STRONG

1. strong
   strôNG/

   1. 1.

      having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.
   2. 2.

      able to withstand great force or pressure.

   
   

What does STRONG mean to you?

A couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through my feed on twitter and this came up:

I like Nuun products and use them throughout my marathon training as well as during the marathon.

As I looked at this tweet and the other subsequent replies from a variety of people, there were replies like:

• "Working hard to recover from injuries & return to running."
• "Strong means committing to a program and sticking to it."
• "Strong is giving it all you got with a smile.  No regrets."
• "Strong is MUSCLES upon muscles."

All of these are true.  It does take commitment.  It is going through life with no regrets. And so on.

But as I read this tweet, I remembered back to training for my first marathon over the winter and into early spring of 2014.

I had no idea what I was getting into.

I had committed to run the Country Music Marathon (Now Rock N Roll Nashville) in Nashville for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to raise money and awareness for this great cause.

I had never run more than 13.1 miles...and that was one time!  

So I set off to train, not knowing how physical as well as mentally challenging it would be.

I was on a long run one day...with a lot of time to think...and I remember thinking about the kids that were battling, EVERYDAY, to LIVE.  I thought about their parents and other family members who were right along side of them.

It was at that moment that I realized that my being sore from a long run was NOTHING in comparison to what they were fighting through.  

Here was my reply to the tweet about what strong means to me:

As I begin to embark on another 18 week marathon training schedule, this time for the Boston Marathon, running again for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I will remember these words and the patient families who are the TRUE HEROES.

Are you STRONG?

FINAL NOTE:

Tomorrow, November 28, 2017, is #GivingTuesday.  As mentioned, I'm running the Boston Marathon as a St. Jude Hero.  If you are considering giving to a cause tomorrow, I know of a great one!  You can click on this LINK and that will take you to my Crowdrise.com page to give.  Thank you for your STRONG consideration.