Stay Positive!

It goes without saying that runners are the most positive people on the planet. I know this can be attributed to moving around, getting your endorphin's flowing and generally being healthy. As many of you know, I am one of the most positive people you could ever meet. There are a number of reasons for me being this way and I won’t bore you with that piece. I am here to talk about reminding yourself to “stay positive”.

Yes- even the most positive people need to remind themselves of this from time to time. As a matter of fact, this most often applies to the scenario where things aren't going your way or you have hit a rough patch.

This happened to me in the 2011 Chicago Marathon. I trained for 20 weeks with a goal to finish and finish without cramping. Guess what? I trained great and during the race….I started cramping at mile 14! WOW. This wasn't the plan and if you have ever suffered with cramps….getting them early in the race was not a treat.

Throughout my journey, I reminded myself to press forward with the goal of “finishing”. Stay positive and just finish. Don’t worry about time. Smile. Get through this.

The 2011 Chicago Marathon was a success for me in so many ways. Time wise, it was officially a disaster. I finished 45-50 minutes past the goal time and it hurt a lot. I was so proud of the finish though and didn't worry about the time. I learned that you can finish with pride, work through the direst circumstances, and have fun along the way.  The fun part was the finish! I have been asked many times….how did you do it. I did it with positive thinking and positive self-talk. The marathon is a metaphor for life. The most successful people have a positive outlook and they can “will” their own destinies. Smile- have fun!