Monday, May 2, 2016

The Champion In You





Watching  the prestigious Boston Marathon 2016  was a total game changer for me ( no pun intended) as a half committed runner. Fortunately, my stars were aligned on April 18, 2016 when the world renowned Boston Marathon route unbelievably passed by the main road  just few yards away from my house. 


As a half committed runner  which means  my progress in running for the past years is more like the hilly roads of Hopkinton to Boston that goes up and down endlessly. Therefore, observing the tenacity of  the Marathoners first hand made me feel like an Ostrich with my  head buried under the ground.

 My exuberance in  anticipating for the arrival of  runners  was brought about by my personal research on the dynamics of marathon and to have an idea how runners survive the shift of wind direction,  extreme weather condition and exhaustion  on the way to the finish line.

However, as I stood there on a cool breezy sunny day for three hours, I luckily  got twice more than what I bargained for. Standing by the curb I was rooting for all runners since I do not even personally know any particular runner but I know the joys and pains each one of them experience.

I was more than happy to be witnessing this historical event. Truly,  my eyes were opened to something that I have never even imagined possible before. It totally  made me view running a marathon in a different light.  It was such an overwhelming sight to behold 33,000 people with extraordinary determination and strength  make their once in a lifetime dream come true.

 As one of the spectators and  cheerers  of thousands of running participants pumped up  with adrenalin and high excitement to finish 26 miles ( 42 km,) Marathon taught me that pursuing your dream does not have any limitations except with the condition that your mind is set to achieve it. Runners who are disabled with prosthetic legs, pregnant woman with 26 weeks written on her bib, octogenarians and even a blind person ( who ran with a guide) did not consider their physical and age limitations as a hindrance to pursue 26 miles.

To accentuate the principle that all things are possible,  a certain runner,  Maickel Melamed a 39 year old Venezuelan  fighting against muscular dystrophy finished the run at 5:30 am. If you see him on video, he could barely make a single step in the end but he made it through  with the help of the people in the streets of Boston cheering for him.
 Now, after witnessing all of these,  so,what's my excuse? And what's yours?

Isn't it amazing how human beings' sheer persistence and will power can go a long way. Boston Marathon runners  who sweated the long  way to the finish line did not compete against each other but  proved that nothing is impossible regardless of  age, disability, sizes and shapes as long as you don't stop pushing until you reach the end. A printed shirt worn by one of the disabled runner says "The voice in your head that says you can't do it is a liar"" indeed is so true.

 So don't believe it.





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