Courage

Courageis defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; One of my fears was to jump off the edge of a swimming pool into the water. Even if the water was not over my head, I was still too scared to jump. I have always slid into the deep end, or walked from the shallow end to the deep end. When I am on a boat, I either use the ladder to get into the water or slowly lower myself in from the back of the boat. Today I can cross "jumping of the edge of a pool" off my bucket list! With the encouragement of Jacque, I stepped off the edge into the deep end. She stood right to the side of me, did a countdown, and jumped in with me. Now you may be wondering what this has to do with running? Running has brought me face to face with my fears and self doubts. Wondering "Am I capable of doing this or that." I have conquered mental demons, tired legs, self doubt, brain telling me I am too old, and the "what if's.". I have done this alone and with the help and encouragement of some dear friends that I have met through running. When I first started running, it was a bit intimidating. Seeing other ladies my age and older zooming past me like I was some old granny on the course. But once I smiled and said "Hi," I was immediately accepted into the running community. It didn't matter that I was in the back of the pack. What mattered was that I had the desire to become healthy and cross the finish line. My running buddies see me at my best. They see me at my worst. They support me when I am in doubt. They encourage me through my slumps. They accept me for all my faults, and they are still give me a "high five" after a bad race. They inspire me one step at a time.