Back sometime in April I had made a conscious decision to put my 30-day-turned-60-day challenge to good use and to give myself some long term goals that were a little less about vanity and a little more about substance.
That was seven months ago. I cant relieve the transformation that I have undergone in such a short period of time. Although many parts of my life remain constant, the more important things have changed. Instead of spending all of my brainpower on things like work (admittedly very important), I began spending time with scene very important, someone who had been neglected for a very long time…myself. My times I argued with myself, pushed mueslis self, belittled myself, and perhaps even surprised myself.
Running has given me yet another lens to view the world. Before I started training for the marathon and triathlon, it seemed as though most things were out of control. Most of the time, I was reactionary to external stimuli. I had a lassaize faire attitude with my business, my startup, my pursuit of higher education, and my relationships.
I have to say that I am somewhat of a different person now. Im a bit more compassionate and empathetic of the struggles people go through in their daily life. I am constantly surprised by the depth of human emotions and motivation. I learn new things about my friends and family in little ways everyday. I can step outside of my ego and learn to take feedback for what it is.
When I started training, I made a pact with myself that I would take things slowly. I would carefully plan out my training schedule and races so that I could maximize my efforts while always seeing a constant improvement in performance. I understand that things wont always be that way, but you have to start somewhere. For me it started at a small 5K, progressed to 10Ks, and then to half marathons. At many points I questioned my motivations and my ability, but all I really wanted to do was prove to myself that I could commit to something and see it all the way through, no matter what it took.
In a few days I will get my chance to celebrate this transformation and achievement in Athens. I never thought I would be here today, typing up a blog on a plane ride across the world to finally see this goal all the way through. I hope that in achieving my goals I can gently motivate others to approach their aspirations with the same level of commitment and gusto!
Amara in Training 
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