Keep Showing UP

What did you do on Marathon Monday?  Were you glued to your TV screen, or streaming the Boston Marathon live, or both like me. I love everything about the Boston Marathon but I am SOOOOO glaaaaad I wasn’t running it this year.

The weather was horrific! Take a look!

• Wind Rain. Cold. Guts. Courage. Persistence. Showing up. Rain. Hope. Yuki. Des. Forever. #boston2018

My ultimate favorite quote from Des was this (which is what inspired me to write this post):

“Some days it just flows and I feel like I’m born to do this, other days it feels like I’m trudging through hell. Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I’ve got, and to try and be better. My advice: keep showing up.” – Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon Champion

When I was at my fastest as a marathoner, I honestly wasn’t doing anything magical.  I really did only a couple of things:

• I embraced discomfort
• I showed up

But, just like learning to run, you have to keep showing up in order to get better at it. You may not want to every time. You will have days that you feel like your legs like lead. Not all marathons/races will go great, but you’ll also have a handful of good ones!

Each time I crossed two lines, I cried, but each time I BQ’d, the tears of happiness, exhaustion and relief were definitely more pronounced…but so were the smiles. 

Another good one from Des! And I love this video.  Women watching out for women…complete sportsmanship at it’s best!

Find a way my friends to show up even when you don’t want to. If you can do this, you will become a better runner.  Get out there on the crappy days and just show up. I am not suggesting a marathon, but if that’s you’re thing…put in the work and show up (because it’s definitely no fun to run 26.2 miles under-trained). 

I am ruthlessly committed to my tempo/interval runs on Sunday mornings before church and Tuesdays. I rarely miss my long runs on Friday’s. Strenght is not an option!  I do all the extras – including the beloved Bosu, resistant bands, core, yoga and I eat my vegetables.

I’m not saying any of this is for you, but if you are interested in running farther and faster, this could be you!  There are a million different ways to train, but the one thing that works universally is consistency over time. Be a badass like Des and Keep Showing Up.

[reminder]What’s the worst weather you have run in? [/reminder]