Some people feel the rain, Others just get wet. - Roger Miller
4.6 mile lunchtime run in 39 mins around Leopardstown with my colleague and pal and fellow marathoner Ronan O'Byrne in lashing rain and wind as we continue our training for the Dublin marathon this month.
Thanks Ronan for keeping me on track.
Conditions, can at times be uncomfortable as you reach for your goals, but stay strong because you never know how close you are.
An enthusiastic long run.
They say one of the qualities of a winner is an overall attitude of optimism and enthusiasm.
23 mile Sunday run in 4:16 not the fastest but an enthusiastic run that keeps me on track for my 10th Dublin marathon in a row in October.
It is said your enthusiasm comes from having the right goals and positive self-esteem which you can work on to meet your goals and dreams.
Edward B Butler said " everyone is enthusiastic at times. One person has it for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the one who has it for 30 years who makes a success in life.
Follow your dreams
There is always a lesson to learn, none of us are bulletproof.
In 2006 when I sat with my father as he was told this was the end and no more could be done, he turned to me when we were alone and said "if I had my time over, the things I would do different".
7 mile Wednesday evening run in 1:01 as skies darken and heavy rain is forecast.
My job at the time in 2006 was moving at a million miles an hour I had no time to stop, slow down, and take a life lesson to heart, and when my best pal died at 46 in 2007 I still did not learn the lesson staring me in the face with a young family.
When I suffered mental exhaustion in 2010 working 84 hrs a week I changed my life caught up on lessons learned and acknowledged none of us are bullet proof.
Set your goals, slow down and reach your dreams.
We automatically move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts.
8.3 mile Monday night run in darkness where only last week there was sunlight.
What we think about we become.
Keep the self talk positive.
Does it excite you?
Successful people tend to have a clear vision or purpose. They imagine a great life for themselves which inspires them to move forward.
6.8 mile run in Thursday evening sunshine in 60 mins as I look forward to the Dublin half marathon on Saturday.
Move forward to your dreams and ask yourself, do you have a vision of how you want your life to be?
To be alive and feeling fulfilled.
Feeling good is not to be confused with being fulfilled.
A 23 mile Sunday run in 4:10 in lashing rain to keep my October marathon goal on track.
Fulfilment can also exist when life is challenging or difficult, sometimes you can be most fulfilled when life is hard but you are doing what is important and what you have a passion for and are committed to.
Learning and growth can be difficult and painful at times but enormously fulfilling, you can learn a lot about yourself running 23 miles.! .
"What does not destroy me makes me stronger" . Friedrich Nietzsche.
Thursday night 6.8 mile run in 1:02 dressed for rain that failed to materialise.
When chasing goals you can make mistakes, but if committed you find a determination to keep trying, to check progress, to ensure you're on the right track. If not then you make adjustments and this can take time.
Dreams may take time to be delivered, don't rush it.
You can do it.
It is one of the beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
9.5 mile run Wednesday night in 1:37 as evening light and night time starts to close in earlier this week.
By helping one other person you change their world for the good.
Just do it!
Discovering your true self, and loving who you really are.
If you have read about meditation or mindfulness you will most likely realise all the things you are not, and you need to change.
4.8 mile evening run in 40 mins with a PB on a 1k stretch.
When your lungs are burning, your legs are shredded and your heart is pounding,
Keep Going.
What gets measured gets done.
Bounce back to a new you.
18.6 mile Sunday run in 3:23 full of birthday cake but keeping training on track for October marathon.
Focus on the positive
If you go for a 30 minute walk 4 times a week it will put you in the top 1% of people getting exercise.
