Running a Marathon

         One of my personal goals this year is to run in completion, a full marathon.  Why would anyone want to do that, you may ask.  It's madness.  42 km of running?!  I know, I know.  I'm a crazy person.  My reasoning is the same answer to the question "Why I do Kung Fu".  It started off as a journey to better my personal health.  I had a health scare at the end of 2015, and I wanted to do something about it.  Eat healthier, exercise more, etc.  The usual stuff.  I also decided I wanted to do the things I always wanted to do, but was too scared to do before.  In comes Kung Fu.  Now 5 years into my journey, that journey to better my health, has now turned into a journey of what am I capable of.

        I can say with confidence, that I am in better shape now in my 30's, then I ever was in my teens and 20's.  I mean, as a teen I had boundless energy and did a lot of physical activity back then; however, I was not kind to my body then, and didn't set myself up for success later on.  Hence the health scare, and the events that have lead to now.  It's not just about running a marathon for me.  The marathon is just a symbol of what I can accomplish.  It's about setting a goal and working towards it one step at a time.  Literally.  It's about putting in many steps, until you build enough stamina, muscle, and mental fortitude to run a long distance.  Running a marathon is my way of proving to myself that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.  

        I've learned about myself and my body the last 5 years.  Learned about better dietary habits that not only help me excel in my physical activity, but how it affects me mentally and emotionally.  Learned that ego and fear held me from accomplishing things I never thought I could, like owning a business.  Although, I think some of the most important lessons I learned, was how to be still.  To be still and listen.  Listen to my mind and my body.  It's an interesting paradigm, talking about running a marathon and then talking about stillness.  Seemingly two very different and opposite actions, but that more in common than you know.  Stillness helps, in recovery.  It helps because I become aware of my body, what's going right and what is out of balance.  I can take that information and apply it to my training.  It's a Yin-Yang balance.  Stillness in balance with great activity.  Anyways, I'm starting to go off on a tangent, so I'll end it there.

Current Numbers: 1600 push-ups and sit-ups

                                23 Acts of Kindness

                                12 km ran