Hit the wall or climb it? It's your choice.

   Lets not sugar coat it. . . today was HARD! I just finished my evening run and am completely ready to sleep where I stand. Just being tired isn't all of it though. I'm mentally tired. Emotionally tired. Heck, I did work a 6 day week, with a late night last night and an early start this morning. I have been burning the candle at both ends trying to keep up on family and friends as well as training harder. So maybe I should have just taken the extra day, relaxed a bit. Right?
  No, no. I shouldn't have. That's why I didn't. As hard as it was to put on the running shoes tonight, it had to happen because I have a goal. That goal is to run a marathon. I also have another goal, a much more important goal. That goal is to be there for my myself, for my family, and to decide my future. That goal is to do whatever I can to prevent myself from getting Diabetes. See, you and I aren't very different people. Wherever you are in the world, whatever your lifestyle choice, we have very similar ways of thinking.
   One thing that I was worried about when I started doing this is that people would hear what I am doing and say, "I can't run a marathon, so I can't relate or be involved." Let this blog be proof that I am not a superstar doing something you can not do too. I am an average guy who enjoys running. I have average problems and challenges just like everyone else. I get exhausted and have days I don't want to train.  Some days I don't even want to move! What I DO have, however,  is motivation and desire to help people change so they don't have to go through what I recently went through. I miss my Dad terribly and every day I think to myself, if I don't keep myself healthy, who will? And if I take one day off, I know me, I will want another after that, and it will get harder and harder to get back at it.
   Diabetes is a very difficult disease. It's devastating. There is no hiding that. But it is not invincible! It can be beaten. It can be prevented. But, it takes climbing the wall, not hitting it. I'm praying that you all see that. It may look like Goliath. It may be something that you have never considered could or would happen to you, but it can. Small steps can change that. When you get home and are tired and just want to relax, do so for a few minutes, then meet your goals. Walk for 30 minutes. Play Wii! Laughter is even a great exercise.  Tracy and I have been working at making a menu for the week so we don't have to think about it when we get home. It helps tremendously. Recently, I've been trying hard to make my social appointments at the park, or the bay, somewhere where I will be active.
"No one says its going to be easy." Sound familiar? Yeah. We've all heard it over and over again in life, but it does get easier. As it becomes habit, you think about it less. It becomes a part of the routine. The wall gets smaller and the reward gets bigger.

   To end on a very high note, I would like to throw a huge thank you to Berkan and Chrissy, and her lovable fur faces who donated today, helping me get closer to my financial goal. Thank you so much!