No Fear of...

Training is time consuming. And tiring. Exhausting, rather. Not to mention painful, at times. It demands dedication, perseverance, and if we're honest, a splash of stubbornness. Flexibility is required. From your calendar and your hamstrings. As is strength. And guts. And a small - OK, hefty - gumption for glory.

In short, it takes commitment. And this morning, as I walked out of Starbucks carefully reading "The Way I See It #76," I was reminded of just how great that little C-word is.

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as a rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life."

- Anne Morriss (Starbucks customer from NYC. She describes herself as an 'organization builder, restless American citizen, optimist.')"

Training takes its toll not on just your body, but also on on your mind. And so in addition to everything listed above, training takes reminders. From your Outlook calendar at the office. Or from within the pages of Runner's World. From your training buddy and sometimes, even from the back of that Starbucks cup. Now and again throughout the season, but especially during those sluggish, manic Mondays that follow ferocious weekends of revelry with friends. On these days, it is good to be reminded of why we do this.

Frustration, doubt, fear, and every other barrier I create in my head to derail me from the schedule don't exist in my Asics. They're not out on the roads. And they aren't in my refrigerator. Really, the only place I ever find anything that could potentially hinder my success this racing season is inside my head.

No whining. No sighing. No excuses. And no fear of commitment.