Whoever Said Dreaming Was Easy?

Being an athlete, especially elite, is a struggle people don’t understand unless they have been there themselves.  It is more than the four hour workouts in the heat.  It is the mental and emotional side.  It is a sacrifice, but it is worth it.

When I started my website my goal was to talk about the difficulties and struggles athletes go through that are not always discussed and it was a form of therapy for me as well.  With my first blog on “Vaulter Block”, I got emails from athletes thanking me and I even met my new coach, Erica Bartolina, because of that article.  At that time I was struggling with running through during practices, but I was able to work on a mental game plan for myself and I stayed the course and things improved!

Now I have been going through some more struggles this past month with my transition to a new state and new training course.  I was moved when I read some encouraging words from one of my favorite athletes, Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones.

She wrote, “I will stay on course.  Sometimes when I am running a hard work out I get discouraged.  I begin to doubt if I can finish.  The pain seeps into my lungs, my legs, and eventually my heart feels like it will burst.  Same as in life when you hit hurdles to your goals.  You get weary from trying, your heart has so much pain and begins to think it will fail… As I thought about the hardest workouts and races in my life, I know it is always most difficult right before the finish line and accomplishing what I thought I could not.  So I will stay the course.  I encourage you to do so as well.”

Whoever said dreaming was easy?  Working towards a goal is just that.  It is work.  I will take the advice of Lolo and push through.  I know that this difficult time is just temporary, and I have faith that my path is the one I am meant to be on.