Marathon Motivation

WEEK 27: DAY 183: Summer Recap

2007-07-29T09:26:00.000-06:00

Wow, has this summer flown by! I cannot believe it has been since Day 102 of training that I last made an entry. I apologize for my absence this summer. I have been in Houston, Texas doing a tax internship, and time has not been on my side. I shouldn’t say that. Time is always there. It is up to you and me to decide how we will use that time. I quickly discovered how difficult it is to train for a marathon when one is working a 50 hour work week. Discipline is essential if any training is to be done, for one must either train early in the morning before work or later in the evening when the sun is going down.

I must be honest with you, I was not as religious about my running as I had been while I was in school. I did join a gym down here in Houston, so I stayed faithful to my lifting regimen, but my running suffered.

I did not let that hinder my spirits though. Over the course of the summer, I have filled my mind with positive messages from inspirational authors. I have read Matthew Kelly’s The Rhythm of Life, James Ray’s The Science of Success, and Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret. All of these books had much to offer me in the area of personal motivation, but the one message I found that was clearly present in each of these pieces of literature was this:

What you think about, you bring about.

That’s right, you have the ability to achieve whatever you want in life. It all starts with a dream and a vision. Create that vision of your success, and keep it present in your mind as much as possible. James Ray says, “The more vividly your dreams live in your mind, the more quickly they materialize.”

So each night this summer, before I went to bed, I would close my eyes and visualize myself running in the Chicago Marathon. I would visualize myself running with confidence, a confidence as if I have been waiting for this race my whole life. I don’t visualize myself barely crossing the finishline. I see myself sprinting to the finish with all the energy I have in me because that is the reality I want to create.

So, while my physical training may have slowed for the past couple of weeks, I am in better shape mentally than I have ever been in my life. In the weeks to come, I look forward to sharing with you the wonderful messages I have read!

DAY 102: Morning Motivation- Hard Work & Good Company

2007-05-09T08:15:00.000-06:00

“There is nothing in the world that can’t be accomplished through hard work and with the help of God. Don’t be afraid to talk to God. After all, He is our Father.”

-Johnny Unitas, Former NFL Quarterback

If you are training by yourself, sometimes a workout can be lonely. Workouts are harder when you don’t have someone there to push you.

The good news is that you are never really alone when you workout. God is always at your side, watching you progress with each day. I’ve found that when I’m struggling at a certain point of my run, if I just ask God to help push me through this mental barrier, sure enough I am able to find the strength to outlast the temptation to give up, and I push on to the finish. Whether I run a personal best or struggle to the finish, I always take the time to thank God for helping me get through my workout each day. It is His protective hand watching over you and me that allows us to put forth our efforts to achieve our goals.

While I believe I am in control of my destiny, I humbly understand and appreciate that God is walking with me every step along my journey of life.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 101: Morning Motivation- Put It All On The Line

2007-05-08T12:17:00.000-06:00

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”

-Erma Bombeck

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 5 mile

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 100: Morning Motivation- A Milestone Day

2007-05-07T08:33:00.000-06:00

“If Henry Ford hadn’t kept going in the early days despite ridicule, we would never have seen the Ford car. It’s been the same with every great man you could name. He kept plugging when everybody said his chances of making first base were nil. You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”

-Babe Ruth, Former Major League Pitcher and Outfielder

If you’re still following along with me, and you’ve been consistently doing your workouts each day, congratulations! You are living the Babe’s words! Over the past 100 days, you have sacrificed gallons of sweat and hours of your time to help prepare yourself for your marathon. Some days you didn’t feel like running, but you did it anyway. You did it because you know that each day builds upon the previous day. Pushing yourself today will only put you in a better position for tomorrow.

You understand the power of persistence!

Takes some time to look back on the past 100 days. Look how far you have come! Consider the short term achievements you have made. Think of things that you may want to improve on for the next 100 days.

Acknowledge your hard work thus far. Capture this feeling of achievement and bottle it up so that you can remind yourself why what success feels like when you have a tough day. Keep plugging away. Success will find you!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 86: Morning Motivation- Lou’s 3 Questions

2007-04-23T07:47:00.000-06:00

I’ve always been a fan of Lou Holtz. Besides having led Notre Dame to a National Championship, I have always respected Coach Holtz for the way he conducts himself as a person. He is a very simple man, and this simplicity is what has left such a profound impact on the players he coached and the people he dealt with. His philosophy on success was very simple. He said:

“The answers to three questions will determine your success or failure:

1. Can people trust you to do your best?
2. Are you committed to the task at hand?
3. Do you care about other people and show it?

If the answers to all these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail.”

As humans, we love to complicate things, but think about the questions just presented. These are not difficult questions. They are honest questions that reveal much about your character in a one word answer. Coach Holtz believes (as well as I do) that if people can trust you to do your best, if you are committed to the task at hand, and if you care about people and show it, you cannot fail. It is a formula for success.

If people can trust you to do your best, then you must have the discipline to work hard. If you are committed to the task at hand, then you possess the quality of persistence and dedication which will drive you to the finish line. Finally, if you care about others and show it, good things will happen to you because people don’t forget people who care about them. God doesn’t forget people who care about others.

In his latest book, Wins, Losses, and Lessons, Coach Holtz says,

“Hard times will come. They always do. But deep faith, hard work, and unwavering commitment to your goals will turn today’s tragedy into tomorrow’s triumphs.”

Today, honestly answer Coach Holtz’ questions. If you can’t answer yes to all three, think about what you can change in your life that will allow you to do so.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest press - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

WEEK 13: DAY 85: Morning Motivation- Personal Assessment VI

2007-04-22T09:29:00.001-06:00

Now that we are one third through our marathon training, let’s take a moment to chart our progress over the past 12 weeks:

Have you given your body a fair chance to improve by staying faithful to your training schedule?
Have you given your mind an opportunity to grow by exposing it to motivational/ inspirational material each day?
Have you set aside ten minutes each day to reflect and pray in silence?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and work/ school?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and your relationships?

Take a few moments to recall how you have addressed each of these questions in your life over the 3 months. Reflect on what you have done well and consider areas where you know you can do better.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 8 mile

Cool down 1 mile

DAY 83: Morning Motivation- “Success Begets Success”

2007-04-20T08:18:00.001-06:00

Training to run for a marathon can be very intimidating, especially if this the first time attempting to run a marathon, like myself. As my mileage is small in the beginning of my training, sometimes I can’t help but wonder how in the world I will be ready to run for 26.2 miles, much less run it in a particular time!

I find that the key to positioning yourself to be ready to run a marathon is to just take it a day at a time. I read a great article in Josh Hinds’ “Let’s Talk Motivation” newsletter today, in which he specifically talks about how small actions can make a big difference when training for a marathon. He says, “Success begets success”. What he means by this statement is that each workout is a challenge. If you can concentrate on making today’s workout a success by giving it your all and challenging your mind and body, then you will have an even better chance of performing well tomorrow. Your success today will roll into tomorrow’s workout, creating somewhat of a snowball effect. As your small successes begin to add up over time, you will soon be able to look back and see how much you have progressed as a result of pushing yourself one day at time, or one success at a time.

So don’t focus on 26.2 today. Break it down into small successes. Let time be your ally. As long as you commit the time to improve yourself each day, you will find that your endurance to run will increase greatly over the course of your training.

Make it happen!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 81: Morning Motivation- The Dash

2007-04-18T08:53:00.000-06:00

The shootings that took place at Virginia Tech this week quickly reminded America just how fragile life is. I’ve mentioned before how important it is to take advantage of the present moment because tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. We must live life to its fullest.

In today’s “Positive News Weekly” Newsletter, Dave Boufford reminded me of a great poem that really helps put life into perspective:

The Dash
Copyright 1998 by Linda Ellis

I read of a reverend who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date
of her birth and spoke of the following date
with tears.

But he said what mattered
most of all was the dash
between those years.

For that dash represents
all the time that she spent alive
on earth.

And now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
the cars...the house...the cash.

What matters is how we live
and love and how we spend
our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you'd like
to change?

For you never know how much time
is left. You could be at dash mid-range.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger and show
appreciation more and love the people
in our lives like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy's being read,
with your life's actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?

What do you want people to say about your dash? Live today. Move forward towards your goals, but enjoy the ride. Take some time to take in your surroundings. Take a good look at today, for today is the best gift God could give us!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 80: Morning Motivation- Definition of Persistence

2007-04-17T21:52:00.001-06:00

Today I looked up the definition of persistence in the dictionary. Here is what it said:

per·sist (pər-sɪst)–v. 1. To continue firmly and steadfastly despite obstacles. 2. To continue in existence: endure—per·sist’ence, per·sist’ency n. -- per·sist’ent adj. – per·sist’ent·ly adv.

So straightforward—“To continue firmly and steadfastly despite obstacles”. It’s so easy to get distracted and lose sight of our goals in the fast paced world that we live in. Our lives have become so complex and our wheels are spinning so fast that it almost feels like we are no longer in control of what happens to us.

That is why it is so important to constantly remind yourself of what is important to you. Reaffirm your goals today. Post them in a place where you can see them. Continue to persist towards the achievement of your goals.

Today, write down this definition of persistence and put in somewhere where you can see it everyday. Tape it to the side of your computer. Tape it to your bathroom mirror. Read it everyday to remind yourself that in order to achieve your goals, whatever they may be, you must look beyond any obstacles present and continue “firmly and steadfastly”.

Continue to persist. Make it happen.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 79: Morning Motivation- ‘Persistent’ Practice Makes Perfect

2007-04-16T08:29:00.001-06:00

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I was growing up playing little league baseball, I always heard the cliché “Practice makes perfect”. The basis behind this saying is that the more you practice a particular task, the better you will get at it. However, I think this saying would be more accurate if it said “Persistent practice makes perfect”.

While practice did help me to improve my baseball skills as a child, I did not develop into a complete baseball player in one practice. It was the repetition of practices every day over the summer that helped me develop my ability to play the game. Sometimes, my team would practice twice a day. With frequent practice, my teammates and I were able to adapt to the areas of the game in which we were struggling, be it fielding, hitting, baserunning, etc.

As Emerson said in the above quote, the nature of the activity never changed. It was by our persistence in practice that we were able to develop our skill to excel.

The same persistence can be applied to running. As I mentioned yesterday, each workout builds upon the previous workout, so by persistently staying on schedule, you are climbing closer and closer to achieving your full potential each day. Often I get competitive with myself and try to beat times I had previously run. Sometimes I set new personal records, and sometimes I finish a little slower than before. The most important thing is that I complete my workout because with each step I take forward, I am better preparing my body (and mind) for the endurance that will be necessary to run 26.2 miles.

As you continue to train, look back every once in a while to see how you have improved along the way. Notice that each day you are performing the same task (running), but yet you are getting better and better. Its not the task that has changed. It is you improving with each workout!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

WEEK 12: DAY 78: Morning Motivation- Small Action, Big Difference

2007-04-15T10:28:00.000-06:00

Have you ever struggled to get a workout in because you reasoned that missing just one workout ultimately wouldn’t make a difference? Well I have a story for you:

The Starfish Story
By Loren Eiseley

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

You see, it is the small actions that make such a big difference! You may not see the fruits of your small efforts immediately, but each small action you take is putting you in a better position to succeed. Each small action build upon the last action, so today’s workout is building off of yesterday’s workout. Tomorrow’s workout will build off of today’s workout.

It’s kind of like of brick. The finished product is the result of putting hundreds of bricks together. Without even one brick, the house would be incomplete. The same goes for your workouts- without one day of training, your progress towards achieving your full potential would be incomplete. And when a day passes, it is gone forever, so make the most of today. Go out and enjoy the fresh. Have fun!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 74: Morning Motivation- Cause and Effect

2007-04-11T21:54:00.001-06:00

Today in Josh Hinds’ “Let’s Talk Motivation” Newsletter, I read an article by Gary Schoeniger about the law of cause and effect. The basis of the article was that the law of cause and effect forces us to take responsibility for our actions. For the most part, we create our own circumstances by the choices we make. Schoeniger says:

“Once we accept this self-evident truth, all things become possible.”

If you want to produce the result of running a particular time for your marathon, then you have to create the cause which produces this effect. In other words, if you have desired time you are striving for, you have to put in the time and effort now in order to put yourself in a position to accomplish such a goal. Your results are proportional to your efforts. Make the effort today. Create your own circumstance for success. Take each day one step at a time, and build a foundation that can’t help but meet success!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 73: Morning Motivation- Expect the Best

2007-04-10T08:33:00.000-06:00

I apologize for the lack of communication over the past couple of days. I went home for Easter, and I did not have an internet connection. I hope you had an enjoyable weekend. Let’s get back to today’s Morning Motivaiton…

I always love sitting in my dad’s office. It is full of positive reinforcement. He has filled the walls of his office with words of wisdom from hundreds of people who have had an influence on him. When I step into his office, I feel as if my motivational batteries get recharged.

On this particular visit to my dad’s office, I ran into a short passage on his wall entitled “Expect the Best”. I do not know where he got this passage, not do I know who wrote it, but it portrays just the attitude we need to have when we wake up each morning. Here it is:

“What’s exciting about life is that every morning offers a brand-new day with unlimited possibilities. Yesterday’s mistakes and regrets belong to yesterday. Today is a clean slate, a chance to start over, to do or become anything you want, a chance to go for it! So, jump into life with both feet! Go forward, head held high, expecting the best… you may be surprised at how often that’s exactly what you’ll get.”

