I haven't written a "who inspires me" post in a while... But, for the past few weeks I've been itching to put one together. So, here it is, lol.
In the past few months, two friends in particular have actually caused me to hop in excitement and glee. As you may know, I am more likely to be found hopping in anger at my exhusband, so this is huge.
I've actually written about the first, Gary, previously in the context of role models for our family (his two daughters swam for me back in the day). Perhaps because his daughters' competitive swimming careers have ended leaving time and intensity to redirect, or perhaps because Gary is simply a gifted athlete who put his own athletic endeavors on the back burner while focusing on his girls' (wait, that is saying basically the same thing!), Gary has become an amazing inspiration.
A baseball player in his high school and college days, Gary's genes must have mutated to produce swimmers (rumor has it Gary sinks). I noticed Gary beginning to run regularly during his girls' swim practices, and he began to turn up in some local 5ks. I watched his times drop from at least the mid 20s down to close to mine (at the time I ran consistent mid 21s). I was resigned to his beating me at the Gator Bowl 5k some five or so years ago, when an accident at the starting line sent Gary to the ER (a herd of young kids had lined up at the front and one of them cut Gary off, tripping him and causing him to fall face first to the pavement. I went down to avoid stepping on his head, and we were both bleeding and pissed. He hit his head hard.)
That race fiasco seemed to portend a coming medical battle for Gary that left him without a functioning thyroid after what seemed like a long, winding path of diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. Gary's running became disrupted and, as we all contend with as we age, he also dealt with other injuries and life interruptions that prevented him from truly focusing on running. He still did some races, and ran the Gate as well, but it seemed like more for fun than anything, to me.
Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2010, and join Matthew and I in biking the Outback half marathon course, grinning madly and heckling Gary as he ran his first ever half marathon. Gary had signed up for a training class, battled achilles pain, and followed the preparation plan to a T, often putting to shame my own feeble run training efforts.
And he went a 1:48.19 and swore he would never, EVER do anything that crazy again. "Two miles too long" he said. Uh huh.
Three weeks later, he turned 53, and ran the Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon in a 1:43.16.
And all I could think of to do was run up to him and hug him and, yes, hop up and down.
To watch a friend set a goal to challenge himself, make a plan, follow the plan, and achieve his goal is a wonderful thing to me. I can only hope he picks a marathon to tackle that is on a date when we are in town to see it, because there is no doubt in my mind he will achieve that goal as well. Given that Gary tackled a new distance and then came back and OWNED the new distance three weeks later, and that he is doing that while he is, well, OLDER than me, is amazing and inspiring to me. I can't express how fun and impressive it has been to watch him do this...
but wait, there's more!
The same races provided double the inspiration, because my second victim, er, inspirational person, ran the half at the Outback and the full marathon at the Jax Bank.
Mark was not a runner, or really an athlete, when I first met him several years ago. A self-described "master of 12oz curls", Mark decided to try running one day when he and his wife were driving down the road and he saw some runners and noted that "you never see fat runners!"
At first Mark tackled 5ks and his times, which started in the 28 range, if I remember correctly, slowly came down towards the lower 20s. He decided to try the Gate and, over time, became much more confident in his running. Out of the blue one day, at least to us, he announced that he wanted to try a marathon, and Matthew agreed to sign up for last January's Disney race with him. (M ended up breaking and not running).
Mark went to Disney with high hopes but very limited experience in distance running, and came home disappointed with his time (which we thought was an admirable first effort, but which was not what he hoped to achieve). Battling some knee pain, he signed up for, and completed, the Donna marathon a few weeks later, but, again, was not happy with his performance.
At that point, M and I were unsure where he would go from there, as we've seen any number of people who are too stubborn to re-assess training approaches or goals, and end up drifting away from athletics in frustration OR battling chronic injury instead.
When Mark told us he had signed up for at least three marathons between December and May 2011, we knew we would find out shortly, lol. And find out we did. Mark transformed into a runner right before our eyes. He set and followed a smart and serious training plan. He listened to his body. He worked. And worked. And worked some more. He raced a variety of distances and his times started dropping. He stayed healthy, and focused, and realistic.
And when I saw him at the Outback bowl, I grinned from ear to ear, because he was flying and he looked comfortable, fit, and fast. And sure enough, he cranked out a 1:35.33, which, as he noted gleefully, beat my time from last year. And when we talked not long after that, I became convinced that he had the mind-set that would allow him to build off of that fantastic run by continuing to follow his plan both training and race-wise for the coming full marathon.
After I drove around the course of the Jax Bank tracking Gary, and did my first silly hopping fit at the finish with him, Matthew and the girls arrived and we loaded into the truck and zoomed down San Jose a few miles to meet Mark's wife and wait. From text message updates she had sent we knew Mark had a great race going... 1:45 at the half and cruising. When we saw him with a few miles left to go, he looked amazing. And I hopped some more, and we loaded into the truck and flew back to Bolles to catch him at the turn off of San Jose (I'd done the same with Gary, and it was a great place, because from there we could dash to the track, cheer some more, and dash across the track to cheer at the finish).
At that point it became clear that, not only would Mark break 3:30, he would break it easily -- which he did, with a 3:28.07. Yes, he negative split his marathon - and THAT is why I strongly believe that he has not tapped out his progression of times yet. As a 36 year old who just recently started running, I think he will continue to get faster if he can stay injury free. (I think the same thing of Gary, as he is only now starting to explore his ability to push himself at that distance and in training volume. For n Ohio State guy, he is one tough older-than-me-dude!)
When we met Mark at the finish, I hugged him (seriously, I am not a particularly huggy person and neither are Gary or Mark, so you know I was fired up) and, yes, hopped around. I grinned all day long thinking of those two and their personal achievements.
THAT'S what being an athlete is all about -- accepting a personal challenge and doing everything you can to conquer that challenge. The journey we take between those two points IS the point, and is greatly gratifying and rewarding if you have the right attitude. Think of how many people or teams have a goal they work for yet never fully achieve -- most, if not all, at one time or another. The success is in the striving, regardless of the outcome. The achievement is in the effort and dedication. Personal triumph comes from the growth during the journey.
But when you see someone you care about actually set a goal AND achieve it... THAT is magical and energizing. It gives you hope in your own journey.
It makes you hop in joy and inspires you to keep aiming for your own goals.
Thanks, guys ;-)
...that's my why, what's yours?
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