Growing up in Chicago

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my 2013 goals is to run 1500 miles.  I’m starting to understand how difficult of a goal it will be to achieve.  On average, I’d have to run 125 miles a month.  That’s a pretty big number for me.  My best running month is 100 miles so, I’d have to average better than my best.

Today, I’m in Atlanta, GA for work.  I’ve been putting in crazy hours and got in late last night.  I awoke an hour later than I usually do and decided not to go for a run because I would be late to my client site.  This is completely reasonable.  Then I remembered that I’d work late again tonight and I wouldn’t have time for a run.  So, I got up, got dressed to go running and hit the door and wouldn’t you know it that some pretty ominous clouds are out.

I turned back around and was headed back to my hotel room to get dressed and be on time for my client engagement.  Then one of my favorite personal sayings hit me, “Winners win and losers have really great reasons why they don’t.”  It would have been understandable and acceptable for me to continue to get dressed for work but that’s honestly taking the easy way out.  We love stories of people who against all odds achieve incredible things in life.  They achieve these incredible things in part because they make sacrifices many of us would deem unacceptable and I dare to say most of us would agree with the reasons why they should have gave up.  This is why we call them heroes.  They are willing to do the hard things we wouldn’t.

I turned back around went outside and ran one of my slower 5 miles.  But no matter the pace I’m 5 miles closer to my goal of 1500.

Winners win while losers have great excuses for why they didn’t win.