Monday's Motivation

I get asked a lot if I ever have run the Boston Marathon.  Of course, you have to understand that in my little section of the world people think I'm a world class runner.  Long before I ever even thought about half marathons or marathons, there were little old ladies at church who would see my name in the paper and start singing praises about my great accomplishments.  More than once they gave me the title of marathon winner when in fact I had ran  and won a 2 mile race.  You know, what's an extra 24.2 miles tacked onto that?!?!?

For anyone wondering, I have not ran the Boston Marathon.  Technically I have only ran one marathon (I've ran a lot of ultras and thus running further than 26.2) and that was a far cry for qualifying for Boston.  I should back up for my non running readers and point out that you must run a qualifying time to be eligible to run the famed Boston race.  It doesn't guarantee your spot, it only allows you to register, if you can beat the 20,000 other people vying for the same right.  There are ways around this standard of entry, but I guarantee it will cost you A LOT of money.  Meaning there are spots to run with charity teams and such.  Either way I've not been eligible to run this race.  I'm ok with that.  I'm not in a spot in my life where traveling away from home would work well with my family.  Not that they wouldn't be supportive or make it happen.  I don't know, I just know this is not the time in my life for such an accomplishment.  I have no doubt that it will someday happen.  I also know that when it does happen it will be simply just to run.  While I may compete in a local 2 mile or 5k race, I in no way, plan to compete on a bigger level.  I know my abilities.  It doesn't make me any less awesome that I won't be a real world class runner.  I know that at the end of the day, regardless of my abilities, I really just love to run.

There is the famed pictures of Katherine Switzer that inspires many.  Even those not associated with running.  Here is it below:

 

 Here is the story behind it:
 
In 1967, Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston marathon.  She had gained entry be registering as K.V. Switzer.   After realizing that a woman was running, race organizer Jock Semple went after Switzer shouting, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.” However, Switzer’s boyfriend and other male runners created a human shield during the entire marathon.

The photograph taken of the incident made world headlines, and Kathrine later won the NYC marathon with a time of 3:07:29.








The whole thing is such an inspiration.  It makes me want to go out and push down barriers.  It may be slow and steady.  It may be only be one mile at at time.  It may only be on the streets of Galesburg and nothing big and world famous as Boston, but I can do it.  What about you?