I never became a runner by choice. I became a runner out of necessity. I was extremely overweight, and made the decision to have weight loss surgery to save my life. As such, I needed to take my life in an entirely new direction.

I couldn’t get much further from the “fat” me than to become a runner (running was probably the thing I despised most when I was bigger).

Those who know me well know I rarely do things half way. So when I decided to run, I jumped right into committing to run a marathon. I completed that goal in January 2011.
After that I needed a new benchmark. But, what would could I do that would continue to push me further from the old me? I happen to hang around a bunch of triathletes, so naturally…
I’ve spent the last year pushing myself harder and harder than I ever thought I would…for fun. I continued to push for longer distances, so I signed up to complete a 70.3 triathlon (1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, 13.1mi run).
Then a strange thing got in the way…life!
I am completing my M.B.A. I had a son in March (and amazing little man). I changed companies in June. And BAM, the wheels fell off.
The stress of the new job combined with the sleep patterns of a newborn left me without the necessary structure to continue on my training for my triathlon goal.

For almost the last 8 weeks I have done next to nothing. I’ve run maybe 3 times. I didn’t even show up for 2 triathlons that I had already signed up and paid for.

Now with 4 weeks until the Cajun Man triathlon (a race that I DNF’d last year and have unfinished business with), I’ve decided it is time to get my rear in gear.

So tonight, during my humid, post rain 3 miler I saw something that kind of put everything in perspective. Just about a mile north of my house is a library. The library has been a destination/turnaround for a number of my afternoon jogs.

Next to the library is a little gully. You know the kind. Usually it is no more than 3 or four inches of trickling water.

But tonight, post rain, it was surging.

It reminded me of, well, ME. How when stripped of the things that drive me, I just allow myself to trudge along. But when I feed off of my surroundings, good or bad, I become a much stronger force of nature. It just reinforced that it was time to get moving towards my goals again.

Sometimes a change of mindset is not a choice, but a necessity…like running…