Motivation
“What motivates you? What REALLY motivates you?” That’s an easy one. What really motivates me is…. uhhh…. errr…. well…. Could you repeat the question?
This question was posed to me some time back and I have struggled with an answer. Doesn’t seem that tough really. How hard can it be to give a solid, straight forward answer to such an easy question? Obviously there is some type of motivation behind running any distance and NOBODY is running 100 milers without a clear reason. Right? Yet I found myself really searching, digging deep, looking everywhere for an answer and coming up with blanks. It seems beyond crazy that such a simple question could have me so confused and perplexed. Maybe I was over-thinking the question, getting wrapped around the axle, trying to come up with a perfect answer. Maybe I didn’t really know. Or maybe I just didn’t like the answers I was coming up with….
Motivation is at the very core of everything we do. Motivation is that thing that sets us off on a path leading to whatever destination or outcome we are trying to achieve. Motivation isn’t the rah-rah, gun-ho, cheer-leading stuff that we read in a book of inspirational quotes or the speeches made by the head coach in our favorite movies. It is the thing that propels us into action in the first place, the drive that pushes us towards the desired outcome. It’s the REASON we do something. It is an ongoing process that starts with the desire to reach a goal and continues with a persistent effort despite the many obstacles that will pop up along the journey and ends with the reward or satisfaction of completion.
Running has been, for me, a very personal journey since that very first mile back in 2006. It hasn’t always been easy or fun but it has been very satisfying. In the beginning, the motivation to run was to lose weight and change my physical appearance. I did not want to run but I did want to lose weight. The motivation was to lose weight. Running was the action that I chose to make it happen. I forced myself to run in those early days and stayed persistent in my efforts to drop a few pounds. It worked. 50 lbs in less than 6 months. I had reached the goal. The motivation to continue running should have stopped then….. but, of course, it didn’t.
The motivation was not to become a runner. That is just something that happened as a by-product of repetition over time and the continuously changing motivation to reach different goals. As the pounds melted off my goals began to evolve and change. I started thinking about running a 5k. I had seen these events advertised and I thought it would be a great challenge to focus on. After 5 months of running I signed up and completed my first 5k. My finishing time of 21:07 wasn’t going to qualify me for the Olympics but it was good enough for an Age Group award. That was all it took. The motivation had completely changed. I no longer cared about losing weight. Now I wanted to win medals, continue to improve my personal best times and, to be completely honest, feed my ego and prove that I was still an “athlete” at 33 years old.
Medals, personal improvement, feeding my ego… that is what the motivation had become. Running was the tool but those were the desired goals. I ran more training miles, read every book, magazine and online article I could about the subject. The motivation never changed but, then again, why would it? Nobody does anything without gaining something in return. Right? I mean, what point is there in putting in all the time training if there isn’t a reward? Seemed ridiculous, and reasonable, that there would ever be a reason to run that wasn’t all about me.
Over the period of 4 months in early 2010, life changed drastically by a few words. You have cancer. No, I was not told this. My Dad was told this. And then, a few weeks later, my Mom heard the same news. Really? BOTH of my parents? C’mon man…. The days spent at the hospital were usually broken up by an hour or two of mind clearing running. My motivation to run had changed. I was no longer looking for medals or personal bests. I was looking for answers and a way to preserve my own sanity. As I ran on those long, dark days I always felt just a bit guilty. I mean, what exactly was running going to do to help the situation? The short answer was nothing. Running was not helping. The long answer was that it could help. With the right focus and a persistent effort, running could help.
Fast forward through the 5k’s, 10k’s, half-marathons, marathons and 50k’s to early 2010. I found myself climbing the rugged trail up Pinnacle Mountain during the Ouachita 50 miler. This was my first 50 mile race and the reasons for running this day were very clear. I was carrying an Honor Scroll with almost 200 names of people that had been touched by cancer. Among those listed were both of my parents. Sure I was still looking to run for a medal and a great finishing time, to say that I wasn’t would be a lie, but I was also running for a cause much bigger than myself and that was huge moment in my life. I ran hard that day and came in 3rd overall. I will always credit the names of those on the Honor Scroll for carrying me through the toughest parts of the trail.
Since that first 50 miler, I have been on a mission to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society through my running. My motivation, like so many of you, is to see a world without cancer. One of the tools for me in achieving this goal is my ability to run long distances. Do not get me wrong. I like to run 50 and 100 milers. I love to earn a new medal, belt buckle or trophy. My ego loves knowing that I can push myself when it gets really tough and the trail becomes a dark place that sucks the energy from my soul. These are things that motivate me on a narrow and self-centered scale. To say otherwise would be dishonest. Those are absolutely a part of why I wake up at 2 a.m. in order to get a 15 or 20 mile run in before work or why I run 30 and 40 milers on the treadmill on a Saturday morning when the rest of the world is sound asleep. But an equally important part of why I do it is so that I can somehow make a difference in the fight against the beast that is cancer.
Eye On The Prize… How many times a week do I post that on facebook or twitter? How many times a day to I tell myself or those around me the same thing? Those four little words are a simple reminder of why I am always tired, why I am training when sleep sounds much better, why I am always sore, why I NEED to train. The prize is what motivates me. The prize is many different things. The only prize that really matters is a world where cancer is irrelevant. A world where my kids don’t have to worry about this monster. A world where nobody has their world turned upside down by those three words, “You have cancer”.
On February 1, 2014 I will be running the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler in Huntsville, Texas. This will be my 5th 100 miler and I hope to run a personal best. I know the trail will get tough. I know the day will be long and there will be many low points and even a few times that I will want to quit. I also know that it really pales in comparison to the battles fought on a daily basis by those affected by cancer. I have the option of quitting at any time without any real or meaningful repercussions. They do not have that luxury. As always they are the motivation pushing me toward the real prize. If I come up short on my personal time, If I struggle and fall short that will be okay. Those goals are secondary. I will keep my Eye On The Prize no matter what the day brings.
This is the part where I ask for your help. I’m asking for donations of one dime per mile, $10 total, to the American Cancer Society via the Relay for Life. Last year the Idiots Running Club raised over $8,800 to fight back. This year we hope to raise $10,000. If you have a local team, I highly encourage you to become involved. If you do not have a local team and would like to join ours – we would love to have your support. You can join the IRC Team here —–> JOIN NOW
Click HERE to donate to my Relay for Life Page
Or HERE to donate via paypal
