A cliché

"Life's a marathon, not a sprint."

It's a quote we've all heard, and it can help put things in perspective, 

whether it's an overused cliché or not...

On tonight's amazing leadership training call (yup, Monday night again!),

we had the amazing opportunity to hear about a man who trained for what's called the Leadville 100.

This 104 mile mountain bike race is for those serious minded athletes who are willing to train for months, arrive a week early to acclimate to the high altitude (12,000 feet if I remember correctly!), 

be completely self-disciplined for the 12 hrs it will take to ride (more or less),

and who believe in their training enough to never quit, even when the race is toughest.

This man is 60 and one of my new heroes.

I admit that I hear about an experience like that and the crazy part of me gets excited, as in,
"Maybe some day I will get to be that intense" kind of excited.

I may never in fact do it, and if I do, it won't be for another 20 years because I can't imagine making the time to train when there are kiddos with Saturday soccer games and all manner of activities....

But don't you ever like to imagine doing something that intense and what the feeling of victory would be?

When I was a freshman in college, I got to experience my own version of athletic accomplishment when I ran a full marathon a week before the school year ended. 

Running in the Frederick Marathon was actually an incredibly random decision. I enjoyed running about 3 miles at a time, and then one day thought, "I should run in an actual event."

Apparently I missed the fact that a 5k would qualify as a real event, so I went straight for the marathon.

Looking back, I have only one regret.

I didn't give 100% commitment to the training. Sure, I did a long run every Saturday,

 and I logged some miles.

But I knew that I wasn't giving my whole self to the process,

 and I wish I could have experienced a marathon at my best...

Even so, it was amazing. I was in Maryland, and at the 7am start time I knew that my dad would be awake in California preparing for his Sunday sermon. I knew he would be praying for me.

My brother was waiting at mile marker 25 for me, one of the best sights of my life! 

He jumped up, started running with me, and gave me a new goal for the finish, a couple ahead of me to beat.

By mile 26, I had to sprint the last 2 tenths of a mile in order to finish in front of them, and because he believed in me, I did it. 

I got to call my parents right after finishing, just before they left for church.

One of the most emotional calls I ever made...

Still, there's this nagging question of how much more amazing it could have been had I been in peak shape... 

So one day I will probably commit again, this time with a more mature understanding of the journey, 

not just the goal in mind. 

And I will have Herbalife24, so I know I will have the best nutrition possible... 

But most of us are not really elite athletes, 

and at this stage in my life I'm proud of myself for doing a 20 minute workout.

So how do we as moms get encouraged by a 60 year old man competing in an impossible seeming race?

Well, isn't what we do every day seemingly impossible?

For starters, we grew a human being inside of us, 

and crazier still, got it out of us...

Then, every morning, we make the decision to be about other little people, instead of just ourselves.

And there is a finish line, so to speak, because one day those kiddos will leave. 

I want to know that when Little Man goes out to face the world on his own,

I won't be regretting my lack of commitment to the journey.

This is both training and the event, really.

As a mom, you kind of get thrown into it all at once. You can't exactly practice having a baby until it comes...

So I want to know that every day I'm making decisions to make this a good race.

Am I giving my soul, mind, and body good nutrition?

Am I checking my "splits" to make sure that I'm on track with the goals I set?

Am I encouraging other "runners" along the way, and accepting encouragement?
Am I a woman of my word, sticking with the commitments I've made?

You are each part of my race,
 and I hope that we can all in turn be a part of each other's marathons as moms...

Join the movement of moms.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, document your own "racing" moments, and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can remember we aren't alone in this race!

Disclaimer - Research shows that those people having a Formula 1 meal replacement shake twice daily as part of a healthy eating and exercise plan can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 1 lb a week. And the average annual compensation provided by Herbalife to its distributors at the Supervisor position with a downline is approximately $5,800. I have chosen to consistently follow my Herbalife nutrition plan and work hard at running my business, which is the reason for my personal results.