Strap yourself in for a long ride...I wrote a lot!

I'm feeling slightly inspired as I write this blog and I hope to inspire everyone who reads it.

I've recently started exercising every day or almost every day, which has been fantastic. I did a lot of exercise before, but I would take days off in the middle of the week sometimes. This week has been pretty good. Sunday I decided would be an off day. Monday I ran 4km and biked 3km (I think-I wrote about it but I forget how far I went), Tuesday I swam somewhere around 400-500m, Wednesday I biked 6.5km then ran 3km, Thursday I swam the same distance and today I biked 10.5km. Every day that I do those exercises, I also do a gym workout (I have 2 different workout "routines" that I do-weights, ab stuff, extensions of all sorts...and so on. I won't bore you with details! lol Everything has been going well and I haven't been having any knee troubles.

I have realized throughout my exercising, that it makes me feel good...all the endorphins or whatever that get released through exercise certainly make me feel 100%. It also doesn't hurt that when I do all this and eat properly, it makes me in good shape and makes me feel like I look good. It is generally good for most people to exercise to live a long, healthy life. But, I also have another reason why I do it. I don't often think of this reason until something or someone comes along that makes me think about what my life could be.

Every day people get sick. It isn't news to anyone that all over the world, every day, people die. For many reasons. Some preventable, some not. It's very sad in my opinion but it's the circle of life. It will happen to everyone. Death and taxes, right? So. What is my other reason? Because I can. I was born with both legs, both arms and a fully functioning body. I was born with the ability to do anything I wanted. From the get go, I was given the opportunity to be and do anything I wanted. A fresh start. That is not the case for all. Some people are born with missing limbs or sickness. Diseases that have no cure or cures that make you incapable of doing anything but lie in a bed. I am not one of those people.

I am very lucky. The way I look at it, I have no excuse not to keep my body in the best shape I can. I was given (however you want to interpret that) a chance to live a full life and I want to live that life the best I can. I push my body to it's limits because I know it will make me stronger. I am tired of hearing people complain about things that are just excuses not to do anything and to be lazy. I certainly don't expect everyone to do what I do but I do expect people to do what they can. You know, I don't mind the Eminem song "Lose Yourself." He says some inspirational things in his song and from what I have heard of him, it seems he overcame a lot of obstacles in his life to fulfill a dream he had. People do that all the time. They ignore what people say they can or can't do and do what they want to do. They push past obstacles and keep focused on the dream to accomplish something meaningful to themselves (and maybe not even to anyone else).

The true heroes in my books are those who don't let situations or circumstances determine their dreams. I may have mentioned him before, but there is a man and his son, Dick and Rick Hoyt, who I learned about over the last few months. Look them up on youtube and listen to the story. Even if you are not interested in an ironman race, I think you'll be inspired by the obstacles that they both overcome. It gives perspective. Yes, my knee injury is incredibly frustrating because it made me incapable of doing something I love for a time, but it's not nearly what others have had to overcome.

I could go on for hours, but I'll spare you. I am inspired today to live my life to the fullest for as long as I have. That's a hard thing to maintain every day, for sure, but I'm going to try. I don't know when I'll die or even if I have some underlying sickness in my body creeping it's way through me. I just know that today I'm here. Today I will run. I will keep running until my legs stop working. It is my passion. I'm not going to make excuses.

At the risk of offending people with what I say, I'm going to keep going. Stop being lazy and get out and do what you need to do. Stop letting fear or excuses hold you back from what you should be doing. I'm not telling you to run. I'm saying that I'm tired of people complaining about this or that, "oh I can't do that because...(insert lame excuse here)." You can so do it. You can face your fear. You can meet your goal. You can do anything you put your mind to. Yes sometimes situations beyond your control happen, but you can't let the fear of those situations hold you back. Overcome the obstacles that come and move on. I was terrified in the water during the triathlon I did. The first attempt at it, I had to be rescued out of the water. But, I tried. The second attempt a few weeks later was a success. When I got in the water, I stood in the beach area staring out towards the first marker, debating whether I should swim or turn around, uncertain as to whether or not I would have to be rescued again or worse, drown. Then and there I made a choice to swim. And I made it. I want to continually make the choice to swim.

I will meet my goal. I will run a marathon.