33101...

That's how many steps my pedometer said I took last Friday on my 19 mile run. In 2.5 months, I have gone from running 4 miles comfortably to running 19, and counting. what's even better is the bald good looking guy who continues to run at my side for most of it. He completed 18 of those miles with me. The human body totally amazes me. The truly amazing part is the control we can have over our bodies versus the control our bodies can have over us. It's all in how you look at it. I think this is demo'd best when we test our bodies to the max. Marathons are gaining in popularity in this country. More and more people are completing them, and not just one. I got asked today again why I chose to do another one. Many of you will remember that after the last one I said no more. But this time I am in a smarter and healthier place. Many believe that marathon training is just running every day but I have taken a more whole-istic approach (nope, not a typo) with weight training, yoga, and yes, even two days of rest a week! I work with several people who ask my why??? Why would you put yourself through it? I don't really choose to answer because those that have to ask it won't get the answer. The answer is because it feels great. To which they would respond how could running 19 miles possibly feel great? What I am too polite to answer but think in my head is "how can sitting on the couch and watching TV be better that mentally and physically pushing your body to be better and more fit?" It is a total high to be able to do something that most feel would be completely impossible for them to do. The irony here is that almost anyone can do this. It is not just for elite athletes anymore. I have followed a formula and training pattern, with the help of my bald sidekick Super Dave. This is not a miracle, it is a result of consistent and committed training, desire, and belief in myself.
A perfect example is the aforementioned sidekick who is now planning to take center stage in his own marathon next year. This is a man who is not only a recent half centaurian but 4 years ago when I met him couldn't run a mile. He was truly dazzling when we finished the Crescent city Classic a year later which is 6.2 miles. Uno, my affectionate name for his one lung was a complete victor then. Now, within a couple of months he can run 3x as far and shows not sign of slowing down.
Together, Dave and I are reading the Success Principles by Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup Guy). He tells the story of a grandmother who was able to lift a car off of her grandson after he became trapped underneath it. When she was later interviewed, she did not want to talk about it, and referred to it as "the event". She was asked one time why she wouldn't talk about it. Was it too traumatizing? No, that's not what it is she replied. I never thought I was strong enough to lift up a car. Imagine what else I haven't been doing in my life because I didn't think I could. This was a turning point for the woman who went to college in her sixties and became a professor of geology. Now, she knows exactly what she can do.
This is a relevant story. Listen to your friends, your family, and most importantly yourself talk. take note whenever you put limits on yourself and say "I can't". Jack Canfield recommends taking the word "can't" completely out of your vocabulary. Pay attention to how many times a day you say it. Not an easy task to remove such a powerful word, but you can do it! Even if it takes 33,101 steps, I know you can do it.