|
|
|
|
|
|
Running From Excuses
by Lizette Romero
March 09 |
|
|
 |
As I prepare to run my first 5K this Saturday, a lot of questions run through my mind. The biggest one: Why have I never done this before?
No excuse validates why it took nearly 24 years for me to competitively run 3.1 miles nonstop. True – I never liked running. But, I found a better excuse. You know the whole ‘they don’t let flat foots in the army because they’re a weakness to the platoon’ rant? Well, my legs collapse inwards like two Leaning Towers of Pisas, churning my ankles inward, sprouting bunions from the base of my big toes and lastly, making the bottom surface of my feet as flat as a waddling duck’s. Trust me. It makes for a solid excuse not to run. So, for many years, I hung on the curtails of my excuse - walking, dancing or skipping through life (anything but running).
But I’ve stopped with the excuses. With a solid pair of running shoes and some arch insets, the trail is my bull and I am the matador (or so I’d like to think). More importantly, my two working legs and feet get the job done!
And this is more than what most Challenged Athletes can say.
Challenged Athletes came to my attention as I read an article on an eight-year-old boy named Cody McCasland who completed a marathon despite being a double amputee through the knee. Challenged athletes like Cody defeat triathlons with prosthetic legs. They conquer cycling races with body-altering diseases. They champion Ironmans using a standard bike, despite no bottom limbs. Challenged athletes don’t make excuses, they triumph over them. And, in the process, provide inspiration as I stop making measly excuses to begin my running regime.
These challenged athletes, like Ryan Levinson who suffers from muscular dystrophy yet completed 20 triathlons and bike races, motivate me to stop making excuses for myself. These individuals act as an inspiration for every one to follow their goals, despite setbacks or challenges.
I’m not saying my flat feet are setbacks. Actually, I’m saying quite the opposite. I’m saying I made sorry excuses not to run when I should have been hitting the track and celebrating my healthiness all along.
The reason why some disastrous accidents or diseases strike people and not others always remains a mystery. I know, at any moment, I could lose my ability to run. So, I’m going to stop making excuses and celebrate my capabilities. It’s a shame not to. And it’s unfair that some people, like Levinson, can train as intensely as possible but continue to lose strength due to a progressive degenerative muscle-wasting disease.
Levinson’s motto says it best, “You can’t always choose what happens to you, but you can choose what you do about it.
Help support these athletes and support the Challenged Athletes Foundation. It provides opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics.
Do you have a news worthy story that you would like to see posted at YourCause.com? Write to us at info@yourcause.com.
Related Charities:
|
| The content published and opinions expressed at YourCause.com does not necessarily represent a statement or position by any employee of YourCause, LLC. All content is intended to inform and educate readers on a variety of events, deemed newsworthy, taking place throughout our world. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
