YOU
DID IT! YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! :-)
In the immortal words of Fred Flintstone,…YABA-DABA-DO!!
From the bottom of my heart, I want to extend most heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS
to every single training team member!! J Saturday's effort was nothing short of extraordinary!
Think about that word for a second, "extra-ordinary". Doing something
that is out of, or over and beyond, the ordinary. That is what you all
did last Saturday, -something way out of the ordinary, and way out of your comfort zone!
I have to tell you that I was quite moved and proud, as I stood at the halfway
point watching scores of Training Team athletes surge past. The finish
line was quite an emotional scene as well. I observed, and spoke with
many Training Team athletes that were so overcome with personal and emotional
triumph! There was no lack of hugging, high-fiving, and full-on crying!
For
most, this emotion was rooted back to that cold first day on January
20th, when you were not only cold, but more importantly numb with doubt, skepticism,
and anxiety over your capabilities,
as you stood there thinking, "What am I doing here?"
Well, thanks to your tenacious perseverance, and dedication toward bettering
yourself, you dug deeper than perhaps you ever have, to do whatever it took, to stick with this journey, and find out what you're made
of. You have to be ecstatic and proud of yourselves to have overcome
so much personal and external and internal adversity! Your coaches
and I want to commend and applaud your extra-ordinary and phenomenal effort!
Now, take a well deserved break, and savor your accomplishment! You
literally went the extra mile!
I now think most everyone can confidently and proudly answer one of our team
mantras, "WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID
SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME?" The easy way to answer this
question would be... “On April 5th, 2008, I completed a 6.2 mile race."
I think an accurate way to answer it would be to say that, "On January
26th, I faced many of my fears head on, and over 10 weeks I found ways
of persevering and overcoming them, culminating in the completion of a 6.2
mile event!!”.... Again..."The miracle isn’t that I finished, the
miracle is that I had the courage to start!"
So what do you do now? The excitement has died down. SIGN UP FOR ANOTHER
RACE! A wonderful segue from your accomplishment is to sign up for the CARYTOWN
10K ON MAY 18th! And…Walkers are welcome! Register soon online at www.rrrc.org. Something a little sooner and shorter, is the
RACE FOR THE CURE 5K at Brown's Island on May 10th. This race also has
(many!) walkers!
Ready
to slay a bigger dragon? How about a half-marathon (13.1 miles)?
Go to www.rrrc.org for details about
the Half-Marathon Training Team, designed to prepare you for the Patrick
Henry Half-Marathon, on August 23rd! In fact, between the Richmond Road
Runners site www.rrrc.org , and www.sportsbackers.org , you will
be able to find any and all the races, training groups, links, contacts, resources
and advice you will need to keep this fitness ball rolling. It’s up
to you now. Don’t lose this fabulous new fitness by losing momentum!
Being resourceful is key. Take some initiative.
Get online. There are plenty of training groups available. Check
out the flyer you received in your race packet for a new set of groups created
by the Richmond Road Runners to help you keep up your motivation. They’re
free and they begin this weekend!
Obviously motivation varies greatly from person to person. So you will
basically have to find out what you need to do to keep up your great efforts,
and incredible fitness! You've come way too far, and have worked way
too hard, to allow anything to interrupt, interfere, or waste, the magnificent
benefits you've achieved! Join the Richmond Road Runners Club.
($20/year) You will have a significantly greater chance of continued success,
if you surround and submerge yourself in this running/walking environment!
Don’t do it alone if you can help it.
For
a much more detailed and specific outline of how to keep this fitness ball
rolling, and to debrief about your accomplishment, please join me for the
final clinic of the season… The WHAT NEXT? clinic
will take place at the Shady Grove YMCA on Wednesday, April 9th,
at 6:30pm.
At this time, on behalf of all the coaches,
I want to say THANK YOU for the commitment, sacrifices, investment, and basically
the leap of faith and trust you took, in allowing us to help you reach your
goals. You inspire us, to inspire you. The best
way to thank your coaches, is to make this huge step
that you’ve taken - a lifelong commitment! Don’t stop now! You owe it
to yourself.
Finally, I would like to ask for feedback... Good
or bad. If you had an impactful experience, and care to share (and many
have so far), we (Sports Backers) would love to hear about it! We can't
improve without feedback, so please feel free to e-mail me, and I'll pass
it on to the other Sports Backers rep's, and/or your coach(es). Please indicate which Training Team you were
on...Thanks very much!
I'll leave you with my final quote, which has to do with your outstanding
accomplishment....
"You
gain strength courage and confidence through every experience in which you
really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing, which you think
you cannot. It makes you a better person."...Eleanor Roosevelt…
You just did that...
Best of luck with your continued fitness journey, and I sincerely hope to
see you next year! Please help spread the YMCA Training Team buzz.
Take care and best of luck!
Gotta’ run,
Danny Shea 10ktrainingteamheadcoach@sportsbackers.org