Search This Blog

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Influencing Others

Whether we want to or not, we influence others, and others influence us.  We look around and see changes made in this world because of an influence of one individual.  A single person can change the world.  An individual CAN make a difference.  You can make that difference.  The difference you can make can either be positive or negative, depending on the type of influence you have... but I'd like to stick to the positive side of things. 

Last year, I went to the Rush like normal and worked out like normal, and suddenly, someone comes up to me and asks me a little about running.  He told me that I looked like a runner and wanted to know how he could become a better runner.  Eventually, over the course of a few months, he was running consistently, dropping weight and got in shape.  After that, I changed my schedule and didn't see him until more recently.  When we met up again and went out for a run, he talked to me about how his dad started walking and getting back into shape and how his family started making meals that were more healthy, thanks to him taking that step in his life.  You see, the power of influence spreads through the different people you make contact with.

I had no personal contact with his family, but through him, I was able to make a difference in their lives.  Influencing others doesn't take too much.  It's because you make a difference in certain individual's lives that you're able to pass that on through them.  The influence doesn't stop with the people you make contact with because it spreads through them into the people they make contact with... which in turn goes even further.

Since influence doesn't stop, it's important to know how you influence people.  There is great power in influence and when used for good, good can spread so far... but when used for bad... that can also spread too.  Make sure to keep your influence a positive one and make a difference in others lives in a positive manner and continue to do so no matter who you meet.  Every person you shape can in the same way shape others.

The last few days, I've noticed a few people around me and how much they've taken steps towards improving themselves, and it's been amazing seeing the change happen in their lives.  I want to continue to encourage others, so that they in turn can encourage more... and who knows... maybe more people will be able to encourage me with my goals.

Keep on running strong everyone!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Daniel Komen

In 1954, Roger Bannister made history by being the first man to run a sub 4 minute mile.  This brought on many more competitors who ran that fast... however, there is only one person in history that has run 2 back to back miles that are sub 4 minute.  In 1997, Daniel Komen ran the 2 miles in 7:58.61 which broke the original record by over 2 seconds (which is a big difference).  This same individual has held (at one point) 5 world records, and currently still holds 3 of them.

I had the opportunity to meet Daniel Komen last Saturday, when he and David Cheromei came to Johnson University for a 5k run.  I was able to spend quite a bit of time talking to both Daniel and David, and learned about what it took to be someone of that caliber.

Sure it takes talent to be able to compete as an elite athlete, but what brings them up to a higher level is their mindset.  I was able to talk to both Daniel and David about their training, and they told me that their training went to about 100 miles a week... which is longer than what most people run per week training for a marathon.  Considering that both Daniel and David run shorter races, it seems utterly amazing that they put in that kind of mileage and compete in the races that they race.

However, they look ahead with the end in mind and train 3 hours a day in order to reach that goal.  In order to get to where they are at, it takes time, dedication, hard work ethic, and talent.  Looking at what they've done, it encourages me to work harder to get to where I need to be for the races ahead of me.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Boston Marathon Bombing

I first heard about the bombings at the Boston Marathon when my grandparents called me to see if I was over in Boston or not.  After they told me about what happened, I looked at the news and saw the horrific news of what happened.  I also received other texts and Facebook messages asking if I was alright and if I was in Boston.  It's nice to know that there are quite a few people that care about me.... but at the same time, it's sad to know that there are people out there that do bad things like putting bombs out and killing and injuring innocent people.

However, the story doesn't stop there.  There is more to it than just the bad things that happened.  In the midst of the chaos, with injured people and mass confusion, there were people who stood out and made a difference.  There were so many runners that kept on running and donated their blood to the hospitals for the victims that hospitals had to turn them away because there just wasn't enough space.  You see, even though there are many bad things that occur in this world, there still is a lot of good within each of us.  On television, we see so much horror from the bad things that happen... because bad things make news, but at the same time, there are so many good things that happen in this world.

I'm proud to know that there are those good people that fight to make things right and do the things that help other people.  I'm proud of the good that people can do, in the midst of this terrible situation.

(I ran 9.07 miles yesterday, and today, ran 11 miles... it was a good feeling to go out and run.  For the time being, I think of the events and pray for the families of the injured and deceased.  I really hope that this will not happen again.)

Monday, April 15, 2013

Saying No

It's so easy to say yes when people ask for help.  It's so easy to say yes when you're offered a free meal even though you don't like it too much because it affects your stomach a good bit... It's so easy to say yes when you're given an unhealthy object.... it's so easy to just say the word, 'yes'.

However, people forget the simple two letter word, 'no' that could also be an answer.  However, it's hard to say no because acceptance is what most people consider 'good'.  To me, saying no is an important part of my training.  In saying no, I'm able to deny the good tasting food given to me and allow myself to take a step forward towards my goal.  In succumbing to the temptation and saying yes, I take myself a step away from the goal.