When I saw this passage, I immediately took it from my dad’s wall and made a copy for myself. Each day is a new opportunity to do great things. I like looking at each day as a “clean slate” because yesterday’s mistakes are behind us. We can’t change them. We can only learn from them and apply this new wisdom as we write another page in our life today. If yesterday was great, today is a chance to build on that greatness, to climb even higher towards your goals.

If you expect great things, great things will happen. It is kind of like the movie “Field of Dreams” from which comes the famous line “If you build it, they will come.” If you build a foundation for success, success will come. Continue to build your foundation through your workouts, putting in the sweat and hard work necessary and developing the attitude you need to persist to the finish line. Expect the best from yourself.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 67: Morning Motivation- Vision: Make It Happen

2007-04-04T08:31:00.000-06:00

"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen."

-Frank Lloyd Wright

If there’s any one occupation that knows about the power of vision, it is the artist. An artist’s success depends entirely on his or her ability to see a work of art in his or her mind before it is constructed. Particularly with abstract artwork like the works of Picasso, similarities to such artistic scenes do not exist in the real world, so making these abstract scenes a reality requires much focus on the mind’s ability to envision a future outcome.

Just as an artist cannot succeed without envisioning their completed artwork, we too, no matter what profession or activity we partake in, cannot succeed without developing a clear vision of the outcome we desire. In order to achieve the results you are working towards, you must be able to picture our success in your mind.

Imagine what you want. Imagine with as much detail as you can. Make it so real that you can feel the emotions of success when you think about it. The more real you make it, the more likely you are to achieve it. Think about it daily, maybe for just a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes at night. Keep your vision of success fresh in your mind.

Envision success. Make it happen.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lck-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull-crushers - 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 66: Morning Motivation- Strength in Purpose

2007-04-04T08:07:00.000-06:00

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Today in my philosophy class, we continued watching the movie “Chariots of Fire”. As I mentioned last week, the movie is about two British runners, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. In one part of the movie, Eric refuses to run in the qualifying heat for the 100 meter run because it is on Sunday, the Sabbath. A number of influential British bureaucrats try to talk him into running on Sunday to show his loyalty for his country, but Eric says he will not put his country before God. Eric said that he runs to honor God. His service to God is his greater purpose in life, greater than one race. As a solution to Eric’s dilemma, one of his teammates gives up his spot in the 400 meter run so that Eric does not have to run on Sunday.

At the conclusion of this scene, the Duke of Southerland pulls Lord Birkenhead aside and makes that comment that he was glad that Eric had not given in to running on Sunday, although it would have been good for England. He says, “The ‘lad’, as you call him, is a true man of principles and a true athlete. His speed is a mere extension of his life, its force. We sought to sever his running from himself.”

Running is only a small part of your whole life. Therefore, if you intend to excel in running through discipline and persistence, you must make it a habit to apply discipline and persistence to all areas of your life. Eric’s strength wasn’t in his physical appearance. Eric’s strength was in his dedication to his purpose in life. Eric had a clear view as to why he was put hear on Earth, and he intended to use his talents to the best of his ability to honor God.

I think the worst feeling in the world is losing one’s sense of purpose. When concentrating on such a concrete goal as a single race, one can easily lose focus of the big picture. We focus so intently on finishing the race that, once it’s over, we have nothing else to work towards. The key is to keep the “big picture” in mind, your mission here on earth. Frequently remind yourself why you are training. It is much easier to train when you are motivated by a worthwhile purpose. When you keep focus on your purpose, your inner strength will push you farther than you’ve ever gone before.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 65: Morning Motivation- Born to Win

2007-04-03T08:35:00.000-06:00

"You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win."

-Zig Ziglar

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Row- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 64: Daily Reflection

2007-04-01T17:42:00.001-06:00

I had a great start to my day today by running seven miles. After running the Holy Half Marathon last weekend, I realized that long runs are going to be lonely and more difficult if I have to run them by myself. Fortunately for me, one of my friends decided to sign up for the Chicago Marathon, so I got to run my seven miles with him this morning. It really made my run so much more enjoyable because we were able to push each other when we were struggling.

When we finished our run, we cooled down and stretched by the Grotto. It was very pleasant stretching there because we could here the singing from the Palm Sunday Procession taking place nearby.

WEEK 10: DAY 64: Morning Motivation- Major League Discipline

2007-04-01T17:36:00.000-06:00

“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. The key is discipline. Without it, there is no morale.”

-Tom Landry

Today is opening night for baseball season. I love baseball. I love it not just because I have one particular team that I am rooting to win it all, but because of the nature of the game. It is a game of perseverance. It is a game of discipline. Each team has to stay focused for 162 games over the course of six months in order to be successful. At the beginning of each season, every team sets their sight on winning their division and ultimately winning the World Series. However only two teams end up in the World Series, and one team emerges as World Champion.

I’m discounting the value of goal setting, for I believe it is an essential element to achieving one’s dreams. However, once goals have been set, the challenge arises not in the attainability of your goal, but in your discipline to stay focused and accomplish the small tasks that you need to complete in order to move yourself closer to achieving your goal. That is what makes baseball great. The length of the season weeds out the truly disciplined teams from the weaker and less focused teams. Each game is important to a team’s overall success, so they must play a game in May with the same focus and intensity as they will in September when the division is on the line.

As we enter our tenth week, the weekly mileage is gradually increasing, and this increase in distances doesn’t exactly make one want to jump out of bed and go running. You have a well laid out plan to achieve your goal of running a marathon. Stick with your plan. Stay disciplined. Don’t let your body think for your mind by talking you out of your workouts. Today, maintain the same focus you will have as when the race is only a week away. Do what needs to be done when it needs to be done, and you will feel more satisfied with yourself once you are finished.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 7 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 63: Morning Motivation- Success Comes In a Can

2007-03-31T21:33:00.000-06:00

"Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't you are right."

-Henry Ford

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 62: Morning Motivation- Brewing Success

2007-03-30T08:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of hearing the founder and Chairman of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, speak at Notre Dame as he received the Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Business Ethics. Mr. Schultz is really a remarkable person, as he has built an extremely profitable corporation without having to sacrifice his morals and values. He has built what he calls a “business with a conscience”, a socially responsible business that does the right thing because it is the right thing to do, not solely because it will increase profitability.

Now what does the chairman of a coffee company have to do with running? Well, I always take advantage of the chance to listen to successful people speak because their words of wisdom more often than not apply to all areas of life. The philosophy they follow to become successful in business can be applied to our success in running if we apply these principles. From the start of his talk, Mr. Schultz told the audience:

“Success is not an entitlement. It must be earned.”

He said that in order to be able to exceed the expectations of your customers, you have to exceed the expectations of your people (employees). For example, Starbucks was the first company in America to provide full health and dental insurance and offer stock options to part-time employees. This action was greatly appreciated by Starbucks employees, and since they know Starbucks cares about them, they care about Starbucks. Have you ever seen an unhappy employee at a Starbucks?

Put in running terms, before you can exceed the expectations of your peers, you have to exceed you own expectations. You must give yourself an honest chance to grow and develop each day by giving a complete effort with each workout. You have to sacrifice the sweat, and you have to exit your comfort zone in order to advance into new areas of achievement.

Mr. Schultz ended his talk with a piece of advice that he tells all his audiences:

“Dream big dreams, and then dream bigger.”

All the great things that have been discovered, invented, or accomplished were first conceived by a dream. But don’t limit yourself. Dream as big as you can. There’s no harm done in dreaming. The greatest tragedy would not be in failing to fulfill a big dream, but rather it would be achieving a small dream and not using your full potential.

Set lofty goals. Work towards them. Remember, success must be earned. You can do it!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 61: Morning Motivation- The Power Within

2007-03-29T19:17:00.000-06:00

Today in my philosophy class, we watched part of the movie “Chariots of Fire”, the story of two British runners, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, participants in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. I had never seen the movie before, so I just thought it was another sports movie. I was pleasantly surprised to see a truly inspiring film. If you have not seen “Chariots of Fire”, I strongly recommend it.

There is a speech that Eric Liddell gives to his fans that, to me, represents why I run and utilize my gifts from God:

“You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.”

After hearing this speech in class, I was so motivated that I felt like I could a marathon right then and there! Eric’s words were so effective, and so true. We are nothing without God. He is by our side every step of the way. It is up to us to find the strength within to finish the race. As Eric says, this strength within us is not only the endurance we need to push on in our run, but it is strength to do what is right in everything that we do, in every facet of life.

Find the power within you. Run with it. Live with it.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 60: Morning Motivation- Olympic Advice

2007-03-28T09:22:00.000-06:00

Training for a marathon requires both physical discipline. I am becoming more aware of this with each day that I train. However, given that I am still an inexperienced newbie whose athletic glory days go as far as high school, I’m sure you would be more encouraged hearing from an Olympian.

This morning, in Josh Hind’s “Let’s Talk Motivation” newsletter, Ruben Gonzalez, three time Olympian gold medalist in the luge, talked about tackling challenges to achieve success. In his letter, he touched on a number of topics of which we have discussed in the past few weeks:

HAVE A DREAM: First, Ruben says you must have a dream, a dream that “takes your breath away.” By this, Ruben means that you must have a dream that you are willing to fight for to make a reality.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: In order to find success, you have to believe that you can succeed.

ATTITUDE OF DETERMINATION: Ruben says:

“You have to have the attitude that you are willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. Then, and only then, is success realistic.”

DESIRE: How bad do you want it? How far are you willing to go? Ruben says:

“Burning desire allows a person with average ability to successfully compete with those who have far more ability.”

HAVE A PASSION FOR YOUR DREAM: Make your dream a priority in your life. Keep it fresh in your mind. Ruben says that if you don’t keep your focus on your dream, then you will give up in it the first time pursuing your dream becomes an inconvenience. He says:

“If your "why?" is big enough, the "how" will take care of itself.”

So, if you don’t believe me, listen to the Olympian. He’s been to the top. He’s seen the view, and he knows what it takes to get there. I just try to learn from the best and hope that each day I can better myself and those around me.

(You can learn more about Ruben Gonzalez at www.thelugeman.com.)

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 59: Morning Motivation- Developing The Greatness Within You

2007-03-27T18:33:00.000-06:00

“Courage must come from the soul within; the man must furnish the will to win. So figure it out for yourself, my lad. You were born with all that the great have had.”

– Edgar Guest, poet

“You were born with all that the great have had.” I love that phrase. How encouraging is it to think that within us lies the same potential for excellence that was exerted by those successful people whom we admire? As superior as our heroes may appear, they started out from the ground level just like you and me.

Yes, it is true that everyone comes from different financial or socioeconomic backgrounds, but the qualities of greatness that are visible in those whom we look up to—courage, determination, persistence, and discipline—are possessed by everyone. What separates the good from the great is one’s ability to focus on developing these qualities, regardless of what distractions may interfere.

You have the qualities of greatness within you. Use your time wisely developing these qualities each day. With each day that you train, you are becoming more disciplined. With each workout that you finish, you are proving your determination to succeed, strengthening your will to persist. In time, you and I will develop the courage to tackle 26.2 miles. That’s what each day is about—working hard today to prepare for tomorrow.

Develop the greatness within you!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 58: Morning Motivation- Don't Quit

2007-03-26T09:13:00.000-06:00

I learned a lot in my experience running the Holy Half Marathon with my friend yesterday. It was my first experience running 13.1 miles, and as the miles piled up, I realized how important a positive mindset is to one’s success in a long distance race. The first few miles were a bit intimidating when I dwelled upon how much I still had to run. But when I simply focused on the mile at hand, finishing the race didn’t quite seem as daunting.

It was truly inspiring to witness my friend literally push her body to the point of collapse, yet still she kept pressing toward the finish line. Throughout our run yesterday, I couldn’t help but think about a poem that a friend once gave me about persistence:

Persist… Persist

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must—but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out.
The silver tint to the clouds of doubt—
And you never can tell how close you are,
If may appear when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit!

--Author Unknown

Particularly, I thought about the line,

Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
You might succeed with another blow.

I love this line because it expresses that there is more to success that simply beating others. The glory isn’t necessarily in how your efforts compare to those around you, but what is more important is how your efforts compare to your potential. Although my friend did not run the fastest time in the race yesterday by any means, she was still able to finish the race despite how badly her body wanted to quit. She gave everything she had, so what more could anyone ask? After the race, she was a little upset, apologizing for slowing our group down. What she didn’t realize, though, was that, of all us running yesterday, she had the most to be proud of because every person at the race could visibly see that she gave everything she had. She has no regrets about not putting forth a ful effort because we all know she did put forth a full effort.

My friend didn’t give up, and that is more valuable than any prize one can win.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Tricep Pulldown- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 57: Daily Reflection

2007-03-25T20:57:00.000-06:00

Today, the Holy Half Marathon took place on Notre Dame’s campus, so I was planning on getting my workout in today by running the first seven miles of the race with a couple of friends who were actually running in the race. I did start the race with them, and we ran at a decent pace. It was an ideal day for a race—70 degrees and sunny. I was enjoying the run so much that seven miles seemed to fly by. However, one of my friends was struggling, so I decided to keep running in order to encourage her and help her to finish. It is always tough to watch a friend struggle, so I did my best to keep her mind positive, taking it a mile at a time.

