When I watched (through tears) Desi Linden cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday after battling the wind, rain and her own self-doubts for 26.2 miles, I knew what I would have to write about this week. Then she provided the perfect quote:
“Some days it just flows and I feel like I’m born to do this, other days it feels like I’m trudging through hell. Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I’ve got, and to try and be better. My advice: keep showing up.”
As runners, we know the importance of showing up. We show up at races, at training runs, and at other fitness activities to help keep us in shape for running. We show up at 5:30 a.m. to get a run in before work and at 11:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve because we are 5 miles short of our mileage goal for the year. We show up at trail races, where we run through icy mountain streams in January and on city streets where we dodge traffic and other pedestrians just to get our run in. We also show up in other, more important areas of our lives.
We know the importance of showing up in our relationships, too. My husband and I have been married nearly 40 years (we got married when we were 8!) Some days in our marriage have felt like a slog up Heartbreak Hill (yes, I went there), and some days feel like the endorphins are flowing and we are on a runner’s high. But we keep showing up, day after day and year after year.
We show up for our children. There were days when my boys were little, that if a band of Gypsies had passed by at an opportune time, I swear I would have sold them for very little money. I was certainly not the perfect mother, but they all know that I would do anything for them, and if needed, I would hop on a plane at a moment’s notice to be with them.
We show up at our jobs. I was a teacher for over 30 years. I had many, many moments where I questioned my effectiveness and my dedication. There were times when I asked myself “What am I doing?” Then the boy who was sullen and mistrustful at the beginning of the year would give me a thank you note in June, in which he would tell me I was his favorite teacher and he looked forward to coming to my class each day. That was enough to keep me showing up for a long time.
We show up for our friends, in our faith, for our extended families. I am not sure whether being a runner makes us more likely to show up time after time, or if, because we are the type of person who constantly shows up, we are drawn to the sport of running. Either way, we are known for our dedication (stubbornness?) and perseverance. We know if we show up, and keep showing up, we have a chance to win, but if we don’t show up, we have no chance. We don’t really expect to strike gold on our first try. Desi Linden won under brutal conditions on Monday, because she is the ultimate plugger, because she knows the importance of just showing up. As she Tweeted after her win:
I am linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness. If you like running and fitness blogs, check them out here!
I am also joining Running on Happy, Crazy Running Girl, and Coach Debbie Runs for the Coaches’ Corner linkup! I am also linking up with Nicole and Annmarie for Wild Workout Wednesday.
I am linking up with Holly from HoHo Runs and Wendy from Taking the Long Way Home for their Weekly Wrap. Join me there for some fabulous fitness blogs! I am also linking up with Patty, Erika and Marcia for Tuesdays on the Run. Love these running-related blogs!
I love the Desi quote and your message!
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Love this!
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This is a wonderful post Laurie! I have been having challenges showing up lately…..and I am not sure why. It may be time for a change? I’m not sure. Maybe I need to start running regularly again. Definitely need more physical activity these days!
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Sorry to hear about your challenges. I am sure you will figure it out. Writers are thinkers too. Whenever I read your posts, I find myself thinking “That would be an awesome place to run!” 🙂
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I was saying that before she did. 🙂 Seriously, I have said many times that I’m not fast, but I finish, and that I will always show up & do the work.
That’s interesting, though, your thought about whether runners are drawn to running because they are already the type of person who will see something through.
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I love that philosophy! Yes, it’s kind of a “chicken or egg” type of thing! 🙂
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I truly needed this inspiration this very morning. Thank you!
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I really enjoyed this. Just coming back from injury, it’ll be important to detach from where I think I should be – and JUST SHOW UP. ❤
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Thank you. I agree. Expectations are the worst. I need to remind myself of that constantly! 🙂
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Great post. So true, I ask myself do I show up enough? Certainly not in running!!!! But yesat home, at work I can be counted on😊
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Thank you! We all show up in different ways! 🙂
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I love the way you applied this to all aspects of your life. Just showing up is 90percent!
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I agree. Thank you!
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I love this because yep, life really is all about showing up!
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It is!
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I love that quote and I love how it applies to so much more than just running. Monday’s race was definitely inspirational!
