Sunday, April 15, 2012

Mile Markers

I finally finished reading a book I started on Spring Break (yes, that was late February/early March).  The book was written by Kristin Armstrong (Lance Armstrong's ex-wife) and was a compilation of her stories written for her Runner's World blog.  (which can be found HERE).



I've always been a Lance Armstrong fan, but didn't realize that his ex-wife was a runner until a few years back.  I remember reading a story about Lance running the NYC marathon and saying that he wasn't sure why or how Kristin ran marathons for fun...

The book is broken down into 26.2 chapters and covers different topics as to why women (or anyone, really) runs.  There were a lot of really great sentiments and quotes in her book.  Here a few of my favorites, (without giving too much away):

(Quite possibly my favorite quote from the entire book): I'm not a better runner because I am me, I'm a better me because I am a runner.

Anytime we can knowledge our selfish desires or feelings of inadequacy with a nod and move beyond them, that is sacrifice.

Running is the ultimate detox.  Whether my poison is champagne bubbles, a foul mood, or a bad attitude

(The quote that I can relate to the most!): Running is hard to for me. I struggle. I suffer.  I get discouraged.  I get mad.  I celebrate. And when I chase after (insert any name here), it's not because I suck, it's because they don't.  But I love running anyway, just differently.

Contentment and improvement are not mutually exclusive.  It is indeed possible to be good enough in the midst of getting better.

I don't train because I want to be able to do things.  I train because I want to be someone better than I would be if I didn't train.

When our starting point is a place of gratitude, we have already won before we begin.

In regards to "the wall": Regardless of what is revealed about us when we hit the wall, we have an opportunity for growth.  Some walls have windows.  We can be humbly reminded that running, like life, is hard.  It is an effort worthy of respect and gratitude -- regardless of performance.

Finally - the .2  If you have experienced .2, then you will never be the kind of person who does something "almost" or "half-assed".  If you have slogged or sprinted through the final .2 of a marathon, then you know intimately the difference between 26 and 26.2.  And it's not as simple as 200 meters.

Overall, the book was a great, easy read.  If only I had more time to devote to finishing it sooner...ah well.  More updates coming soon on my running.  There are not really any races coming up for me this month, but am looking forward to the Picnic Island series starting in July.  Happy Weekend!

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