I learned a lesson about the importance of dehydration today, because with a quarter mile left in the race, my friend’s legs just gave out, and my friends and I had to carry her to the finish line. My friend ended up going to the emergency room, and fortunately she is doing better now. It was scary to see her body give out on her. She really did give it everything she had. Her collapse though showed me firsthand the effects of not hydrating yourself enough. I certainly am going to make a better effort to hydrate myself well.

Aside the dehydration, I was very encouraged by the fact that I was able to run 13.1 miles without much struggle. Now, it was at a slower pace that I would normally run, but it still was an accomplishment for me. I was just proud that my friend crossed the finish line. She gave it the best she had… and a little bit more!

WEEK 9: DAY 57: Morning Motivation- Personal Assessment IV

2007-03-25T20:56:00.000-06:00

Now that we have eight weeks of training under our belt, let’s take a moment to chart our progress since our last assessment on DAY 43:

Have you given your body a fair chance to improve by staying faithful to your training schedule?
Have you given your mind an opportunity to grow by exposing it to motivational/ inspirational material each day?
Have you set aside ten minutes each day to reflect and pray in silence?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and work/ school?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and your relationships?

Take a few moments to recall how you have addressed each of these questions in your life over the past two weeks. Reflect on what you have done well and consider areas where you know you can do better.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 7 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 56: Morning Motivation- Choices

2007-03-24T10:22:00.001-06:00

“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady

How do you make room for improvement in your life? Where do you start?

If you want to make changes in your life, look at the choices you make each day. Are the choices you make consistent with your aspirations? Do the choices you make help or hinder your progress towards your goals? If you’re training for a marathon, which will put you in a better position to succeed: skipping your Saturday run to sleep in or waking up a little earlier to get your workout in for the day? As attractive an option of relaxing in bed a little longer is, it is still easy to see that getting in your workout for the day would better position you for success in running your marathon.

Each day, we make hundreds of choices—when to wake up, what to eat, what to wear, how we respond to circumstances. Some choices seem trivial compared to others, but it is important to find consistency in the decisions you make if you are working towards a specific goal.

As Ms. Roosevelt said, with the choices we make “we shape our live and we shape ourselves.”

Who we become and what we accomplish are directly related to the choices we make. Some circumstances may arise that are out of our control, but how we react to these unforeseen circumstances is up to us. Choices are what makes opportunities so exciting. You have to choose to pursue an opportunity. So many people choose to pass up on opportunities out of fear of failure. Don’t let fear get in the way of you making decisions relating to your growth and development.

As we discussed yesterday, choose to step outside your comfort zone in order to go where you have not gone before. In your run today, choose to push yourself a little farther than you did last run. Start your kick for the finish a little earlier today.

Choose discipline. Choose persistence. Choose to enjoy your workout today!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 55: Morning Motivation- Get Comfortable Being Outside Your Comfort Zone

2007-03-23T08:54:00.000-06:00

When I was home for spring break last week, I got to see one of my best friends from high school. He’s a physical therapy major at LSU, so I always like to talk to him about suggestions to improve my workouts in the gym.

My friend told me that the way the body builds muscle is by making small tears in the muscle tissue so that it can expand. He says that when you push yourself to the limit, you actually tear your muscles, which is a good thing.

I have to say, I looked at him funny when he told me that it was good to tear my muscle tissue. However, I trusted in his reasoning because, after all, he’s the one who studies the human body as his major.

Coincidentally, I found an article confirming my friend’s theory on muscle growth yesterday. In his Ezine, Ron White wrote an article entitled “You Need More Weight”, in which he discussed the importance of departing from your comfort zone when workout out. He says,

“You see, when lifting weights your muscle is built when it goes beyond its comfort zone or literally stretches beyond what you have done before.”

While the anatomy of the body is fascinating, what I think is the most important thing to learn from this muscle growth process is that it is no different from how we grow or develop in anything else that we do. If we want to grow or develop a skill, you must work outside of your comfort zone. You can never really improve if you keep doing what is easy to you within your comfort zone. It is when reach past your current limits and set a new bar of excellence that we begin to fulfill our potential.

At this point, you may be comfortable lifting a particular weight because it is what you are used to. You know you can do it because you have been doing it.

Today, challenge your body by pushing yourself one step farther in your workout. If you’re up to the challenge, increase your weight 5-10 pounds for each exercise. If you’re not ready for a weight increase, increase the number of repetitions you do for each exercise. If you normally do 8 reps of bench press, push yourself to 10 reps today. Make sure you have a spotter though.

Get comfortable being outside your comfort zone.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 54:Morning Motivation- GOALS

2007-03-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we talked about making the daily difference in order to achieve our goals, but today I want to talk about the nature of goals. Why do people set goals?

There are a variety of reasons why people set goals, more reasons than I can mention, but despite people’s different motives for setting goals, there is a common factor driving people to work towards their goals. What is it?

People set goals because goals are:

Godly
Objectives that
Achieve
Lasting
Success

Goals are called “Godly Objectives” because the bar of expectation is set very high—not so high as to be unreachable, but high enough to require growth and development in order to achieve them. Godly Objectives are challenges that cannot be met by an everyday effort. They require a little bit more.

People set goals in order to arrive at a desired destination or circumstance, and if these Godly Objectives are met, they will Achieve Lasting Success. This Lasting Success will differ from person to person, and isn’t necessarily a material success, such as money. More times than not Lasting Success comes in the form of the internal satisfaction one finds from pushing himself or herself where he or she has never gone before. It is a reward that money cannot buy.

While monetary rewards may be a motivation to the elite runners of today, I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of people training to run a marathon are not running for the money. They are running for themselves. They have set a Godly Objective and are training each day in order to Achieve Lasting Success when the cross the finish line. I can’t wait to discover the feeling of accomplishment when I cross the finish line on October 7^th. It is these internal rewards that drive so many people. The best part is that the harder you push yourself and the more effort you devote to your goal, the greater the feeling of satisfaction at the end. Your internal reward is proportional to your effort!

Do have GOALS?

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 53: Morning Motivation- The Daily Difference

2007-03-21T08:13:00.000-06:00

This morning I was catching up in reading some past motivational articles from Josh Hinds’ “Let’s Talk Motivation” newsletter, and I found a great article about achieving success by increasing your awareness by Robin Sharma. She talks about how successful people found success:

“They started off ordinary—with a dream, a plan and goals. Then they made daily 1% improvements. The days slipped into weeks, the weeks slipped into months and the months slipped into years. Their dream grew and became real. Yet the first, and most powerful step took place in their minds.”

As I have mentioned before, the mind is a powerful tool. It baffles me sometimes to think of what one can accomplish by constructively using the mind to achieve a goal. You are in control of your thoughts. You are in control of your actions. Your body has short-term vision—it cannot see past today’s workout. When it becomes tired, it wants to quit immediately. You, however, have a brilliant mind that can see the finish line of your long-term goal. Your mind knows that, while your body may be tired now, you must push on in order to better prepare yourself for tomorrow. When tomorrow arrives, your mind will push your body to prepare itself for the next day. And if you apply discipline and persistence, your mind will continue this process with each workout. You may not notice vast improvement in your performance on a daily basis, but if you honestly challenge yourself each day, your efforts will add up to a substantial improvement in the long-run.

It is much easier to accomplish an objective when you break it down into pieces. Looking at eight months of training is very intimidating. Your mind and body may question your commitment and you may find yourself searching for an excuse not to continue. But if you break down your workout into weeks, and within each week days, the mind is much more willing to proceed. Breaking down your workouts also allows you to achieve miniature successes when you complete each part of your training. These successes, as small or big as they may be, are essential to keeping you inspired to push on. With each small success, you build up confidence, and the more confidence you have, the easier it is to fight off negativity and doubt when workouts get tough.

Make the daily difference. Push yourself today. You’ll be glad you did tomorrow.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 52: Morning Motivation- Pass The Vibes!

2007-03-20T08:05:00.000-06:00

“Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”

-Romans 12:1

I love the beginning of spring. When the sun comes out and the plants begin to bloom, you can’t help but be in a good mood when you go for a run. Even if I’ve had a rough day, I always feel better after I get a good sweat running in the fresh air. Spring gives me energy, an indescribable feeling of excitement. Maybe I had cabin fever from all the snow we had this winter up at school, but now that the snow is gone and the sun is out, I can’t help but be thankful for this beautiful day. Running in pleasant weather makes a workout so much easier.

As the beauty of springtime begins to show its face, I can’t help but thank the Lord for blessing us with this day. Each day is a gift, and I think spending some time outside challenging our bodies and minds is one of the best ways we can do to express our appreciation to God for blessing us with today. With each day that we improve ourselves by pushing our bodies to the limit and training our minds to persevere, we are showing God how we are making the most of his gift to us.

You may not see your daily workout as that important to your relationship with God, but think about it for a second. Each day, your workout begins a chain of positive influence. If you honestly push yourself, you feel good at the end of your workout. If you feel good, your mood will reflect this feeling, and you will pass this feeling of accomplishment and contentment to those around you. You will brighten your surrounding environment. Others will enjoy your presence, and they will be more likely to pass on these positive vibes. At the end of the day, I don’t think God will be upset if you have made a positive influence in the lives of others!

Enjoy today’s workout. Push yourself. Run with an attitude of gratitude, for today is truly a gift!

P.S.- 200 DAYS UNTIL RACE DAY!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 51: Competition: A Character Builder

2007-03-19T23:15:00.000-06:00

“Being involved in competition is a privilege and an opportunity. Seek to make the most of that opportunity by pushing yourself to the limit of your abilities. When it is over, you will have earned the respect of your opponents, your coaches, and yourself.”

-Tony LaRussa, Major League Baseball Manager

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Forearm curls

Abs

Sorry for the interruption

2007-03-16T08:18:00.000-06:00

To my loyal followers,

I apologize for the delay in my writings, but I currently have very limited internet access. I return to school on Monday, so I will catch up with you then. I have the workouts for the weekend written below. Good luck with your workouts, Happy St. Patrick's Day, and enjoy the weekend!

FRIDAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Lat Pulldown- 3 sets

Pushups

Abs

SATURDAY’S WORKOUT

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

SUNDAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 46: Morning Motivation- Excellence

2007-03-14T22:11:00.000-06:00

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

-Aristotle

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Lat Pulldown- 3 sets

Pushups

Abs

DAY 45: Morning Motivation- Inch By Inch

2007-03-13T21:12:00.000-06:00

“If we take care of the inches we will not have to worry about the miles.”

- Hartley Coleridge

Reading this quote reminds me of the old saying, “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch; yard by yard, it is hard”. This is a great quote for anyone training for a marathon because, both literally and figuratively, we are reminded to take each workout one step at a time.

Long-term goals can be overwhelming from the surface. In college, I remember the feeling of overwhelming defeat that would enter my mind on the first day of class when my teachers would hand out the class syllabus outlining what would be accomplished during the semester. When I looked at how much had to be done over the whole semester, I was intimidated. However, everything always worked out fine because I would break down the workload one day at a time in order to complete the assignments for class.

Breaking down goals is the key. As we train for our marathon, don’t become overwhelmed by how many workouts we still have. Concentrate on today. You are in control of today’s workout, so make the most of it. If you take the time to push yourself today, tomorrow will be that much easier. But if we overlook the opportunity we have to advance ourselves with today’s workout, and we worry about how we are ever going to be ready for future workouts, we will find ourselves tomorrow sitting in the same position as we are sitting today.

Make the most of today. Enjoy today. Tomorrow will come, and you will be ready for it because you will take a step forward today.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 44: Morning Motivation- Desire

2007-03-12T21:28:00.000-06:00

“The most important thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else—the desire has to be yours. That is all that will justify the hard work needed to achieve success. Compete against yourself, not others, for you are truly your best competition.”

-Peggy Fleming, Olympic Gold Medalist Figure Skater

I found this to be a particularly appropriate quote for a Monday because so many people dread Monday. They dread Monday because either they dread what they do or they have forgotten how to enjoy what they do. Especially in the corporate world, it is very easy to fall into the mentality of doing things to please someone else—a manager, boss, or your peers. You concentrate so much on impressing someone else that, suddenly, what you are doing isn’t quite as enjoyable as when you began. Where did the passion go?

Don’t let the stress of this fast-paced world clutter your mind and distract you from enjoying your journey through life. Don’t just go through the motions. You may have some mountains to climb in order to reach your goals, but remember that no mountain is too high. Remember, with God, anything is possible.

Enjoy today. Take each challenge one step at a time. Remember why you are doing what you are doing. You have a purpose. Today you are going to fulfill that purpose.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Pushups

Abs

WEEK 7: DAY 43: Morning Motivation- Personal Assessment

2007-03-11T19:44:00.000-06:00

Now that we have seven weeks of training under our belt, let’s take a moment to chart our progress since our last assessment on DAY 28:

Have you given your body a fair chance to improve by staying faithful to your training schedule?
Have you given your mind an opportunity to grow by exposing it to motivational/ inspirational material each day?
Have you set aside ten minutes each day to reflect and pray in silence?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and work/ school?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and your relationships?

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 42: Morning Motivation- Supportive Relationships

2007-03-10T13:07:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I flew home to Louisiana for my spring break. I was very excited to be traveling home because I was looking forward to spending quality time with my fiancé and visiting with my family. While I was flying, I had the opportunity to read some of Mark Albion’s book, Making a Life, Making a Living. With timing that could not be more perfect, I happened to read the part of Mr. Albion’s book in which he discusses the importance of relationships in life. He wrote:

“The more supportive relationships you can develop, the more energy you will have to preserve and achieve in your career—and the more opportunity you will have to live a life of significance.”

