I hope you all are enjoying your cross-country season! The 2015 season is well underway and we are now getting into the "big" races. There was flrunners this past weekend and FSU pre-state coming up, so it's safe to say we are in the much more publicized part of our season.
This part of the season leaves no room for error, and as I like to say, a bad race is never a bad race if you learn from it.
Boy, did I learn something this weekend.
What it Means to Be Brave
So, if I were to ask you to define "bravery," how would you respond?
For many people, it means to display fearlessness. But I would have to strongly disagree with this definition. Being brave, I believe, is the action of being fearful. Being brave means that one is absolutely scared out of their minds, yet despite this fear, they continue to push past it and strive towards their goal.
I did not exhibit bravery this weekend.
If you have ever seen me finish a race lately, first of all I apologize; second of all it is not pretty. Fun fact about me is that I suffer from exercise-induced vomiting, which makes for a not-so-very-pretty finish. Often, when it's hot and humid, I do not get through a race without puking. Assuming most of you have vomited in your life, you know it's not pleasant.
This week, my team and I competed on the notoriously difficult Lakeland Holloway Park cross-country course. About half way through the race I began to feel nauseous, and I quickly became scared. I have a half of my race left, and I already felt sick. With this fear I began to slow down my pace.
I finished the race, without puking, but a minute slower than last week and with more left in the tank.
I was not brave.
I had so much fear about something as simple as being sick. I did nothing about my fear. I didn't push past it.
Becoming Brave
So, what will I do next time I feel this nausea? I'll be brave. I will push past my fear; I will focus on my goals.
The truth is that when fear hits us, we feel like that fear is the worst possible thing that could happen to us. But really it's a simple fear that, if we don't push past it, we jeopardize the achievement of our goals, our dreams.
I challenge you to be brave through whatever fears you face. You probably aren't scared of puking during your race, but maybe you are struggling with a fear that is holding you back from your goals. Be brave. Push past this fear. Look towards your goal and never lose sight of it.
This week, I learned that in every area of my life, even in the simple things -- like being afraid to puke during a race -- I need to exhibit great bravery because I have bigger and better things to look forward to. These fears are just obstacles in my way, and to get over them I need to be brave. We need to be brave.
So… this week, push past your fear, exhibit bravery, run fast, and remember you are absolutely amazing!
Remember: No race is a bad race, if you learned something from running it.
