Attitude Check

When I was running the Green Bay Marathon a few years back, I briefly ran with a woman around the mile 18 mark. She was one of those people who couldn't find anything positive to say. I commented about the beautiful river walk on which we were running, she said, "it's too narrow." I mentioned the perfect sunshiny 50 degree day with which we were blessed, she said "It was way too cold at the start of the race." And when we passed the mile 18 sign, she cursed out loud and said, "why does that sign say 18, why can't it say 25?"

As I went on my way, I started to feel a bit sorry for her. We all encounter bad moods when running. However, I believe that running a is truly a gift. It is the ability to finish something that seems insurmountable at first. When you are cursing the race at mile 18, you are defeating yourself. I found a wise quote that says, "Running is 90% mental and 10% physical, so if you have a bad attitude you're wasting 100% of your time." I don't know who said it, but it is ever so true.

The next time you are running with the weight of a bad mood remember, to participate in this sport is a blessing. And, while you may be having a bad day, if you are a true runner, you will only curse the day you cannot run again.