That was exactly what I needed to hear at that particular moment of my life. After finishing an intense week of midterm exams while still keeping up with my workouts, I had not been very good about nurturing my relationships with the people I love. Over the past week, I had focused too much on myself, failing to maintain a balance between school, workouts, and relationships.

Relationships are essential. We must never forget to spend quality time with the people we love. As Mr. Albion suggests, having people who support you gives you the strength to achieve. Self-discipline is essential to achieving personal goals, but relationships play just as important of a role.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships.” Remember, success isn’t in the destination, it is in the journey. Enjoy the journey. Share your experiences with the people you love. Have them play a part in your success. Make them feel appreciated. When times are good, they are there to enjoy them with you, and when times are trying, they are there to console you.

Today, after you finish your workout, make sure to tell the people you love how much you appreciate them. Spend some time with them. Relax, it’s Saturday!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 41: Morning Motivation- Expect Great Things

2007-03-09T10:04:00.000-06:00

“It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him.”

-John Steinbeck, Author

As we are nearing the end of Week 6, I hope you are beginning to feel comfortable in your workouts each day. By now any soreness of muscles are gone, and you are well into building a solid foundation of endurance. The first few weeks were both mentally and physically tough on me because I had not run regularly in four years, but now that I’ve acclimated myself to a daily routine, I am feeling better by the day. Running is not a chore; it is a gift, a privilege to be able to use our bodies to its fullest extent.

Now that the introductory weeks are behind us, and we know that we can and will run this marathon, its time to take the next step: expect great things. We must always be willing to challenge ourselves. It’s admirable that you and I have set a goal to run a marathon, but now let’s be more specific—how fast will you run your marathon? What is a reasonable pace to aim towards? Set your sights on a time that is unreachable now, but with consistency and hard work can be achieved come October.

Always remember to dream big. Expect great things of yourself, and great things will surely come. It takes just as much effort to dream big dreams as it does to dream small dreams, so you might as well dream big.

Set your expectations on what you believe you can achieve and not on what others think of you. You’re the only one who has to live with your results, so don’t lower your expectations because of a few Negative Nancies.

You’ve got the ability in you. Make it happen!

“Reach for the moon… even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Lat Pulldown- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 40: Morning Motivation- Can You Predict The Future?

2007-03-08T22:49:00.000-06:00

“When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.”

-Thomas Edison

Have you ever wished you could predict the future? For certain circumstances, it would be nice to know in advance how a particular situation was going to turn out.

What would you say if I told you that you could predict the future? I’d be crazy, right? But isn’t setting a goal like a predicting a future event? When we set a goal, we state (and write down so that our goal becomes more concrete!) that we will achieve a particular objective by a specified date. By setting a goal, we are predicting the accomplishment of a task, but setting the goal doesn’t mean that it is necessarily going to happen. What makes our prediction true are the actions we take to prepare ourselves to accomplish our goals.

If you want to achieve a goal, you need to take the action necessary to see that you reach your goal. That’s why I workout each day. I may not feel like running today, but I know that running today will put me in a better position to succeed in running 26.2 miles come October. Action is what transforms the dreamer into the achiever. The dreamer has great intentions, but the achiever knows how to take action to make his dream a reality.

When pursuing a long-term goal, such as running a marathon, persistence is essential. When a goal is far away, it is very easy to lose motivation or become distracted. Skipping a day doesn’t seem quite as harmful when you still have seven months to train, but we mustn’t fall prey to this way of thinking. Each day is precious. Each day is a gift given by God, 24 hours in which we have the opportunity to make ourselves better than yesterday. If we put a little effort each day into progressing towards a worthy goal, that little effort adds up over several months. Just as a small amount of money can compound into a large sum over time, so to does your effort today greatly impact your success in the future.

Persist in your actions to reach your goals today. Persist tomorrow. Persist the next day. Keep on persisting, and soon enough you’ll find out when you reach your goals that you really can predict the future!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 39: Morning Motivation- You Gotta Believe

2007-03-07T09:09:00.000-06:00

“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.”

-Norman Vincent Peale

After a month of training, I hope you have learned that training for a marathon requires mental training along with physical training. 26.2 miles is a long way to run, but with the right mentality, no challenge is too daunting.

There are thousands of people training for marathons each day. Adrenaline begins to rush at the thought of taking on this challenge, but come race day, many people aren’t able to finish. They put in hours of time training their bodies, but they just couldn’t make it. Why?

Outside of some type of injury, I’d say most people don’t finish because they don’t honestly think they can do it. They say they are going to do, but it ends up being like a soft new year’s resolution that is abandoned once the challenge begins to become difficult.

Of course, things are going to become difficult, and that’s why it is so important to mentally prepare yourself for the moment your body hits this stage in the race. If you want to accomplish something, you’ve got to honestly believe you can and will do it! What’s the use of devoting so much time to a cause if, in the end, you really don’t think you can do it?

You may be questioning your ability right now, and although we still have several months left to train, your attitude today is still an integral component of your overall success. Have you ever heard of “muscle memory”? Just as you can strengthen your muscles by repetition of exercises, so too can you strengthen your will to succeed by repetitiously telling yourself YOU CAN DO IT!

Make a note and put it by your bed, so that when you wake up each day, the first words you see are “I CAN DO IT!” Or maybe write down a quote that inspires you. This may sound a little silly, but what’s the harm in trying it out?

I believe in you, but the most important question is, “Do you believe in yourself?”

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Military Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Tricep Pulldown - 3 sets

Abs

DAY 38: Morning Motivation- The Guy In The Glass

2007-03-06T13:40:00.000-06:00

When I was in high school, I ran cross country. Throughout each week during the season, we would practice in preparation for races each Saturday. Race day was always the most exciting and most nerve-wracking day of the week for me. I was excited at the opportunity to compete against other runners, but I was nervous about how I would perform.

One week, my dad gave me a short poem to read in order to help me with my struggle. The poem was entitled “The Guy In The Glass” by Dale Wimbrow:

The Guy in the Glass
by Dale Wimbrow, (c) 1934

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.

We often forget that the most important critic of your actions is yourself! Unlike other people who only spend part of their day with you and then walk away, you cannot run from yourself. You have to be able to live with your actions.

Going back to my cross country story, while I was concerned about what place I finished in comparison to my competitors for the sake of my team’s score, what ultimately drove my motivation to perform well was how I finished relative to my full potential. It was the best feeling in the world to have known I gave my best effort, and conversely, it was miserable to have to go through a week of practice knowing that last week I could have done better.

Success is measured differently by different people. What spectators see of you may be pleasing, but only YOU know if your efforts are satisfactory relative to your potential. Only YOU can see the guy in the glass. When the guy in the glass is your friend, what more can you ask of yourself?

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 37: Morning Motivation- Books Change Our Lives

2007-03-05T18:09:00.000-06:00

"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."

-Mark Twain

A few weeks ago, I listened to one of Matthew Kelly’s speeches about becoming the best-version-of-yourself as I was driving in my car. I had listened to this speech before, but it was very refreshing to hear it again, as it had been a few years since I last listened to this CD. In his speech, Matthew talked about the importance of reading good books. He said:

“BOOKS CHANGE OUR LIVES.”

It is so true. Matthew went on to tell the audience that “we become the stories that we read”.

Hmm… let’s think about that for a moment. If we become the stories that we read or hear, then I would think we would put serious consideration into what we subject our minds to. Unfortunately for most people, this isn’t the case. Instead of subjecting ourselves to inspiring stories and positive materials, the morning newspaper and the evening news are shoving negativity down our throats! We hear too much about death and disease and terror and reasons to be afraid. What we don’t hear enough of are the success stories of businesses and individuals who are making a positive influence in the world. We don’t hear about the people who quietly live a life of purpose, helping others while helping themselves.

Since we are not subjected to positive stories on our own, we must seek them out. Try reading a motivational book. Maybe a biography on the life of someone you view as successful. Learn from their experiences. There are thousands of great books to put you in the proper frame of mind to achieve your goals.

I think it was Jim Rohn who wrote that each goal that you set is at the top of a very tall bookshelf. In order to reach the top of this bookshelf, you must stand on the books that you read because books build your foundation for success.

Running a marathon is not just about physical training. It requires much mental training. Just as your body needs nutritious foods to stay healthy, so too does your brain need positive input in the form of motivation, be it books or inspirational movies.

I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to keep the TV off for a day. I challenge you to fill the time that you would normally spend watching TV reading. If TV is a regular part of your life, then this may be difficult, but it would not be a challenge if it was not difficult. Just try it for one day. Maybe you’ll enjoy it.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt 21s- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 36: Daily Reflection

2007-03-04T13:03:00.000-06:00

Today was an absolutely beautiful day to run! It was still a bit chilly, with snow on the ground, but I was not excited about running 48 laps around the indoor track at Rolfs, so I thought I’d try the cold. It was such an enjoyable run. Taking in fresh air outside just can’t be beat. When I finished my run, I was right by the Grotto, so I dropped in to say a prayer and then stretched by the lakes. I was filled with such a serene feeling, as I admired the beauty of winter in the silence of nature. It is days like today when I thank God that I am alive. God never seems to amaze me with the beauty of his creation.

WEEK 6: DAY 36: Morning Motivation- Which Wolf Will You Feed?

2007-03-04T12:45:00.000-06:00

Here is a story that my dad told me many years ago:

One evening an old Cherokee chief told his grandson a story about a battle that goes on inside all people.

He said, “My son, the battle between two ‘wolves’ is inside us all.

One wolf is Evil.

It represents anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other wolf is Good.

It represents joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

-Author Unknown

Life is about choices. Our happiness depends on the choices we make. There is always a tendency within us to take the road of least resistance, but this road is usually less fulfilling, leaving us with an empty feeling inside. When we allow our ego to interfere with our goals and when we jealously compare ourselves with others, we feed the Evil wolf. When we run calmly knowing that God is by our side, and when we look at our actions with humility, we feed the Good wolf.

Which wolf will you feed today?

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 6 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 35: Morning Motivation- Give It The Best You've Got... And A Little Bit More!

2007-03-03T13:31:00.000-06:00

“Don’t be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It’s the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.”

-Andrew Carnegie

How do you stand out in a crowd? How do you differentiate yourself from everyone else?

Challenge the status quo!

That’s how you excel in anything that you do—you do more than you are asked. When you take the time to put forth effort above and beyond what is asked of you, people will notice. Sometimes, you may not think they notice, but they do. More important, though, is not how other people feel about your efforts, but how YOU feel about your efforts. Are you content with the amount of effort you invest in the activities you do? Or is there more that you can do?

How do you apply challenging the status quo to personal goals? What do you do when no one else is asking effort of you, but rather you are asking effort of yourself?

I find it difficult to challenge the status quo while training for my marathon because the only measuring stick I have in which to judge my progress are my performances in previous runs. In a sense, I have to race myself in order to challenge the status quo. When I mentally race myself, I do not have the luxury of physically observing another runner in front of me which would inspire me to catch up to him. I have to imagine a runner yards ahead of me in order to motivate myself to pick up my pace. This strategy requires practice and honesty, for it is easy to dismiss the thought of this imaginary runner. But I know that come race day, this imaginary runner will be very real, so I must take him seriously if I am going to be ready for the Chicago Marathon.

When I was ten years old, my little league baseball coach would always tell me and my teammates, “Give it the best you’ve got… and a little bit more!” I’ve tried to follow his advice ever since. When I’m running, and I feel that I’ve hit that mental wall, I tell myself to push just a little bit more. I know I’ve given it my all when I cross the finish line because if I have nothing left to give. This satisfaction of knowing you’ve given it your all is worth more than any prize you can win!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 34: Morning Motivation- Life-Altering Attitude

2007-03-02T22:00:00.000-06:00

“The greatest discovery of any generation is that a man can alter his life by altering his attitude.”

-William James

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 33: Daily Reflection

2007-03-01T22:35:00.000-06:00

Frequently, I choose the topics for my Morning Motivation based on the happenings of my life. While I hope you take something away from my daily pieces of inspiration, I feel that I gain so much out of putting my thoughts and beliefs on paper. With midterm exams next week, the pressure of balancing school and my training is becoming difficult. Today’s workout certainly was not my best performance, but I was proud of the fact that I made through. Throughout my run, I would remind myself of the quote from the email I received:

“If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”

Remembering this simple truth calmed me down, and allowed me to remain focused on my goal. Today was a stepping stone. I may not have made the largest leap, but I still progressed nonetheless. When the day is over, I am able to say that I am closer to successfully running a marathon than I was this morning.

DAY 33: Morning Motivation- Run With Faith

2007-03-01T22:25:00.000-06:00

Today I received an email from a family member, and in this email was a saying:

“If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.”

I had never heard this saying before, but I loved it because there is so much truth in it. We need not forget that in everything we do, God is right there next to us along the way. Oftentimes, we encounter difficult situations and we are not sure how to handle them. A last minute assignment may be given to you at work when you are already overwhelmed with your current workload. You or a loved one may be diagnosed with a harmful disease or illness. Maybe you are in a financial struggle. At some point in life, everyone struggles with a trying situation of some size or sort.

