Some People

Some people just get on that one nerve everytime they are around.
Some people just don't like the same things that you do.
Some people just try their hardest to find the one mistake you made or the one thing to change next time.
Some people just can't ever understand why you do the things you do.
But......then......
There are those people that are put in your life because they fit in your life perfectly or they help to complete you life in some way or fashion.  These people might enjoy the same things you do or they might understand why you do the things you do or they may just make life easier for you just by being there. 

I'm sure if you just take a minute to think about it, you can come up with several people that are in your life that you know you would be worse off without having them there.  Whether it be parents, siblings, friends, significant others, teachers, coaches, mentors, employers, acquaintances, or maybe its just someone that you don't even know their name, but they did something that has had a profound effect on your life.  There are so many people that help to make you who you are and so many more that help you become who you want to be.  I'm not really sure what has lead me to contemplate all of this, but it is definitely something that we probably take for granted most of the time.  I mean it is unfathomable to think that some of the littlest things that have happened to you along the way as you were growing up or some of the people (who may have seemed insignificant at the time) that you have met along the way have all collided in some way to make you who you are.  There's the challenge for you.  A lot of people would obviously have their parents, friends, teachers, authors, world leaders, publicly reknowned figures, etc. on their lists of people that have helped to make them who they are today, but the challenge is to think of those people that have had an effect on your life that are even hard for you to remember who they are.  Those people, that to others would seem like distant memories, that have made in impact on you. 

I know I can think of a few for myself.  Some are even people that I've never met in person, but their actions or words have made an impact on my life.  Then their are others, that you may say are cliche, and maybe they are cliche, but thats ok.  The newest person that has had an effect on my life has been my girlfriend, Maleah.  I know some people may say, well that's one of those cliche people that you were talking about.  True, she could be considered a cliche person that has had an effect on my life, but she could also be one of those people that are not so cliche and that have had a profound impact on my life.  Not only is she someone that believes in me, someone that seems to make my life seem easier, someone that understands why I do some of the things I do, but she has completed my life.  She has come into my life and completely helped me to begin becoming the man that I want to be.  She has inspired me to do things that I may have never done without her around.  When things might not be going right in other aspects of my life it doesn't matter as long as she is around to be with or talk to.  These are the kind of people I'm talking about.  People that you don't expect to be a part of your life, but that somehow, some way, you come in contact with.  People that only God himself could have known would have an impact on your life.  I personally thank God for all of those people that have been in my life.  Hopefully everyone else out there is able to find these people in their lives....and hold on to them or at least to the part of them that inspires or effects you.

Boston Marathon

Yes, I am actually doing a blog and my first blog does have something to do with running.  I am registered to run in the 2011 Boston Marathon in April.  According to my girlfriend thats about 14 weeks away.  I competed in my first marathon 1 year ago today.  Needless to say, when you take on something as grueling as a 26.2 mile race, some nervous thoughts are going to creep into your mind.  I definitely don't consider myself an expert on the subject, since I've only done one marathon, but for some reason I have a feeling that most people would get nervous before a marathon.  At my first marathon, which was in Mobile, Alabama, I began to get nervous a few weeks out, probably around 2 weeks out.  I got even more nervous after arriving in Alabama and yet even more nervous when we discovered that the weather was going to be freezing for the race.  When I finally stepped foot on the starting line I was ready to just turn around and go back to my hotel room.  I was ready to just say, "Forget this, I'll try again some other time."  Instead, the gun went off and I was in for the experience of a lifetime.  I had never run over 20 miles before that I know of and at the start of the race I was sure that I would probably never do it again if I survived it this time.  Like I said earlier though, "experience of a lifetime."  Sometime during the almost 3 hours that I was running I decided that it wasn't that bad.  Sure my legs were hurting some, sure I was really tired, but all I could think of was that I was doing something that I didn't think I would ever do and I was going to finish it.  Finishing a marathon will give you a sense of accomplishment that is undescribable.  Not only did I get a sense of accomplishment just from finishing, but I also got the satisfaction of actually qualifying for the Boston Marathon in my first marathon.  I had officially made the qualifying requirement for the most prestigious marathon in the United States.  Another awesome quick fact:  the person that convinced me to actually do a marathon, my girlfriend, also qualified for the Boston Marathon that day. 

Enough reminiscing, lets get back to the present.  New marathon approaching fast.  My first chance to run in one of the biggest marathons in the US.  The nervous thoughts are back.  I think in the second attempt at a marathon the nervousness comes from something else though.  Not the nerves of doing something that you've never done before, because now you have.  You know that its going to hurt and that its a long race.  You know that you're going to be extremely tired and your legs are going to be dead for two days.  This time the nervousness comes from wanting to do better than the last time.  I have wanted to do better in my next marathon since finishing the first one.  Now with only 14 weeks left, the thoughts of that possibly not happening start to creep in.  Nervous thoughts of what it will be like to be in a race with 24,999 other people.  The biggest race I have ever been in has probably been about 1,000 people.  The Boston Marathon will be 25x that.  It's definitely going to be interesting, that's for sure.  Here goes nothing is all I can say.  Hopefully some warm weather will come in and it will make training for Boston easier, but if not, then we just do the best we can with what we're dealt.  It is always good to be a little nervous going in to a race though, so if you find that you're getting nervous about an upcoming race, don't let it keep you from doing it altogether because it could end up being the experience of a lifetime for you.  Good luck with whatever race you have coming up in the future.