inspiration in unlikely places

Unless you live under a rock (or don't particularly care for American football), you know that the New England Patriots and their fans have a pretty big day on Sunday. They made it through the divisional game, quite handily, and will face the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship game at 3pm. I'm hoping a friend who has a better TV than my 1994 tube TV will take pity on me and invite me over to watch the game (hint, hint, friends).

Sometimes, I don't care to read articles about upcoming games - I tend to stick to headlines to get the gist but not the full story. But today I was reading an editorial found on boston.com called Obnoxious Sports Fan. He writes specifically about Boston sports, duh, and what team he's writing about depends on the season, duh again. Today I was reading the full column because the title intrigued me: "Once again it's New England against the World." I came across this thought that sums up New Englanders but that also could be applied to many of the runners I've met through the years:

Growing up in Greater Boston, we learned that effort was the first and most necessary ingredient in life. You are never allowed to quit at anything worthwhile until you win or become successful. However that's defined. Nothing comes easy. We were raised not to raise our hopes to unrealistic levels but to never stop believing in ourselves. Eventually, if you did everything right and didn't screw over the next guy [karma is big in these parts], you might be a winner. You also learned how to make money on snow days with some hustle and a quick shovel. 

I love that line: We were raised (or I'd argue for runners - we've learned over time) not to raise our hopes to unrealistic levels but to never stop believing in ourselves. It's so easy to raise our expectations to crazy levels, fail to meet those levels, get discouraged, and eventually give up. But when we set goals/hopes that we know are achievable, we find ourselves meeting them time and again. And we continue setting goals that are more challenging and more intense and we continue to achieve them. 

When I started running, my goal was not a marathon. My goal was a 5K. When I reached that goal, I set out to run a 10K...you get the idea. It was over time and after a number of smaller accomplishments that I set and achieved my goal of a marathon. I never stopped believing in myself and have reached that level 5 times. 

All this to say, if you're just starting out, keep setting smaller goals and keep meeting them! Don't give up trying and believing in yourself. You can do anything you put your mind to. Trust me - if I can, you can. 

Also, GO PATS!!!!!