BASS PRO MIDWEEK MOTIVATION-Be a grateful runner

Hello runner friends! 

Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series 

MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog. Now let's get started by talking about how the odds of reaching your fitness goals or even surpassing them by leaps and bounds can be increased by finding something to be grateful for in every situation.

But first, let's talk about Dopamine and Serotonin, chemicals every runner knows improves their mood and mental health. Ironically enough, these feel-good chemicals that are released when working out are also released when a person expresses gratitude or thankfulness. The feelings are so intense, researchers say, that the body will want to experience it over and over again... which means that when you combine running with gratitude, you've got a secret to success. 

So what does this look like in real life you might wonder? Consider this testimony... with Thanksgiving coming up, I pondered the effects of thankfulness as I ran the Honoring our Heroes Marathon over the weekend. And what caused me to concentrate on being thankful over the course of Saturday's 26.2 miles? Well... the weekend before I completed my third 100 mile race, something that would have rendered most people unable to run again for a week much less run a marathon within seven days. I was overwhelmingly grateful for this and even more so for being there with friends. This gratefulness is what got me to the start line with a smile on my face and also what inspired me to keep running when the rain, wind and cold became so overwhelming that at one point, I lost it, "Why didn't you drop down to the half Melissa??? You are in no shape to run a marathon!" At these voices, I slowed down to a walk and literally said out loud, "Okay, don't let yourself go there. You have five miles to go. Walk the rest with a smile on your face as you state every thing you can think of to be thankful for." And that's exactly what I did. Bracing myself against the cold head wind, I tucked my arms into my rain parka and walked as fast as I could recounting my blessings out loud, "Thank you Lord for my family. Thank You for giving me the strength to make it this far. Thank You for my friends that I know will be there to greet me at the finish line. Thank You, thank You, thank You!" 

My friends were waiting as I approached the finish line to give me a group hug

And speaking of friends and gratitude, check out some of my buddies who shared the course with me Saturday. By their words, you can see that they wouldn't have participated in the event had they not been so thankful for their running buddies that they would do most anything to spend time with them.

From left to right- Jenni, Justin, Craig, Stephanie, Lacy, Jay

Sometimes you volunteer for things because well your friends do it....Honoring our Heroes marathon relay. I ran, danced, laughed and made fun of the 6.5 mile leg I had to do. Those hills were LAMMMMME, it was wet but worth the smiles and laughter. - Stephanie 

Annnnd that should wrap up my 2020 running career. Today I got suckered into running a leg of the Honoring Our Heroes marathon with Stephanie, Justin and Lacy. And of course, in true miserable fashion, it rained for most of my 6 mile leg. But whatever. I did it, and it's done. In the last month and a half I've run a marathon, a 25k trail race, and a marathon relay. Not too shabby for a 41 year old who hates running. Oh yeah, and I suckered Lacy into running her leg with my plate carrier and she did AWESOME!!! Now it's time to get back under the barbell and get after some long overdue strength goals. I may still do some running on occasion, but I'm still not going to train for it. I gotta keep the stories coming for Melissa to write about. - Craig

This year was better than I expected it. Running wasn’t canceled! You just need the right attitude and the right people to love running. - Jenni 

I haven't ran since September but Jenni said don't be a wuss and do the marathon relay. It was cold and raining, but my #rwb tribe are a group of rockstars and we managed to finish with smiles and gratitude for having ventured out in the cold and rain. Craig set the first leg pace at 9 min/mile in his plate carrier! My beast of a bride Jenni took 2nd overall and 1st in her age group (on the marathon) while recovering from a 50 miler last weekend and a big bottle of sake last night. - Justin

And check out what else Jay and Lacy had to be thankful for over the weekend...

A great honor to be asked to speak at the Honoring Our Heroes Marathon pasta party. I talked about how running saved my life. How it set the tone for my military career. The importance of doing difficult things and how it improves your resilience. My friend captured my speech. It is a bit tough to hear.  People really liked it,  I had a bunch of people come afterward to thank me. On the topic of doing difficult things, public speaking still makes me nervous but I enjoy sharing a message that helps people. - Jay

It rained. It was cold. But it was amazing! Today was a good day. I got to watch my babies do their first 5k and got to run a leg on an awesome marathon relay team. All in honor of Gold Star Families. - Lacy

So as you can see, gratitude turned everything, including the wind, rain and cold, into something amazing for each one of these participants. Every one of my crazy friends chose to be thankful for the day rather than to complain about it; something that would most definitely have sabotaged their efforts to reach the finish line and to make the memories they will undoubtedly carry with them forever. And that brings me to my next point... when you surround yourself with positive people, people who always look for the good in every situation and are continually thankful for a cup half-full, you will most definitely increase your chances of success and have a fun time no matter how hard the task in front of you. 

So during this time of Thanksgiving, be sure to count your blessings my friends. And by all means, find a "family" like the one I have. They will undoubtedly make the journey much easier and a whole lot more worthwhile and exciting. 

Happy Running!!!