Don't Count Me Out

I wish I had a training update to bring you, but my attempt at 3 (or a wishful 5) miles today was a quarter mile out and a walk back. The ice, snow and slush were too much to fight while trying to see if my leg was okay. Days like this make me wish I had a treadmill at home again. Instead of a running update, I hope you'll indulge me for a moment while I get something off my chest.

The point of this post is to let people know that I love and appreciate everyone's encouragement to get better, all your words of advice and especially when people ask how I am. Thankful doesn't begin to describe how I feel about all of my friends who are there for me as I train harder than I have in a long time, run more miles than I have in the past and face the obstacles along the way. The other side of that is letting let people know not to count me down or out just yet.

I may not seem strong to some. I may seem weak, I'm injured a lot, I'm the runt, I don't workout five times a day. I didn't have straight A's in college. I've fought a fairly rare disease and its complications. Yet, these things don't define me.

You see, overachiever is defined in the dictionary as performing better or achieving more than you're expected to by others. Tiffany loves to call me one and then we laugh about it, but when I looked it up in the dictionary it was nice to see that it actually does define me.

When I was treated for Graves' Disease I out-performed all of the doctors' expectations. So much so that the Nuclear Medicine doctor and my specialist had hushed phone conversation that scared the crap out of me! And Lord knows, my college professors would have never guessed I would be the first CPA out of our graduating class.

The nice thing about having overcome things in life is that you build a core belief in yourself. I know my limits, I know when to push them, I know how to manage my time, and most of all I know how to succeed on my own merits. Sometimes I start to feel down like everyone else when I can't train, but not only do I believe in myself, but I have a faith in God that carries me when I can't do it myself.

Even though I've never run a marathon before, I'm confident that I can do this within the time I want. I can do it despite my crazy work schedule, despite the fact I'll pick spending time with my family over 2 workouts a day or running 6 days a week. I may not lift weights 4 times a week and crosstrain a few times either, but I'll do this. I trust the training plan I have and I trust my own true grit.

So like I said, don't count me out yet.