Dig Deep; That's Where the Good Stuff Is

I'll start off by saying that if you have an ark, we might need one!! Holy moly, we have some storms going on today!! I know the path is wide and far -- fingers crossed and prayers said for all within it to be safe!!

It's also Rest Day! Daphne is not only exhibiting rest but also passive resistance:

So much for making the bed all the way.

Today's topic is a bit of an unexpected rant, but here we go:

I know I've said numerous times that the initial, original motivator to keep on running was that it kept Elly's toenails trimmed. While that is completely true (for real, I hate being around a dog who's getting its nails trimmed. It makes me tense.), that was the external motivator. To keep on going, there had to be something internal.

The internal bank from which I pulled (and, still do): Self discipline. It's the very discipline instilled in and expected of me when I was growing up. That is, indeed, where it all started.

I was expected to commit and follow through on everything I took on. And, when the going got tough, the only thing my parents asked was along the lines of, "Well ... now what are you going to do?" And, I was asked that very question as many times as it took, as many times as I had to revisit, revise and redo. I was most certainly not asked, "When would you like to stop?" Certainly, there are times stopping something is prudent and/or perfectly acceptable. But, to me, that's the exception and not the matter of course.

"I am making the most of this rainy day
and of my commitment to move as little
as possible. For that, I'm all in!"

Further, I was expected to make the most of every experience I was given -- gain all I could from it, give it my all, and truly embrace the experience. Utilize the opportunity to its fullest. Maybe I'd return for another go at it, or maybe that would be the first and only time. But, I would finish having experienced it in such a way that my decision to return or not was an educated one. To that end, and to get to many ends, I had to push myself. Hard.

This is the mindset that has carried me through years of running when I never, ever thought I'd take up running, of all things. And, when it comes down to it -- and, many runs have come down to that point of it -- I dig deep in the self-discipline tank. It's the very one my mom and dad made me develop whether I wanted to or not. And, sometimes, especially when I'm in the middle of a run and it's just as far to stop and go back as it is to keep going and finish, dipping into that tank the only strategy that makes sense. I know for sure it's the only one that works.

Had self discipline in every aspect  of my life not been a huge expectation of me as a kid, I have no idea how I would have developed it once I was out on my own. (That's not to say I always lived up to the expectation; it is to say it was there, and I knew darned good and well if I was bucking the system.) And, if I had been put in a position to develop it later on, I cannot imagine the uphill climb it would have been to get there. I'm so thankful to my mom and dad who had the guts to expect this of me.

While I have had many moments of self doubt, those tend to be fleeting because while they come into and mess with my head, the discipline that pushes them out comes deep from the soul.

"My resolve to not move even when you
keep taking pictures of me is strong. It's
like I have the force within me.
I am awesome."

Tomorrow, I'll dig deep to complete that last 10-miler before the big run!! I can't believe fun times at the Expo the Half is almost here! So, I'd better get to steppin' ... a lot of steppin'!! ... tomorrow, and I'll check in after!