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I love it too. This year’s Boston was one of the most amazing races I have ever watched.
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I just love this post! Everything about it – we do show up no matter how hard it is, how nervous we are, we keep showing up!
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Thank you! That’s exactly what we do!!!
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Great post! Des’s quote was so inspiring. I’m recovering from a broken leg and definitely feeling sad about not being able to run, but I’ll keep showing up for the workouts that I can do with hope that they will help me come back stronger when I finally can run again!
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The hard part is showing up. I know so many runners dropped out on Monday, but she kept going.
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Desi is tough! She has a lot of heart.
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What a beautiful post! There is no hope of accomplishing anything at all if we don’t continually show up. This race truly shows the strong and gritty American women we have in this sport. Thanks for linking.
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I was amazed by all of the people who finished Boston this year. Thanks for the opportunity to link up!
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I was pleasantly surprised to see Desi in the Boston field this year as the press was focused on Shalane, Molly and even Deena. I was over the moon to see her prevail. I agree the ability to see things through to completion is an important quality to have in running. As a coach, I see plenty of people who “dabble” in running and then disappear. It’s fascinating.
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I agree. I see that every year (usually around January) with newbies at the gym. Many are gone by March!
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The minute she said that, I made it my mantra. Its so simple but speaks volumes about work ethic and wanting something so bad that no matter how many times you don’t meet the goal, you want it bad enough to come back.
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I love the idea of using the quote as a mantra. That is a great one!
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I love how you used the idea of using it as a mantra for life in general. I woke up yesterday morning feeling a little uninspired but I showed up for my run like I had planned and it made ALL the difference.
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The same thing has happened to me soooo many times!
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Such a great post! Yes, we have to show up to make things happen 😉 And, we have to keep showing up when they don’t.
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Yes. Good point we DO have to keep showing up, even when things are not going well. 🙂
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I love everything about this. Life isn’t always daisies, but you and Desi are 100% right. If we keep showing up and doing our best, life will be amazing 🙂
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Absolutely!
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I really love this post. Especially what you said about the little boy who thanks you at the end of the school year. It’s amazing how much impact you can have on someone’s life without knowing it. ❤
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Thank you. It’s true. Teachers have a big impact on children.
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Wonderful post!!!
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What a great post and I love how it applies to all stages of life or things we go through. Happy anniversary.
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Thank you!
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[…] “Some days it just flows and I feel like I’m born to do this, other days it feels like I’m trudging through hell. Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I’ve got, and to try and be better. My advice: keep showing up.” […]
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I adore this post! Well written and spot on, for some reason it brought tears to my eyes. I am not sure why but you have struck an emotional cord with me in this post!
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Thank you! It is so rewarding to know that you liked it!!! It is definitely something runners can relate to.
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This was wonderful. It’s so important to show up in all the areas of our lives, this was such a great message for me this morning!
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Thank you! I need to be reminded constantly!
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I admire you for teaching for 30 years! I am just completing year 13 and I hope to make it at least 30 years, but sometimes I question myself. Summer breaks are the only thing that will allow me to teach my entire career. I need that time to decompress.
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I know exactly what you mean. I also had a 8 year break in those 31 years when my kids were little and I stayed home!
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Awww I am so glad you were able to do that. 🙂
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What a beautiful post! We, runners, are pretty awesome, aren’t we? We show up when it’s easy and when it’s tough. It’s hard to break us down. 🙂
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I agree 100%!
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This is so true, and it applies to so much of life!
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A wonderful reminder; thank you! I was a runner for 30 years before age and injury got the best of me, but you are so right that showing up is crucial in every important endeavor. Special congratulations on a long and loving marriage, as it’s uncommon that not just one, but two people keep showing up over the arc of a lifetime.
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Thank you! Our marriage (like any) has certainly had its ups and downs, but I am very lucky to have a wonderful man to travel through life with. Sorry to hear that you can no longer run. I would miss it terribly if injury forced me to stop.
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[…] is not for me (my attention wanders, and I lose track of stitches). If I wouldn’t have kept trying to qualify for Boston, I would never have had one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. At […]
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[…] is not for me (my attention wanders, and I lose track of stitches). If I wouldn’t have kept trying to qualify for Boston, I would never have had one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. At […]
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