Strong Little Girls and Pink Running Shoes

Hey Preps!

Sweaty...as in you can see it in this picture.  Yummmm.

Such an attractive picture right?  I am a sweaty, smelly, mess.  Mile number nine of an 18 mile run.  Finally up to 18 miles this week.  Next week is 20.  Yikes.  Doesn't that sound terrifying?  I thought 18 was terrifying but the whole two before the zero thing terrifies me.  It's just a psychological barrier that I am nervous about getting passed on my way to running the marathon.

So I started off on my 18 miler, and I was hurting.  I have flat feet, so my shins sometimes hurt because of the way I pronate.  I was tight, and I was dreading the distance I had to run.  The first two miles, I huff and puffed away...fighting a battle in my head to stop, to quit.  I forced myself through it though, and after those two miles of a struggle, came 16 miles of cruisin'.

"Yep, nobody could catch me at this speed" 

I kept telling myself that, and eventually I believed it.  My stride fell back into place and the struggles of the beginning of my run were long gone by the end.  I felt strong.

In life, we are faced with so much adversity.  Maybe we lose someone, struggle financially, or are faced with life altering decisions.  There is an initial struggle when faced with these situations.  We don't see light at the end of the tunnel, and are anxious about the outcome.  However, I have never been faced with adversity that didn't make me stronger and better in the end.  

A guy at my gym calls me "Lil' Grit".  He says I am intimidating to the male species because regardless of how little I am, he knows I could lay anyone out who crosses me the wrong way.  Well duh...that's why I weight lift dude.  Anyways, I like my nickname.

Grit means lasting strength.  Always.  When it's easy, when it's tough...someone who has grit will make it through.  That means when my shins are killing me, my legs are tight, and I don't think I have taken a heavier breathe in my life...that I push through it.  It also means that when I am struggling with something in real life, that I take it day by day...and try to make the most of it.  

I was reading through a magazine yesterday, and came across an article about Micha Burden, one of the top open-water swimmers in the country.  She isn't the most talented swimmer, but she has grit.  She wanted to be the best, so with perseverance, she accomplished just that.  

While reading the article, Micha said something that really stuck with me:

"Athletic ability shuts down when there is adversity.  Grit doesn't."

So my challenge for you today is to keep working at whatever you are struggling with.  Keep striving to reach your full potential...show em' you've got grit!

Believe it or not...out of all of the shoes I own...these are my favorites.

We have spent a lot of time together.  We fit each other well.  

They are pink.  Girly, yet strong.  They make me smile,

and I know it's going to be a good run when I lace them up!

Have a blessed day y'all!