Regardless of how tough the situation at hand may seem, it is in fact the hand you have been dealt. Many may argue that they have been burdened with far more misfortune than others, but that is not what I am here to discuss. The most important thing to remember is to NEVER lose faith. When frustration begins to mount, and you can’t see the end in sight, remember that everything happens for a reason. God does not put us through these tough times for His enjoyment. It is through difficult situations that we learn the most about ourselves. These experiences open our eyes to new aspects of life that we may have never noticed otherwise.

Have you ever heard a cancer survivor refer to his or her cancer experience as “the best thing that ever happened to me”? That was exactly the response given by seven time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong when asked his sentiments on his cancer experience. Lance’s experience battling this disease helped make him the mentally strong person that he is today. The qualities of determination and will that Lance built and strengthened throughout his cancer battle were essential to his racing the Tour de France.

Our lives never go as we planned, and that’s what makes life interesting. Our lives follow God’s plan.

As you complete your workout today, run with the piece of mind that God is running at your side. Life may be filled with obstacles right now, but just remember that they are only stepping stones set by God to help you become the person you need to be to achieve your goals.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 32: Morning Motivation- Enthusiasm: Is It In You?

2007-02-28T10:03:00.000-06:00

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

So you’ve recognized opportunity, and you’ve chosen the road you will travel down, now what? Well, now we must do the traveling, which can be enjoyable or miserable.

How can you make your journey towards achieving your goals enjoyable?

LIVE WITH ENTHUSIASM!

I know it’s easier said than done, but think about how you feel when you are with an enthusiastic person. This person has life in him, a genuine passion for life which can be seen in his everyday actions and mannerisms. I thrive off of enthusiastic people!

This morning I read an article in Josh Hinds’ “Let’s Talk Motivation” Newsletter about how enthusiasm is contagious. Enthusiastic people inspire enthusiasm in others. This spreading of enthusiasm in others occurs as a result of the positive environment created by this enthusiastic person. We feed off of each other’s attitudes and moods, both positive and negative, so it is imperative that we create a positive environment for ourselves and those around us by living an enthusiastic life.

How is you level of enthusiasm?

Let me guess, when you first established your goal, you were so excited! You couldn’t wait to get started working towards it.

Then what happened?

Simple, your spark of enthusiasm was quickly extinguished, or severely dampened, by those doubters of your dream and the numerous distractions you face each day.

What can you do to maintain your enthusiasm?

Well, reading this blog is a start. Daily inspiration is essential to keeping your focus and enthusiasm. Even if you reread the same inspirational piece over and over, it is feeding the brain with these positive vibes that will train your brain to live with enthusiasm despite the negativity you may encounter.

Keep a daily journal. Record when you felt enthusiasm in your actions and why. Record who inspired enthusiasm in you or how many people in whom you inspired enthusiasm.

I realize maintaining constant enthusiasm is impossible (and probably unhealthy), but if you can remind yourself to show your passion for life in everything that you do today, you will be miles ahead of the rest of the crowd (what a great marathon pun!).

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull-crushers- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 31: Morning Motivation- The Road Not Taken

2007-02-28T09:22:00.000-06:00

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I’m not an avid poetry reader, but I know inspirational poetry when I see it! Little did you know that Robert Frost was writing that poem about your life! As we discussed opportunity yesterday, it is everywhere, and with each opportunity we have to make a decision whether to accept or decline. Accepting the opportunity leads us down one road, and declining leads us down a separate road. When pursuing a goal, such as running a marathon, you will most likely have to choose that grassy road less traveled by the majority of people in order to get to your desired destination. Along this road you will encounter obstacles in the form of long runs and workouts, and at times, you may wish you had chosen to travel to beaten path, for it is clear and easy to travel down. But when your mind tries to talk you out of continuing down the road less traveled, remember how this poem ends:

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Keep traveling down the road to success. You’re getting closer than you think!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 30: Morning Motivation- Opportunity

2007-02-26T11:01:00.000-06:00

Each morning, I read the Wall Street Journal and the USA Today to catch up on what’s happening in the world, but usually I focus my attention on inspiring stories of which I can write about for my Morning Motivation. As I was flipping through my paper this morning, I saw on a two page spread in large letters:

“OPPORTUNITY…it’s everywhere when you know where to look.”

What irony! As I was browsing the paper for ideas, I literally found “opportunity” in big, bold letters!

I enjoyed this large advertisement, so I taped it on my wall. As I read the message of the ad again, I realized that this really was my “opportunity,” that is, my opportunity to touch on such an important subject, for opportunity truly is everywhere.

However, I believe identifying opportunities is more than just know where to look, but rather it is knowing how to look at situations. Opportunity depends on your perspective. Opportunity could be staring you right in the face (maybe not literally as it did for me this morning!), but you may just not see it as such.

Problems are opportunities. They are opportunities to find solutions.

Temporary failures are opportunities. They are opportunities to learn from our mistakes in order to progress toward our eventual success.

We would not have electricity today if Thomas Edison had not seen his temporary failures as opportunities to learn. Edison made thousands of failed attempts to illuminate the light bulb. With each shortfall, Edison did not see defeat. Edison saw the opportunity to learn yet another method by which not to build the light bulb. If you are presented with enough doors of opportunity, one is bound to open, and after a persistent effort, Edison found that door, inventing the light bulb and changing the life style of mankind forever.

Each day we are presented with the opportunity to prepare our mind and body for our marathon. With busy schedules and limited time, fitting a workout in may seem more like a problem than an opportunity, but keep in mind your motives. What actions are going to propel you closer to achieving your goals? When you concentrate on how an event or activity will ultimately help you as opposed to how this event or activity will strain you for time, you will see that the so called “time-filler” in front of you is really an opportunity waiting to be pursued.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Row- 3 sets

Abs

WEEK 5: DAY 29: Morning Motivation- Simplicity

2007-02-25T16:04:00.000-06:00

Its amazing how so many events that take place in life happen at just the right time. It is the precise timing of the event that makes its happening so effective. God always knows exactly when to throw a sign of enlightenment into our lives.

I say this because while we are entering our fifth week of training, exams are starting to pile up on me, and I can’t help but feel a little stress now and then. Just the other day, I was thinking to myself how I always manage to cram my schedule in a way that I make my life so complex. Sure enough, last night God acknowledged my questioning by airing the movie Forrest Gump on TV.

I love Forrest Gump because I love how Forrest maintains such a simple life, keeping his love for his family, friends, and country a priority without getting distracted by the complexity of life. Forrest is born with a mental deficiency, which is viewed by many as a defect in Forrest, but in reality, Forrest was blessed. He simply lived by the simple lessons his mother taught him, and that was good enough for him.

We gain an appreciation for the simplicity and purity of Forrest’s life when we compare his life to the life of his love, Jenny. Jenny had a abusive father, and as she grew up got distracted by the hippy movement, partaking in drugs and not fully discovering who she was. For every great achievement of accomplishment Forrest achieved, Jenny had a polar opposite experience in which she realize her life was filled with complexity and disorder.

While Jenny always loved Forrest, I believe she took Forrest’s mental state for granted, thinking he was not capable of rational thought. She didn’t think Forrest could help her find the answers she was searching for. It is not until the end of the movie that she realizes that Forrest was in fact a great human being, living an honest and simple life. While many of his achievement appeared to be accidental, they were the result of his honesty and care for others.

After watching the movie, I realized that a lot of the stress I have had was created by me. I need simplify my life. I need to prioritize what is important in my life, and then I need to live my life accordingly. Forrest was consistent in his beliefs his whole life.

So, from this lesson, take some time to consider your priorities. What activities in your life are causing distractions? How can you simplify your life? You may not find the answers today, but it couldn’t hurt to put some thought into it.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 5 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 28: Daily Reflection

2007-02-24T16:35:00.000-06:00

As I reflect on my life over the past two weeks, I can proudly say that I have stayed faithful to my training schedule. It has not necessarily been easy to fit my workouts in each day, especially with tests and schoolwork consuming my time, but I made it a priority to follow my training schedule accordingly. I sacrificed a little sleep this week in order to fit my workouts in, but in retrospect, I am very glad I did.

As for reading daily motivation/ inspiration, I have made an honest effort to read each day before I go to bed. I failed to make the time to read over the past two days though, so this week I will make sure to read before I go to bed each night.

I love reflecting in silence. Some find silence scary because we rarely experience complete silence in a given day. Radios and TV’s add that background noise to our lives, which serves as security to some. Given the amount of noisy distractions that we so easily come by, this objective has been difficult to accomplish. For the coming weeks, I plan to wake up ten minutes earlier I order to reflect in silence.

As the time of the semester for tests has arrived, I have had to work hard to fir my workouts in, but I have not let my workload deter me from following my training schedule. I plan to continue excelling in my school work while still completing my daily workouts.

Relationships are essential to life. Without them, with whom would we have to share our experiences? Maintaining a healthy relationship with the ones that I love is a natural habit for me by this point in my life. I don’t need to remind myself to balance my relationships. Even though fitting workouts in means sacrificing time in my day that could be spent with those that I love, I have expressed to those special people in my life how important staying disciplined is to achieving my goal, and they respect my dream. But when I do spend time with them, I make sure to do as Matthew Kelly says by spending my time in “carefree timelessness”—releasing my worries in other areas and enjoying the present moment with my loved ones.

DAY 28: Morning Motivation- Personal Assessment II

2007-02-24T16:34:00.000-06:00

As we complete week 4 of training today, let’s see how we’ve progressed since our last personal assessment:

Have you given your body a fair chance to improve by staying faithful to your training schedule?
Have you given your mind an opportunity to grow by exposing it to motivational/ inspirational material each day?
Have you set aside ten minutes each day to reflect and pray in silence?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and work/ school?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and your relationships?

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 27: Morning Motivation- Write It Down!

2007-02-24T10:57:00.000-06:00

“The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.”

-Lee Iacocca, Automobile executive

Have you ever had and errand that you needed to run or a task you needed to complete around the house, but you keep on forgetting to do it?

What do you do to remind yourself to do it?

YOU WRITE IT DOWN!

You write it down so you see it later and remember to do this task. People do it all the time at work, in school, and around the house in order to get things done. It seems to be an efficient means of reminding people to accomplish these small-scale, chore-like tasks, so this brings me to my next question:

Do you write down your goals?

If you already do, congratulations. You have already developed a very helpful habit to achieving your goals. This is a fair question to ask because so many people do not follow this practice. Especially for long-term goals, many people do not see the relation between my analogy of writing down chores and writing down goals. Long-term goals seem so far away write now, but from my perspective, this abundance of time between the present time and our desired destination gives us more reason to write our goals down.

Why write goals down? Here are a couple of reasons worth considering:

Writing down goals makes them more concrete. If you just have a dream in your head, it is very easy to push it aside when distractions arise. If you write your goals down, you are more likely not to ignore them because they will be staring you in the face each day.

Writing down goals helps you stay focused. I know that the happenings of day to day life can pull your attention away from your goals at times, but if you have your goals written down in a location that you frequently can view them, you can remind yourself what you are working for, and thus redirect your focus towards your achieving your goals.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- Pyramid to 7

Military Press- 3 sets

Delt 21’s- 3 sets

Pushups

Abs

DAY 26: Daily Reflection

2007-02-22T20:57:00.000-06:00

Today’s adventure took me three miles, and even though I did not improve my time from the previous day for the first time in two weeks, I was pleased that I kept the same pace as Tuesday. I am pleased that I am beginning to develop consistency in my running. I am becoming comfortable with raising the bar of expectation a little bit more each day.

And that is worth celebrating over!

DAY 26: Morning Motivation- Life is an Adventure

2007-02-22T14:09:00.001-06:00

"Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life – facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and in the process, discovering our own unique potential."

-John Amatt

I love movies. With movies, you can lose yourself in the excitement or drama of the storyline, forgetting any worries you may have in your life, even if just for a short time. I especially love to watch action movies because I love the thrill of the adventure. Take Indiana Jones for example. It is amazing how Indiana Jones dodges boulders and bullets to save the girl and become the hero.

For you adventure buffs, unfortunately real life is not an action movie. You may not be chased by killer ninjas today, but that doesn’t mean there is no adventure in your life.

As John Amatt said in our opening quote, adventure is an attitude, and it is up to you to make your life adventurous by applying this attitude. With every opportunity we are presented, we are faced with two adventures to choose from—accepting the opportunity or declining the opportunity. Whether we accept or decline the opportunity, we are still faced with an adventure, so we might as well make it a fun and worthwhile adventure.

In everything you do in the adventure of your life, you will learn something new about yourself. It may not be earth shattering knowledge, but it is still progress along the path to discovering who you really are. With each day that you continue to train, you are reaching a stronger conclusion about yourself that you have what it takes to run a marathon. I know that each day I finish a workout, I feel more confident in myself.

Life is an adventure. Go live it!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 25: Morning Motivation- Slow Me Down

2007-02-21T20:32:00.000-06:00

SLOW ME DOWN, LORD

Slow me down, Lord.
Ease the pounding of my heart
by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace
with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amidst the confusion of my day,
the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music of singing streams
that live in my memories.
Help me to know the magical, restorative power
of your touch.
Teach me the art of taking minute vacations,
slowing down to look at a flower
to chat with a friend,
to pet a dog.
Remind me each day of the fable of the hare
and the tortoise.
so that I may know that the race is not always won
by the swift.
There is more to life than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak,
and know that it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord.
Inspire me to send my roots deep
into the soil of life’s enduring values.

