Is It In You?

Well, is it?  What is "it"?  I'm not exactly sure of what my definition of "it" is or if I could even describe it to you, but if you ask me, yeah, it's in me.  And it's in you, and you and you (pointing to each person down the line).  It's in all of us.  Finding what that is and using it is the part that many people have problems with and for a large part, "it" goes to waste.  

This past week while thinking of my training and reading a couple of articles, I thought about the source of my inspiration and drive.  What inspires me? Who inspires me? Do I inspire others?  I'm talking about your everyday person.  The regular Joe.  And that's me, the regular Joe that was inspired by a couple of people along the way to get into a gym and to run and my life has forever been changed by them.  A fraternity brother, Kirk Bailey got me into the gym as a skinny pledge in college and some 20 years later a thirty-something year old friend, Michelle Garvin sold me on running my first marathon.  Just everyday people in my life at the time.  Whether it be by a elite runner going distances I've never imagined, friends running weekly mileages I have never hit, or just a "regular Joe" accomplishing a feat that most people would never consider possible, I continue to be inspired regularly, but I'll always give them credit for getting me started.  Today it comes from places I'm not necessarily looking for it to come from or would even expect.  Just recently I found inspiration in an article I read about a school teacher. Why?  She's Anita Ortiz, elite runner, winner of Western States 100 and runs 120 miles per week.  I'm not talking about some spring chicken or college kid, I'm talking about a 47 year old mother of four that totally kicks butt on the course.  Yeah, she totally inspires me.

In large part, I think we are all capable of performing at levels beyond what we've ever imagined.  We obviously have physical limits and may never reach the level that Anita or other elite athletes do, and that's perfectly fine, but I think we often sell ourselves short of what we are capable of accomplishing.  I was talking about this to a friend of mine that happens to be a personal trainer and we both agreed that we are all physicaly capable of much more than we believe.  It's in us, we just have to be willing to venture outside of our comfort zone to find it.

If you're a friend of mine and you're reading this, chances are pretty good that this doesn't apply to you, in fact you probably have inspired me in some way. But if it does, I challenge you to get started today, to set a goal for yourself and go after it.  Whether it be to run a mile or a marathon or more, it's in you and you can do it. Start by running around the block or your local park. Join a gym and start going to cardio classes. Start giving your diet some thought and think about what you are putting into your body. It doesn't have to be drastic changes all at once, but gradual lifestyle changes that will last forever. Take control of your body and take care of it, it's the only one you've got.  Find something that motivates you and get after it.  Chances are you'll love it and before long you'll be inspiring someone that was in your same situation.  Good luck!

And for starters, I'll post an inspiring picture that a friend posted on FaceBook recently to get you started........