Break The Chains

The morning this post goes out, I will be running the Atlantic City Marathon. When I cross the finish line it will be the third Full Marathon I have done. You, like many others, may ask the question, why?!?! Don't worry, I often ask myself the same one - Why on earth do I keep doing this to myself?  

Running a marathon takes time. It takes money. It takes energy. It is not an easy goal and yet I continue to do them, challenging my mental, emotional, and physical self. When someone else would ask me that question, why, I honestly used to never have a good answer. I don’t know why I do this to myself, I would laugh. Then, a few days ago, I found the reason in my playlist. 

I was running a few miles to keep my legs fresh; just 5 days out from the Marathon I didn’t want to over do it. As I began the last stretch, the song Whatever It Takes  by Imagine Dragons came up on my queue. I listened to the lyrics as I circled the track and when the second line of the chorus boomed in my ears I thought yes, that’s why.

Whatever it takes

'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins

I do whatever it takes

'Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains

 I challenge myself and set new goals because I love how it feels when I break the chains; the chains of doubt, of fear, of telling myself things are impossible when actually they are not. Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, says this type of response to adversity comes from pessimists. Pessimists have explanations for things that are permanent and difficult to change; it's not just being grumpy,  it’s how you view what happens to you. They say things like “I screw everything up” or maybe “I’m a loser” which Duckworth says can “turn minor complications into major catastrophes. They make it seem logical to give up.” On the other hand if we look at how optimists respond to difficult times they say things like “I mismanaged my time” or “I didn’t work efficiently because of distractions” – all things that are temporary and specific. 

Learning to be optimistic is recognizing a specific and temporary reason something didn’t work out, and then making a plan to fix it: "Optimists habitually search for temporary and specific causes of their suffering, whereas pessimists assume permanent and pervasive causes are to blame." The most harmful thing you can do to hinder you from reaching your goals, the thing that puts heavy chains around your neck, isn't' failing or using the wrong strategy, it’s thinking you can't change; that your situation will just always be this way. 

I once had chains keeping me from running a marathon. Thoughts that came into my head… you can’t do that… you’re too slow… too out of shape… you’ve always hated running… you’ve got a bad back… yeah right, you can't do that… That was the playlist that would echo in my mind, right up until the moment I crossed my first finish line.

The picture accompanying today’s post was taken on October 12, 2017, days before the first Half-Marathon I ever ran. I remember that weekend very well. As my much-faster-than-me brother and I got ready to run, I was worried I wouldn’t even make it to the finish line. Yet here I am, five years later, still running.

I continue to say yes to big challenges because it feels damn good to break those chains. You may not care at all about running a Marathon, and that is completely okay. But maybe there is something else you've always wanted to do, but a pessimistic inner monologue has weighed you down and stopped you from trying. If that's you, I hope you know that it is never too late to try; it is never too late to break the chains.