-Richard Cardinal Cushing

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Pushups

Abs

DAY 24: Morning Motivation- Persist...Persist...Persist

2007-02-20T19:59:00.000-06:00

“When the morning’s freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles give under the strain, the climb seems endless, and suddenly nothing will go quite as you wish—it is then that you must not hesitate.”

-Dag Hammarskjold, Statesman

Life is unpredictable. Each day we encounter new opportunities and challenges. It is our reactions to these opportunities and challenges that reveal the character that we possess to persist towards our goals through good times and bad times.

When we wake up each morning, we are presented with a brand new day, a day we can utilize to better ourselves—physically, mentally, and spiritually.

And we fully intend to do so… except that once we step foot out of bed we are bombarded with obstacles trying to prevent our self-improvement—TV, radio, news, even friends and family. While you may have a particular agenda in mind for the day, your colleagues, friends, or family may not understand your priorities. Sometimes, events take place that change your plan for the day.

Life comes at us fast, always throwing a curveball that can’t seem to anticipate. It is at these times that we must rely on that calm and disciplined voice within us to tell us to keep our focus and stay on task.

Today, you may be thrown an extra assignment at work, and you may be forced to stay a little later. Or maybe you just found out that you have a quiz tomorrow that you need to study for. Despite these inconveniences, remember to keep your focus on what is important to you. See your workout through. You may lose an hour of sleep tonight, but that hour is not wasted. It is being invested in your goal.

Don’t let the speed of today cause you to doubt pursuing your goal. Don’t hesitate—do it!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 23: Morning Motivation- Benefits of a Goal

2007-02-19T09:15:00.000-06:00

“Set a goal to become a millionaire for what it makes of you to achieve it.”

-Jim Rohn, Motivational Speaker

I found this quote in one of Josh Hinds’ “Let’s Talk Motivation” newsletters about adapting to change. This quote struck me as intriguing, for there is much truth to it. In his newsletter, Josh Hinds clarifies Mr. Rohn’s piece of advice by saying:

“When we develop the skills needed to achieve our goal, the rewards of the particular goal may come or go in our lifetime, however our ability to recreate the result is always there—ready for us to tap into at will.”

I believe both Mr. Rohn and Mr. Hinds are on to something here. It is very easy to let our desires to reach our goals consume our focus, for we must put forth much effort in order to achieve our goals. However, as Josh Hinds said, the rewards of a particular goal only last for so long. It is the lessons we have learned and the skills that we have acquired while working towards our goals that last forever.

Keep this thought in mind as you go about your day today. Remember that you are not just working hard to prepare yourself for one race, you are working hard to develop the habits and skills to make you a successful person in anything you do in life.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

WEEK 4: DAY 22: Morning Motivation- What Goes Around Comes Around

2007-02-18T10:47:00.000-06:00

“Life is something like a trumpet. If you don’t put anything in it, you don’t get anything out.”

-W. C. Handy, Blues Musician

When I was a very little, my younger sister and I used to play together at home. For the most part, we had fun together, but naturally there were times when we got upset with each other. At these times, we would say something mean to hurt the other’s feelings. Whenever my mom would here us acting ugly, should would tell my sister and I, “What goes around comes around.”

As kids, my sister and I did not understand the meaning of this phrase, but as we got older, we realized what our mom was teaching us that if you are polite and courteous to others, others will be polite and courteous to you. On the other hand, if you are rude and uncaring towards others, others will be rude and uncaring towards you.

With this phrase, my mom was teaching my sister and I a very important lesson about life in general—that today’s actions will determine tomorrow’s results. A particular goal may require a sacrifice of time and effort today, but it will eventually come to back to you in proportion to the amount of time and effort you put into it. If I am trying to help myself as best I can to prepare for this marathon, sitting in front of the TV instead of doing today’s workout is not the best use of my time. Sure, I could sit in front of the TV and enjoy this time of relaxation today, but in eight months, that short-term pleasure I enjoyed will come back to cost me on race day. If I sacrifice an hour of my day today to prepare myself for the race, the satisfaction of crossing the finish line on race day will just be all the more satisfying if I know that I put forth all the effort I could.

What are you going to do today to prepare for tomorrow?

Remember… what goes around comes around!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 20: Morning Motivation- Discipline

2007-02-16T09:09:00.000-06:00

“My definition of discipline is as follows: do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and do it that way all the time.”

-Bobby Knight, College Basketball Coach

Many years ago, I was inspired to keep a journal. I had seen a friend do this, and I thought it would be very rewarding to be able to look back on my childhood memories when I get older.

So I went to the store and bought a brand new journal. It had an American flag on it, and I was excited to start writing. So I went home and wrote about my experiences of the day. It took some time to write everything in it, but I found the time to do it because I was committed to keeping this journal.

Well, after about a month, I realized that keeping a journal was not as easy as I had thought. While I still wanted to record the happenings of each day, I never found enough time to make sit down and write in it. By the end of the second month, my journal was collecting dust.

Looking back on this experience, I realize that it was not necessarily a lack of time that prevented me from keeping my journal. It was a lack of discipline. I knew this journal required attention for at least 15 minutes each day, but I let other activities and distractions get in the way of my journal.

Our lives are so busy today that it is very easy to become distracted of our goals. There is always something else you could do instead of running or lifting. I’m sure the TV in the corner of the room is calling you to just relax, but when the time comes to decide how you are going to spend the next hour, you need to ask yourself,

“What is going to put me in a better position to achieve my goals?”

The TV may be appealing, but when I ask myself this question, I always end of heading to the gym because I know a god sweat from a challenging workout will give me a better chance at completing the Chicago Marathon.

We are always presented with choices. It takes discipline to make the choices to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 19: Morning Motivation- Character

2007-02-16T09:08:00.000-06:00

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.”

-Helen Keller

Have you ever taken time to sit back and acknowledge your accomplishments in life? What were they? Making the 8^th grade basketball team? Graduating high school and/or college? Achieving the highest sales in your company? Chances are that whatever your accomplishments are, you had to put forth much time and effort in order to achieve them.

As you recall these memories, do you notice something they all have in common?

Each of these moments of your life represents the results of much soul-searching within you—times when you had to learn much about yourself in order to progress toward your accomplishments.

Most people view difficult times as bad luck and misfortune, but in reality these tough situations are the best opportunity for you to grow as a person. It is in the face of these uncomfortable situations that you learn the most about yourself.

When my motivation to run is struggling, I just tell myself that today’s workout is another opportunity to better myself. I’ve had times when I let my lazy body get the best of me, and I did not enjoy the felling of regret that lurked in my mind the rest of the day. The best feeling is having finished a workout despite having every part of you body telling you to quit.

That is when character is built.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 18: Morning Motivation- Overcoming Roadblocks

2007-02-14T08:10:00.000-06:00

This morning, I am still riding on the inspirational high I got by listening to Mark Albion speak last night. Mr. Albion gave the audience his advice to finding a meaningful life. He said that the number one fear that people have in life is not having a meaningful life! Yes, this fear ranked higher than death!

Everyone wants to be a part of something meaningful and important, and many times people confuse important with meaningful. Completing a project for work may be important, but not particularly meaningful to you because you may not have a passion for what you do.

Mr. Albion said that the main reason people push their passions and dreams aside is because of the psycho-social risk involved with pursuing them. This psycho-social risk is the sound of the voices that one hears from his or her peers criticizing your actions. In essence, it is peer pressure in that many people do not chase their dreams because no else is.

But there will always be people and obstacles in the way of achieving your dream. Mr. Albion said,

“The shortest distance between two points is always in construction.”

How true is this statement?!?!

Our dreams are never fulfilled in they way that we have planned, but that certainly does not mean they cannot be fulfilled. As you look at your progress training, have your workouts gone as planned? Are you a little ahead? Maybe a little behind?

Wherever you stand at this point, you are exactly where you need to be. With each day of training, you are climbing the ladder of success. Keep putting forth your efforts today to make for a more effective tomorrow!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock-out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Scull crushers- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt-21’s- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 17: Daily Reflection

2007-02-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

Today I had the privilege of hearing Mark Albion, author of the book Making a Life, Making a Living, speak at Notre Dame. Mr. Albion gave a very inspiring presentation about finding your purpose in life and making a difference in the world. He asked the audience many questions in order to help us discover what it is that we have a passion for in life.

The question I most enjoyed from Mr. Albion was when he asked,

“What is it that makes you come alive?”

Another important piece of knowledge that I took away from the presentation tonight was,

“Don’t get really good at what you don’t want to do.”

It is so tragic to see people go about their lives living a life they do not enjoy. So many do not take their passions seriously, and as a result, they push these passions to the backseat in order to have a boring job that provides for them financially, but makes them miserable.

It was very refreshing to have Mr. Albion send the audience this wake up call to take action to do what we love.

What is it that makes you come alive?

DAY 17: Morning Motivation- Having Fun

2007-02-13T07:25:00.001-06:00

“Sometimes I find myself getting a little too serious. When I’m having fun, it breaks the tension and I play much better.”

Andre Agassi, Professional Tennis Player

Oftentimes, in the honest pursuit of a worthy goal, I’ve noticed people, including myself, become tense as they try to remain focused. Such concentration is admirable, but I know there is a balance between stress and carelessness that can allow us to enjoy our journey towards our goal, while still maintaining our focus and commitment.

I realize that, many times, running does not seem fun, especially when you look at it as a chore and not as an activity. But when I appreciate the fact that I am blessed with the ability to run, suddenly things don’t appear so bad.

So today, if you’re running outside, enjoy the fresh air and the scenery around you. Use the time while you are running to clear your mind of any stresses you had last week. Think of that feeling of satisfaction that will enter you after you’ve pushed yourself to the limit …and a little bit more. That is fun to me.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 16: Morning Motivation- Personal Assessment

2007-02-12T08:06:00.000-06:00

“Success is a peace of mind which is the direct result of… knowing that you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

-John Wooden, Former UCLA Basketball Coach

If our training ended today, could you tell yourself that you did the best to become the best you are capable of becoming?

Or could you have done more?

Periodically, I like to step back for a moment to look at my progress up until now. With this personal assessment, I can identify what I need to work on in order to become the best I am capable of becoming.

So today let’s see where we stand in our training:

Have you given your body a fair chance to improve by staying faithful to your training schedule?
Have you given your mind an opportunity to grow by exposing it to motivational/ inspirational material each day?
Have you set aside ten minutes each day to reflect and pray in silence?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and work/ school?
Have you kept a healthy balance in your life between your training and your relationships?

If you answered no to any of these questions, take a few moments to consider ways in which you can improve this particular area. Pat yourself on the back for recognizing these areas for improvement, and make a strong resolution to focus on these areas in the weeks to come.

Even if you answered yes to all of the questions, think of ways to improve yourself even further. Should you raise the bar of expectation a little higher this week?

As we continue to train over the next eight months, make an effort to check your progress every two weeks. Ask these questions again. Maintain your focus and commitment, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Lat Pulldown- 3 sets

Pushups- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 15: Daily Reflection

2007-02-11T16:51:00.000-06:00

It’s amazing how a little patience can make a run feel so effortless. As a ran my five miles today, I didn’t focus on the distance, and I didn’t focus on the time. I simply told myself that I was going to finish, but I just had to be patient. I still pushed myself, but I made sure that I didn’t tense up as I ran. I took on a much more relaxed approach to my run today, and it resulted in my breathing much better and actually running faster!

Perspiration was certainly present, a sign that the persistence of my mind had challenged my body. I’ve always heard that patience was a virtue, and today I applied that virtue to my workout. What a simple adjustment! What a great start to a new week.

WEEK 3: DAY 15: Morning Motivation- Patience

2007-02-11T09:19:00.000-06:00

“Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”

-Napoleon Hill

What do these three factors—patience, persistence, and perspiration—have in common (besides the alliteration!)?

They are all factors of time.

Patience is the virtue of waiting, allowing a period of time to pass in anticipation of a future moment.

Persistence applies this patience to a particular activity, such as running. When I am struggling with one mile to go, I must apply this virtue of patience while I push myself to the finish.

Perspiration is a natural reaction by the human body to cool the skin when the body has become hot. We make our bodies sweat each time we run or go to the gym by putting in the time to challenge our bodies.

Persistence and perspiration are dependent upon patience. Patience is important in any aspect of your life. To have patience is to be at peace within oneself regardless of the external circumstances of the world.

If we are going to succeed in running our marathon, we must be patient. Lack of patience, along with lack of commitment, is why so many people fail to accomplish long-term goals. But a goal is called a “long-term goal” for a reason—because it requires time!

We live in a society that promotes instant gratification. We are taught that we should only do things that reward us now. This mentality is causing lower and lower levels of patience in people. If patience is to be at peace within oneself, then our declining patience is what is driving so many people mad. People are lacking inner peace, and they are showing it externally.

Today, during your workout and throughout the course of the day, make an effort to apply patience to your life wherever possible. When your body tells you that you aren’t making any progress in your workouts, remember patience—you are progressing one step at a time with each day of training.

Having inner peace within yourself makes any task more manageable. Before today’s workout, take ten minutes in a quiet place to find your inner peace.

