friday quotation

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy... It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." (Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champion)

This past week has been a completely mental one for me...in everything from work to training to relationships to handling the end of the school year. It's been emotional. Uplifting. Frustrating. Encouraging. Overwhelming. Rewarding. But ultimately, character building and strengthening. And this quotation, even though it's directly about running, seems to capture that notion. So often, it would just be easier to stop. Sit on the curb. Throw in the towel. And there are times when that's exactly the right thing to do. But I think you have to ask yourself a lot of tough questions before you get there. And usually, I end up realizing that I don't want to stop. Physically I might . But emotionally, I've got something pushing me forward. I think we all have this within us. It's what makes us dig deep, go through whatever it is, and let our will to succeed, thrive, and live life to the fullest overcoming any questions otherwise. Good stuff.