The Track | My 180

Mark told me to meet him at “the track” at 7p.  Webster’s Dictionary defines a track as “a course laid out for running or racing.” Instantly my mind was flooded with memories of my mother joining her middle aged female friends every evening to power walk around the track at the University in my hometown.  No where in Webster’s definition nor in my memories did pain, sweat or near death experiences come into play.

Monday I showed up at the track for my workout. There was a group of athletic guys playing soccer. At the other end was a college aged girl running like a tigress around the track. (Okay, so maybe tigress aren’t known for their running skills…. but this girl made it look effortless and almost fun.) Immediately my male ego decided I wanted to impress her with my “awesome” running skills. 15 seconds into my first lap I think she could clearly see I was about to have my ass kicked by my Trainer.

Quickly my desire moved from impressing the ladies to simply surviving. Thank God for my new running shorts or there would have been some serious chafing. The one thing though that made all the difference was encouragement from Mark. He could see when I was about to give out and would yell “finish it strong… only 5 more seconds.” I needed the encouragement and at times tough love to push me to give it everything I had to make it to the finish line. Several times that day I wanted to quit. He wouldn’t let me.

I walked away from the track knowing that I can do absolutely anything I set my mind to. It’s not about impressing others or being the fastest; it’s about obtaining the goals I set for myself and pushing myself to dig deeper for strength and persistance to finish strong. I am blessed with an amazing friend and Trainer who believes in me and won’t let me quit. We can’t live life alone. We all need people cheering for us and, at times, pushing us to cross the finish line just like Mark did for me that day.