Last week my wife posted this picture on facebook of me going out the door for one of my daily 4:00 am 10 mile winter runs. (Yes…winter is STIll alive and well here in Utah) She questioned how she could get that sort of ambition. I have been asked that question many times. The answers in my opinion (whatever that is worth) is the same whether your obstical is a handicap, braving running in the winter or simply trying to pry your sleepy butt out of bed.

Here is what I believe has help me do the things I do;

Hear the alarm, open your eyes and go – Don’t second guess your decision to get up and exercise. Don’t hit the ‘snooze’ button and don’t lay there in bed deciding if you really want to get up.  When that alarm goes off in the wee hours of the morning I wake up thinking, ‘I get to go running!’ instead of complaining that I have to go running. I have given this a lot of thought and honestly I don’t really think about the why or how I train so hard because I’m too busy just enjoying doing it.Lay your gear out the night before so it’s there waiting for you to use. Just Do It!

Think of exercising as recreation and fun – Don’t make it hard work and toil. Embrace the pain, sweat and exhaustion. As soon as I finish running a marathon I find myself craving another one right after. I feel more alive when I’m closest to dying. That’s a bit in the extreme but it does have a ring of truth in there.  I refuse to wish my fellow runners good luck, instead I like to say, “Have fun and enjoy the race.”

Enjoy defying the odds – Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” I love to see the expression on the other runners faces when they ask me which event I’ll be running in and I answer the marathon. Then they usually ask if I mean the 1/2 marathon. I’ll just smile and say, “No, the full marathon.”

Remember exercise is the best therapy – My wife pointed out that she has noticed when I get upset over something the way I usually deal with it is to exercise. I thought about this and realized she is correct. As long as I can remember, my escape from troubles and pressure has been some form of physical recreation.