Pray. Reflect. Think about the events of last week. Use your ten minutes how you like, but use them in silence. Silence is powerful.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 5 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 14: Daily Reflection

2007-02-10T17:14:00.001-06:00

I returned to the frozen tundra known as South Bend today, which means that it was back to the indoor track for me! As uninspiring as it was to run 3 miles around a short track, I ended up pushing myself to run the best time that I have run since I started training. When I began my run, I just told myself to push hard for the first mile. When I got to the mile mark, I challenged myself to see if I could keep the same pace until the two mile mark. Once I finished two miles, it was downhill from there in terms of distance, so I just told myself to kick it to the finish. When I finished, I was just as tired as I would’ve been had I run my normal pace, only I had run a minute and a half faster. Obviously I had it in me to push it to the next level. It was simply up to me to convince myself that I could do it. I believe two weeks of Morning Motivation was too much for my mind to deny that I can do it. The lazy side that had previously tried to slow me down finally realized that I was not going to give in today. And that is a moral victory!

DAY 14: Morning Motivation- The Power of the Mind

2007-02-10T16:25:00.001-06:00

The other day I ran across an article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “How Thinking Can Change the Brain.” This headline intrigued me, so I read the article in its entirety. The article discussed neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change its structure and function in response to experience. In particular, the article discussed the results of tests performed on the brains of Buddhist monks during meditation. While in meditation, a presence of strong gamma waves were discovered in their brains. The most remarkable finding of this study, however, was that the presence of these gamma waves never subdued in the brains of the meditating monks after they stopped meditating!

So, what is the significance of this finding? If you can read past the technical medical jargon in the article, you can see that these studies are making the case for a very important reality for mankind—that mental training can create an enduring brain trait! That’s right, your own thoughts really can change you, and that is why it is so important to fill your brain with positive thoughts each day. That is why our Morning Motivation is such a crucial part of our training. If we are going to run this marathon, we need to tell ourselves each day that we can do it in order for it to finally be engraved in our heads.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 13: Morning Motivation- What is Important?

2007-02-09T09:24:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, as I was driving down the interstate, I listened to one of Matthew Kelly’s audio CD’s called “Becoming the Best-Version-of-Yourself”. I had listened to it before, but it was very refreshing to hear it again. In his talk Matthew reads a quote from in the Gospel of Luke that is part of the Gospel reading for the first week of Advent. In this passage, Jesus says:

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from the anxieties of daily life.”

Ever since I heard this quote three years ago, I have had it taped onto my laptop computer where I can see it everyday in order to remind me not to get caught up in the speed of life. This quote reminds me to remember what is important in my life, because many times, we have so much to do in one day that we forget what is really important.

So, maybe we should take a second to ask ourselves, “What is important in my life?”

Is staying an extra hour at work more important that spending an extra hour with your spouse furthering your relationship with one another?

Is watching that reality show on TV more important than going to the gym today?

Is getting that extra ten minutes of sleep more important than fueling your mind with the positive reinforcement of a good book just before you go to bed?

My guess is that if you are reading this blog in the first place, you stress more importance on developing relationships, health, and intellectual stimulation. But it is still important to take a step back every once in a while to assess the actions of our life to make sure they are in sync with what is important in your life.

Has your heart become drowsy from the anxieties of daily life?

If so, take action to rejuvenate. Read a good book (if you haven’t noticed, I am a fan of anything Matthew Kelly writes). Devote a little less time to school or work and more time to the relationships that are important to you. If you’ve been struggling to fit your workouts in each day, tell yourself that you owe it to yourself to exercise your body. Think of it as a “timeout” from your busy life.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Chest Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 12: Daily Reflection

2007-02-08T20:06:00.000-06:00

You could not have asked for more beautiful weather today- 70s and not a cloud in the sky! I’d have to say that if you were not inspired to get outside and run today, then you will never be inspired because it was that pleasant of a day.

I had a great run too… up until the last 200 yards. I got the opportunity today to practice persistence firsthand. I was in my last half mile, so I was sprinting toward the finish. As I turned the final corner in my neighborhood, I noticed an old woman roll down her window so as to ask for directions. Caught in my final kick, I had to hit the brakes quickly in order to stop and assist her. However, in my attempt to slowdown, I rolled my ankle, causing me to fall to the ground.

I quickly rose to my feet in order to help this old woman, which took only a few moments, and then with less than a quarter mile left, I sprinted the rest of the way to the finish line.

When I got home, I iced my ankle just as a precaution, but I don’t see this little stumble getting in the way of my future workouts. You never know what obstacles life will throw at you. Today, my obstacle to the finish line was in the form of an elderly woman in a minivan. Of course, my intentions for pausing during my run were good, but this instance still resulted in my falling to the ground. But it is not about falling—it is about getting back up and finishing. And that is what I learned from today.

DAY 12: Morning Motivation- Persistence

2007-02-08T09:40:00.000-06:00

“Every successful person finds that great success lies just beyond the point where they’re convinced their idea is not going to work.”

-Napoleon Hill

If there is one thing that I hope you have learned thus far from reading your Morning Motivation each day is that the mind is a powerful tool. It can lead you to success, and it can keep you from success, depending on how you control your thoughts.

I love reading success stories of people who kept faith and did not allow doubt and negativity to stop them from attaining success. I’m sure we’ve all heard the story of Thomas Edison and his 1000 attempts to invent the light bulb. But have you ever tried to put yourself in Edison’s shoes to see how he felt after his fifth failed attempt? After his 50^th failed attempt? Or even after his 500^th failed attempt?

How did Edison handle his failures? Well, I can assure you he did not view them as failures, to begin. With each attempt that did not make his light bulb light up, he viewed it as having found yet another way not to invent the light bulb. After enough discoveries of how not to do it, he was bound to find one way to make the light bulb work!

And that is the key here—persistence!

Persistence is probably the last thing you want to hear when you feel like quitting because many times it involves walking a little further down a path that many people would have stopped traveling down long ago. It can be lonely and uncomfortable, which is why so many people fail to reach their goals.

Especially with physical training, everyday I feel temptations from my body telling me to stop now before it gets to hard. It would be very easy to stop then, and my body would be very thankful at the time, but not completing my workout would not be in the best interest of my ultimate goal. When caught in a dilemma between my body telling me to stop and my mind telling me to continue, I always think of the question my dad used to ask me:

Short-term pleasure or long-term happiness?

All I have to do is answer this question, and I know how to handle any decision. Applying this to my training dilemma, not completing my workout would give me short-term pleasure, but would ultimately keep me from obtaining the long-term happiness I desire when I complete the Chicago marathon. If I sacrifice the short-term pleasure now and push my body a little farther than it would like, then I will be better preparing myself for race day, and the satisfaction I will feel when crossing the finish line will be that much better.

So when you experience a conflict within yourself today, ask yourself. “Short-term pleasure or long-term happiness?” It’s up to you!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 11: Daily Reflection

2007-02-07T22:10:00.001-06:00

Today I attended my grandmother’s funeral. It’s amazing how quickly a funeral will put things into perspective for you. So many things in our lives seem insignificant when you think about how short our time is in life. Our time here on Earth is very brief relative to all of time, which makes every second we have here that much more special. Today I heard family, friends, and former colleagues tell me what a wonderful person my grandmother was— a caring woman, generous and always thinking about others. She was “class personified”.

As I listened to what everyone had to say about her, it made me wonder, “What will people think of me when I die? How will I be remembered?” I wasn’t thinking this in an egotistical manner so as to fish for compliments, but rather, I was thinking of these questions as a way to direct my actions and thoughts in the future. If I want to be remembered as a kind and generous person as my grandmother, then I had better start performing acts of kindness and generosity, not just every now and then, but as a habit.

On the other hand, if I want to be remembered as someone who had a vision of what he wanted and then achieved it, then I need to create a plan and remain faithful to it.

Given the circumstances of my grandmother’s funeral, I was not able to make it to the gym to lift as I would have liked, but to make up for it, I did do a pyramid of pushups from 10 to 50 and back to 10. Today was my grandmother’s day—she deserved to be honored. Normally, if you are to progress towards your goals, especially long term goals, you cannot let circumstances hold you back. However, when the time comes to thank God for blessing your life with the presence of a wonderful woman, you take a time out in your life to do so.

How do you want to be remembered?

DAY 11: Morning Motivation- Moments

2007-02-07T07:50:00.000-06:00

Life is a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Many times, in order to succeed, we must push through the down times in order to develop the character or the courage we need to accomplish our goals. My dad always told me,

“Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.”

The lesson my dad was teaching me was that my success in life is not dependent on the circumstances of my surroundings, but rather it depends on the attitude I take to deal with these circumstances.

When difficult or uncomfortable times arise, I like to think back to Matthew Kelly’s book, Perfectly Yourself. When addressing this topic, he says:

“The thing I love most about moments is that moments are manageable. I can manage a moment. Days, weeks, months, and years seem like eternities sometimes. If I tell myself I’m not going to eat any chocolate for a month, I begin to obsess over it. But if, when the cravings for chocolate begin to speak to me, I tell myself, Not right now, I can handle that. In this way moments play a powerful role in teaching us how to make and celebrate progress.”

When your workout gets tough today, and your body is telling you to take it easy, remember to tell yourself Not right now. You have the potential to do great things. You just have hope over a few potholes in the road to develop the character you need.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Tricep Pulldown- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Row- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 10: Daily Reflection

2007-02-06T21:40:00.000-06:00

Today’s workout was one of those workouts that you are glad are over. Sometimes you just can’t put your finger on what exactly made the workout so difficult, but it was. I’ve done 4 miles before, so inexperience was not the reason. Today was just a day where you had to just keep telling yourself you were going to finish, regardless of how fast (or slow) you run it. And that’s exactly what I did. It wasn’t the most glamorous workout today, but the best part about it is… it’s over!

DAY 10: Morning Motivation- Disciplined Action

2007-02-06T10:25:00.000-06:00

The other day, as I was browsing through one of Jim Rohn’s weekly ezines in my email inbox, I found an inspiring article on taking action called “The Time to Act” by Jim Rohn. He are two pieces that I wanted to share from the article:

“We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But if we don't translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can't be found.

…The emotion soon passes unless you apply it to a disciplined activity. Discipline enables you to capture the emotion and the wisdom and translate them into action. The key is to increase your motivation by quickly setting up the disciplines. By doing so, you've started a whole new life process.”

Can you relate to any of Jim’s words? I know I sure can! Oftentimes I get excited about a new idea after reading a book or watching a movie, and a week later, I have lost that spark of enthusiasm.

Every year, as a New Year’s resolution, I set a goal to read about six inspirational books that year. In past years, I had never structured a timely plan as to how and when I would accomplish this very manageable goal, and as a result, when the idea of reading would cross my mind, I would just tell myself I could do it tomorrow. Well, tomorrow turned into next week, and next week turned into next month, and before you knew it, the year was over.

This year I have applied disciplined action to my goal by allotting 15 minutes each day to read before I go to bed each day. At this rate, I can read one book every two months. This disciplined structure has kept that fire to read lit within me, and as a result, I finished my first book of the year earlier than expected.

Now how can we apply disciplined action to our marathon training?

To start, I have posted my training regimen on my wall to remind me what I need to accomplish each day in order to prepare myself for race day.

Seeing what I need to do on paper tells the logical side of my brain that I need to workout, but it is the inspirational stories and motivational quotes that I read each day that spark the fire in the emotional side of my brain and actually get me to the gym. I need these short pieces of inspiration each day in order to rekindle the fire that was lighted when I came up with this crazy idea to run this marathon.

So, before your run today, map out your plan for the next 9 months. What can you do to keep your focus for another 37 weeks? Put some serious thought into this question. How are you going to motivate yourself in 3 months? In 6 months? Think about it now while the “inspirational iron” is still hot!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 9: Daily Reflection

2007-02-05T19:35:00.000-06:00

I had to really push through today’s workout, but I am certainly glad I saw it through to the end. Just as running clears my mind, lifting relieves stress from my system. Any unnecessary aggression is released when lift weights.

Today, I took a step towards maintaining balance in my life while at the gym by enriching a relationship with someone I have not fully appreciated. Since I am at home for the week, I went to my local gym to lift. While I was there, I saw an employee of the health club who I see there every time I workout there. His name is Al, and he is one of the friendliest people I have ever met. He is always happy to see you, and you can sense his sincerity in his voice when he asks you how you are doing.

As I have noticed over the years, though, many people have taken Al’s good spirits for granted, as some people tend to be very short with Al in order to complete their workouts faster. I have been guilty myself at times of speeding up my workouts at the expense of a quality conversation with Al.

Today, however, I made an honest effort to go out of my way to take a good ten minutes to talk to Al. Although Al’s presence in my life and in the lives of everyone who exercises at the gym is very short, and many people do not even notice him, I truly appreciate his genuine kindness, and I hope he continues to brighten other people’s day.

What steps did you take in maintaining a balanced life today?

DAY 9: Morning Motivation- Maintaining Balance

2007-02-05T10:10:00.001-06:00

So by now, you’ve told yourself you’re going to run this marathon, and so you are doing everything you can to remain focused. Maybe you have put up a sign by the door to remind you of your goal every time you walk by it. Maybe you have found an inspirational book that you read each morning or night to keep that fire lit within you. These are great actions to take in order to maintain that focus towards your goal.

Aside from your efforts to advance yourself closer to your goal, how is the rest of your life? How is your work/school going? How is your relationship with your family/friends? Most importantly, how is your relationship with God?

I ask these questions because maintaining a balance between your dreams and the rest of your life is just as important as the actions you take to climb towards your goals.

