Today I stumbled on a shocking realization.  It happened during my morning road work think time.

You know, I can’t stress how much doing 30 minutes of road work is perhaps the number one most valuable habit you can have.  You see if you start your day this way it will give you more energy, relieve stress, and mostly clear your mind so you think better the rest of the day.  Once you get into it, you will feel better all the time.

So anyway, back to the realization.  You see I have this friend who just turned 40.  Her husband and 12 of her closest friends decided to plan a surprise getaway to a beach for a long weekend in February. For about six months there was no progress. The surprise was all talk.  Our conversations sounded a lot like this…
..we should do this..
..we should do that..
..should it be a surprise..
..doesn’t this place look nice..
..wouldn’t it be fun if…
..but what about..

Then something changed.  We committed, we made made reservations, we booked flights and we all made funny videos as part of the surprise.  It’s going to be in this amazing house right on the beach with a pool, a swim up bar and even a bartender. (ok, that’ll be me).  Check it out…

..anyhoo, it’s a dream vacation.

So ..back to my realization…you know what happened once we made those reservations?  We focused. Plans solidified.  Steps were taken.  We made progress.

Now there’s excitement and anticipation for the event.  I find myself searching the internet for ways to improve our trip, looking for places to eat and excursions to take.

My realization was this….

Commitment helps you do things that you wouldn’t otherwise dream of doing.

I never would have dreamed of going to this amazing place if wasn’t for the commitment to my friends and for the commitment I made to go with my checkbook.  It’s going to be a life changing trip and an experience that I will not forget.

As a runner, you’ve probably have made similar excuses to the ones we made..
..I should do a 5k/10k/half marathon/marathon..
..doesn’t that race look cool..
..wouldn’t it be fun if..
..but what about training..

My point is this, if you have some “should’s”, “ought to’s” and “woudn’t it’s” when it comes to running. Step out of your comfort zone and make a commitment to the thing you want to do.  You might surprise yourself and accomplish that goal that you never dreamt would be possible.

What is it for you?  Is it to run your first 5k?  Is it to walk three days a week?  Is it to get up early and get some road work in before the kids get up and you have to be at work?