Things aren't going to be easy.  There will be tough decisions you'll have to make.  That would be the decision to do the right thing.  Sometime, the right thing is to say yes... but the right decision can also be no.

It's easier to agree with something and do the right thing.  It's a lot harder to disagree with something and do the right thing.  The challenge is to be strong in the decisions you make and go forth from there, making a difference in your own life.

Today, I was able to go for an 8 mile run... it was nice... can't wait to go run tomorrow.

Friday, April 12, 2013

The Power to Push Yourself

There are going to be times when you don't want to push yourself.  There's going to be a time when you just... don't feel like it.  What can you do?  You have that goal ahead of you... but you don't want to strive for it.  Your willpower is gone, you lack the strength to push yourself... how can you flip the switch and start striving towards your goals?

One way that I find power to push myself to go forward is through the power of words.  Words hold authority, and when you remember what kind of authority was behind the words that were written, you regain that strength and are able to continue on your journey.

The past few weeks have been a little troublesome.  First, my dad came down to visit, and since he's way more important than my running, I let my running slide for a couple of days.  Then on Wednesday night (he left that morning), I played floor hockey and I pushed myself to the limit and went home... to wake up throwing up at 2am.  I was not a happy camper, and managed to get better, but for the next couple of days felt rather lethargic... also losing the habit of continuous running that I've been building up... On Tuesday, I went out for a 4.25 mile run followed by a 30 min cycling session, and on Wednesday, I went out for a 5 mile run, followed by intense amounts of floor hockey, and today... I just did my daily exercise, not running or anything.  However, due to the last few days of intense daily workouts, I've been able to get better and I see the difference it's made in my life.

The only reason I was able to get through Tuesday was because I was running with a good friend of mine.  However, on Wednesday, I had no good friend to run with, so instead, I wrote "I'm a BEAST" on my hand and now as a reminder, whenever I look at my watch, I get reminded that I am a beast and therefore needed to work hard to get to my goal.

Tomorrow is going to be a very nice day, and if the day is sunny, I'm sure I'll be able to get quite a bit of running done.  Can't wait for that, I'll have to get some rest though... but I know that when I wake up, I'll look at my hand, and on it, there will be a message written saying "I'm a BEAST" and I'll believe and work towards that.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Eating Good and Bad Foods

It's been a while since I've blogged because I've been sick, my dad came to visit... and I haven't run too much.  Finally, I've gotten better and am at a place where I can resume what I've started.  Through the last few days, I've only run once and that was only for a little over a mile.  Stomach Viruses can really damper your training plans, but at the same time, it has allowed me to see a lot more regarding what I eat and how it affects my body.

Eating good food is good for you right?  That's a pretty obvious statement.  Why would good do anything bad?  However, I've come to a point where there could be a sliver of truth when I say that eating bad food may be good for me.  Now that is an off the wall comment that doesn't make sense at all.  Why would something bad be good?  It would seem obvious that bad food is bad, however, it could be good... now why is that?

The most amazing thing about the human body is the ability to adapt.  When we put in a bunch of preservatives and other manmade things inside of our body, it doesn't kill us.  In fact, our body processes it just like it processes everything else, and it goes through.  With each little adaption our body makes, we build ourselves up and become stronger.  The virus that went inside me eventually was purged from my system because of my body reacting to what went inside of me.  Now I am a little stronger.

During the time I had the virus, I was weak.  I was vulnerable.  However, due to the virus entering me, my immune system became a little stronger, and because of its use, I was given the opportunity to do a system check, to make sure that my defense mechanisms worked in my body... so in fact, eating some bad will make you stronger.  That doesn't mean go out and eat pizza every day, eating junk food instead of the good things... It means that we can add some bad to our good and have a healthy balance in which we grow stronger in more than one way.

If we don't test our bodies, it won't become stronger, and if we constantly eat good food, then our body gets used to that and when something gets into our system, we lose the ability to process it and it may hurt us more than we can imagine.  (and of course, this doesn't mean that you ought to continue to consume foods that you are allergic to... there's a difference between growth and stupidity).

For lunch, I went to Buffalo Wild Wings, and ordered 12 traditional wings with 3 different flavors.  Was this healthy?  No.  Did it taste good?  Yes.  Did I need it?  Yes.  In fact, the protein that I was given during this time was very beneficial as it helped me and my muscles grow in the way I wanted them to.  There was definitely too much fat as well as the preservatives and artificial flavors in the sauces, but all in all, it would serve to build my body up to becoming stronger and able to work efficiently.

Sometimes, it's good to go eat the bad things.  Try it out every once in a while so you don't lose it.

(at the end of today, I started back getting in shape, working on my 100 day transformation plan, doing 20 minutes of stretching, 100 push ups, 100 crunches, 200 squats, and 400 calf raises, as well as 30 minutes of cycling in the gym.)