In his article, “Winning: Defining It! Achieving It!” by Chris Widener, Widener says:

“To truly win; to be a success, is not to overachieve in one area, but to maintain balanced achievement in all areas of our lives.”

Let’s think about this statement for a moment. We live in a society that encourages people to concentrate their efforts in one area and to specialize in it, and Chris is telling us to balance our efforts in all areas of our life? What gives?

This contradiction arises because too many people underestimate the importance of our faith and the people around us in our lives. Many times, in an honest effort to do everything we can to achieve our goals, we lose sight of what is truly important to us—like God, our family, and our friends.

As we push through another tough week of workouts, remember to take some time each day to enrich the relationships you have in your life. Call up your friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Maybe plan a date for you and your loved one this weekend. Spend a few moments in silence to thank God for the people in your life.

You’re working hard on the physical and mental facets of your life. Don’t forget to exercise your emotional and spirituals facets either.

Here’s to a fantastic Monday!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- Lock out 4 sets

Curls- 3 sets

Incline Bench- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Delt 21’s- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 8: Daily Reflection

2007-02-04T22:37:00.000-06:00

Today’s workout was very satisfying, both physically and mentally. It felt great to get in a good sweat outside, but it felt even better just to have some time to clear my mind. Running is unlike any other hobby or sport. It allows you to escape from the hustle and bustle of life, even if just for a short period of time, while still allowing you to get some good exercise. When I run, I can rewind the events of the day in my head, allowing me to better assess how I need to handle complex situations that may have arisen. Today, a run was just what I needed to clear my system.

How do you spend your time while you run?

WEEK 2: DAY 8: Morning Motivation- Serenity

2007-02-04T08:51:00.000-06:00

"God, grant me the serenity to accept things the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

-Serenity Prayer

This prayer is holding a special place in my heart today. As I was traveling home yesterday to grieve with my family over the passing of my grandmother, I finished reading Matthew Kelly’s newest book, Perfectly Yourself. In his last chapter, Kelly talks about dealing with circumstances out of our control. He said that “when times get tough, people rise to the occasion and draw on their best selves.”

Kelly presented the Serenity Prayer, which I presented to you at the beginning of this passage. I think it is my favorite prayer because it says exactly what I need to hear when difficult times arise. It also helps me put into perspective what I can control and what I can’t. Obviously, my grandmother’s passing is beyond the control of my family and is in the hands of God. But what is in our control is the love and support we give one another in order to, first, celebrate the life of my grandmother, and then to help each other return to a life of normalcy in which we return our focus to our goals and aspirations.

As you continue to stride forward in the direction of your dreams today, take some time to assess what factors in your life are out of your control and what factors you have the ability to improve. Let go of those areas out of your control, and take positive action to improve those areas in which you can change. Make the most of this Superbowl Sunday!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 7: Morning Motivation- Attitude of Gratitude

2007-02-03T10:36:00.000-06:00

This morning, I woke up to a beautiful morning. It appeared to have the makings of a fantastic day. I was getting ready to read a little morning motivation before my run today when I received a phone call from my dad telling me to pack my things and come home because my grandmother is in her last days.

Just like that, my plans for the day have changed, as I will by traveling 1,000 miles to get to my grandmother in Louisiana. My family knew the time was near, but it is still never easy to handle the emotions involved with the thought of losing a family member.

Without much time to get to the airport, I will not be able to complete my workout for the day. I will however, have much time in the airport terminal to reflect and pray for my grandmother. With such a quick turn of events, I want to at least instill some inspiration to you so you can complete your workout. In light of my grandmother’s condition, all I can think to say is to appreciate every day that God has given us. Be grateful for the opportunity God has given you today to better yourself just a little bit more. Don’t look at today’s workout as a chore. Look at it as a blessing. Have an attitude of gratitude. Use what God has given you to arrive at, what Matthew Kelly calls, the “best-version-of-yourself.” You get to experience life, which I am being reminded is very fragile. So, go out there and take advantage of this beautiful day. Today is not a roadblock for me. Everything happens for a reason, so I will make the best of what is to come in the following days, and then I will continue to move forward to prepare myself for the Chicago Marathon.

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm-up 1 mile

Run 3 miles

Cool down ½ mile

DAY 6: Daily Reflection

2007-02-02T13:37:00.000-06:00

How was today’s workout? Have you used today’s 24 hours to better yourself? I had a grueling, but great workout today. My friend Dave, with whom I lift, suggested that we do a curling pyramid to seven today, and not wanting to reject a good challenge, I agreed to do it with him. (A curling pyramid is when you do one rep, take a break, do two reps, take a break, do three reps, take a break, etc. until you reach seven reps, and then you go back down.) Wow, that was a challenge to say the least! After completing the pyramid, I really had to push myself to get through the rest of my workout. What’s challenging is not getting a set started, but finishing the set when your body wants you to stop one rep short of your potential. This is yet another opportunity to train your body to obey the mind.

Take a moment to reflect on your day. Find a quiet place to relax and unwind. Did you take the proper action to move forward in the direction of your goal? What could you have done better? Write these ideas for improvement down to remind yourself how you can better yourself tomorrow. Remember, tomorrow has 24 hours. How will you spend them?

DAY 6: Morning Motivation- Personal Accountability

2007-02-02T09:37:00.000-06:00

DAY 6: Morning Motivation- Personal Accountability

“A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with—a man is what he makes of himself.”

-Alexander Graham Bell

I believe Mr. Bell understood the importance of personal accountability. Personal accountability is taking responsibility for what you have control over in your life. Many times, while in the weight room, I hear people make comments, such as “I could lift that much if I were as big as him” or “If I worked out as much as him, I could get that big.” It always bothers me to hear these comments because they are just big disclaimers saying, “I haven’t committed as much time and effort as this person has to acquire his muscle mass, but, of course, I could do that if I put in as much time as him.”

The thing that is easier said than done is putting in the time. Time is the main component of personal accountability because it is the only variable in which everyone is on an equal playing field. I understand that genetics have much to do with how are bodies are structured, and therefore, not everyone has the frame to lift 400 pounds. We are all different. But everyone does have the same 24 hours each day to improve their life in whatever aspect they desire. The difference between the people who made those comments in the weight room and the person they were talking about is the way in which they manage their time. Clearly, the people who made these comments aspire to acquire the strength of their fellow lifter, but are they committed to sacrificing other aspects of their life to make the time to achieve it?

As we begin another beautiful day, let us remember that each day that we take action to better ourselves—mentally, physically, or spiritually—we are pushing ourselves one step closer to our desired destination. Each day is an opportunity to advance one step up the ladder toward success. Today we have 24 hours to improve ourselves a little more than yesterday. How will you use your 24 hours?

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Bench Press- 4 sets

Curls- Pyramid to 7

Chest Press- 3 sets

Pullups- 3 sets

Dips- 3 sets

Abs

DAY 5: Daily Reflection

2007-02-01T22:00:00.001-06:00

Due to a conflict tonight, I had to due my workout early this morning before class. It was a little difficult getting up at 7:30 am, but once I finished the workout, I was glad that I got up so early. It really is a great feeling to know that you have run four miles before most people have even gotten out of bed!

Adding an extra mile to the workout wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Mentally, I approached it as if I were running 3 miles, as I did on Tuesday, and when I hit the 3 mile mark, I told myself to just keep going a little farther. It certainly was testing on my body for my mind to deceive it like that, but that is how you train the body to obey the mind.

Overall, I’d have to say it was a great workout. You should try running early in the morning. It really is a great way to start your day.

DAY 5: Morning Motivation- Self Belief

2007-02-01T09:19:00.000-06:00

When I was figuring my new workout into my calendar, I thought that training would begin this Sunday, but I realized that I accidentally skipped a week when recording it into my calendar, so today is actually Day 5 of training. I’m not worried because I was running this week already just to get a head start. So that explains why entries for Days 1-4 are missing. On to today’s Morning Motivation…

As we begin our push through our first week of training, I think it is important that we understand the role our thoughts play in the pursuit of our goal to run a marathon, or rather, the role our thoughts play in the pursuit of any goal we have set. The mind is a powerful thing, with the ability to give you the mental strength to proceed in tough times and the ability to halt your progress when paralyzed by fear and doubt. Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno once said:

“You’ve got to believe deep inside yourself that you’re destined to do great things.”

In other words, in order have a chance at success, you, yourself, have to believe that you will succeed. When you can look yourself in the mirror with confidence and tell yourself you can and will do it, who is to stop you? Yes, there will be people who will try to tear down your confidence with negativity, mainly because they don’t have that confidence in themselves. But don’t succumb to negativity. Fill your mind with positive thoughts, for positive thoughts are fuel for success. ALWAYS know that you are destined to do great things. You just need to ask yourself. “Do I believe in myself?”

Here’s to a great Thursday!

TODAY’S WORKOUT:

Warm up 1 mile

Run 4 miles

Cool down ½ mile

MAKE SURE TO STRETCH BEFORE AND AFTER YOU RUN!

Introduction

2007-01-31T11:30:00.000-06:00

What would you do if today was your last day on Earth? How would you spend your time? Would you be pleased with your life up to this point, or do you have a greater vision of what you can accomplish?

I ask you these questions in order to remind you that each day is precious, truly a gift from God. Each day we are given is precious because we are not guaranteed tomorrow, which means that we must make the most out of today—living life to its fullest.

When he was in the beginning stages of his coaching career, former college football coach Lou Holtz spent some time reflecting on how he intended on making the most out of life. During this time of reflection, Coach Holtz came up with a list of 108 things he wanted to do before he died, a broad list containing destinations to which he would like to travel, people he would like to meet, and goals he would like to accomplish. The list would serve as his motivation throughout his coaching career, and I’m sure it still serves as motivation to him to this day.

Inspired by Coach Holtz’s exercise of making a list of worthwhile things to accomplish in life, I took some time to reflect on what I would like to do with my life. In the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I set aside some time by myself in silence to create a list of my own. I purposely created a list of bold activities—such as skydiving and traveling to every island in the Caribbean—so that I always have something to strive for in life. I don’t want to be able to accomplish everything on my list in a year—not in five years, not in twenty years, not even in forty years. I made a list that truly challenges me to live my life to its fullest, a list that, when completed, I can look my self in the mirror and tell myself that I lived a full life.

One of the activities on my list of things to accomplish before I die is to run a marathon. Now, this can’t be too daunting of a task because millions of people run marathons each year. But to say you are going to run a marathon is completely different from actually running one. I ran cross country in high school, and the farthest we ever ran at one time was ten miles, which was enough to wear me out! I have the utmost respect for those people who have the discipline to push themselves for 26.2 miles. I have always wanted to experience the feeling of satisfaction that must enter one’s body when he or she crosses the finish line of a marathon. The thought of having to actually run the whole 26.2 miles, though, has always been intimidating enough to keep me from pursing one of my life goals.

My fear of going the distance changed, however, within ten seconds on January 15, 2007. It was on this day that I was driving from my home in Louisiana to the University of Notre Dame for the spring semester of my senior year when I was reminded just how precious life is. Just an hour and a half away from school, as I was driving by the outskirts of Chicago, it began to snow very hard. I took the proper precautions by keeping my distance between my car and the car in front of me, and I made sure to pump the brake pedal gradually when I needed to slow down. However, as I was merging onto Interstate 65 from Interstate 80, my car drove over a patch of ice and began to skid. Within ten seconds, my car did a little more than a 180 degree turn and the back of my explorer rammed into the concrete rail of the overpass. If it were not for this rail, my car would have slid off the overpass onto I-80.

It was at this point that I realized how fragile life is. A lot of thoughts ran through my head in those ten seconds. I realized that I had not told my family just how much I love them. I thought about my fiancé and our future together. I thought that there was still so much for me to accomplish—there was so much more that I could contribute to this world.

As I look back, I see this icy incident as a wake up call, a message from God telling me to get off my butt and take action towards my goals and dreams.

And so, here I am, setting out to accomplish a goal I had only seen take place in my head—to run a marathon. Two days after my icy encounter, I registered for the Chicago Marathon, taking place on October 7, 2007. With approximately nine months to prepare myself, I downloaded a 36 week training program off of www.marathontraining.com. It appears to be a manageable regimen, as it only requires running four days each week. With three off days, I intend to spend them in the gym, as I usually lift weights 3 days each week.

Click here to download an excel template of my
Running Schedule and my Weight Lifting Schedule.

Now between the running and the lifting, if I stay on schedule, I should be physically ready for the race. But my physical training is not the only thing that is important in my completing a marathon. I must also be prepared mentally to fight off the negativity from my body telling me to quit when things become difficult. Therefore, to start each day that I train, I will read some form of motivation in the morning—be it a motivational quote or an inspirational story—in order to put my brain in the right mindset, that of a positive frame of mind.

If you like what you have read thus far, you are welcome to train with me on my journey to 26.2 miles! Each day for the next 36 weeks, I intend to deliver to you your dose of “Morning Motivation” to spark the mind. After our mental lesson, I will layout the workout for the day. After the workout, I will then write a reflection on the day, expressing my thoughts and feelings on the workout and my progress towards the Chicago Marathon.

This is my first marathon, so I have never completed this workout. Therefore, I can’t make any gauranntees about its effectiveness. This is an experiment for me, and you are welcome to join me.

I am excited about the months ahead. Yes, the workouts will be painstakingly difficult at times, but isn’t that what makes the journey so great—facing challenges and overcoming them! It’s time to give it our all… and a little bit more!