and sore my body was and despite my doubts about finishing the race, running this race for her made the many tough spots bearable and the overall effort worth it.
After that first race, what I thought was a one and done bucket list event turned out to be something more. I found myself missing the training. I missed having that time to think and process things or to just not think and clear my head. I missed having a goal that wasn’t tied to anything other than myself and my own efforts. I wondered if I could run another marathon faster. I also loved the fitness gains of training and being in better shape and having that extra energy throughout my day. My “why” had evolved. So I signed up for another marathon, and then another 5k, and another race. Before I knew it, I caught the racing/fitness bug and was hooked. I now do half a dozen to a dozen races a year from triathlons to obstacle course races, single mile events and marathons.
Fast forward years later and dozens of races under my belt, the initial “why” – running in tribute to my friend is never too far off from my mind. Last week was twelve years since her passing and all of us friends still talk about her often. In that time, it’s been amazing to see what I have gained in choosing to make the effort to get up, get out and do something. And though it’s not always easy to get up and go, especially lately with pandemic uncertainty and all, the end result is always worth it.
I encourage you to find your “why”. Whether you’re at it to lose a few pounds, running to stay healthy for family, or because of the loss of a loved one, keep that reason close to your heart as you go through the ups and downs of your journey. Along the way, you’ll be sure to discover other reasons that will also drive you to keep going and to keep at it. As always, if you need help making that path a bit clearer and getting you there injury free, feel free to reach out and let’s talk.
