Facing the Stairs

I struggled this week to write something for my weekly post, and I strongly considered just skipping it and waiting till next week. Then, upon viewing a picture or two that I recently uploaded online, I realized that it is in times like these that I need to write - when motivation and creativity is low and I find each step a slow and awkward one.

Needing a change to spice things up a bit, I changed around my blog photos and content. Looking for a new Title photo, I stumbled across this one and a rush of memories and ideas came to mind in an instant. I took this picture this past summer during a camping trip over Memorial Day Weekend with some friends. You see, these stairs tell me a story and I wanted a picture of it to serve as a motivator, reminder and encouragement for times such as these - when the road ahead is long and uncertain, and most likely very difficult. I was training for a 10k all-terrain race in June, and I decided to take a run first thing in the morning at our campground. It felt great to be running through a new place and I was eager to see what was around each new corner and path. Then, I hit these massive steps going down - way down. I paused and took it all in before bounding off towards the bottom and running along the beach. I knew I was going to be running back up in only a matter of a few minutes - and instead of dreading it - I was excited to conquer it all the way to the top.

And I did just that. I ran up that sucker - one step at a time - and it was every bit as hard as I thought it was going to be. I knew that this was such a blessing to be able to train on for my race, and when I wanted to quit and suck wind, I just kept going, no matter how slow it felt like. I had to use the rails at one point, but I can tell you that I conquered that mother of all staircases, and it felt amazing. The joy inside when continuing on with it behind me was so intense, I was so proud of myself, and pleased with myself for choosing to do it when I was only half-way to finishing. Again, I knew that it would come in handy in a few weeks time when I was running for real in the James River Scramble 10k.

Thick with possible analogies, the photo was a must-have. I knew that by merely glancing at this picture, I would be reminded of the sweat, pain and effort that I put in that day, and the rewards that followed. Sitting here, knowing that the road ahead is just as uncertain and challenging, I must keep in mind that we are all running this race called life, and each person's race is their own, and the competition is not to finish ahead of everyone else but rather, to share the road and spur each other on to run their best race possible. Regardless of skill, we're all in this thing together, and we all need a boost now and then. Some days, I am a track star and feel like I could go forever, and other days, I am dragging my feet and ready to sprawl out on a bench and quit. The rewards of new paths, scenery, "running" companions and self-improvement far outweigh any quitting bench I could ever find - and having others around me to hold me accountable to this fact is essential to finishing with no regrets. So, I hope that this can serve as my way of spurring you on to keep moving forward, no matter what, and that when necessary, you may return the favor for your fellow running companions facing the stairs or nearing the finish line.

Trust me, the rewards are worth every step.