“Runners to your marks. Get Set. Goooo!” Motherhood truly feels like a marathon at times. Life is the track, full of hurdles, obstacles and competition. There are so many lanes. Which do you pick? Do I want to be the fun mom, the disciplinarian, the cook, the chef, the lover and the friend. How do I stay in my lane when there are competitors on each side of me? The crowd. The cheers. The naysayers. How do I focus and have tunnel vision when the finish line seems so far away? Here is my journey to the finish line.
Grace.
That’s how I do it. I give myself the “grace to go” and the “grace to grow“.
Often times, in motherhood, we lose sight of the finish line. We get up. Schedule our lives and get caught in the nuances of each day. Putting ourselves daily in last place.
Run like a Mother
This Cycle 6 #FitMommiChallenge was like no other. The focus this year was based on running. Yes running! Like, Forest Gump said “I was running!” Now, I am on the FitMommi Loading Team. “Loading” for a reason, because Sis does not run. I am an avid walker. I can walk with the best of them if I want to. But run, Girl Bye!
I already counted myself out of the running (get it). It’s so easy to get in your own way. Sometimes it isn’t the crowd that is noisy. It’s the voice in your head, counting yourself out. So, here I am, at the end of the five-week challenge, a whole runner. My pace may not have been the fastest. Yet, I persisted.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
I am thankful for the daily motivation from my coaches and several teammates. In track, you often run alone depending on your event. Being able to run alongside so many women, served as encouragement rather than competition. Our athletic levels truly varied. The one goal we all had in common was getting to the finish line.
Like a relay, each week, the baton was passed. For each curve, diet or injury, we carried our weight to get our team to its designated lane. There may have been a stumble. A hesitation. But,Trust allowed us to know there were people we loved, rooting behind us with each step.
Broken records
After having Covid, I had some serious health setbacks. I succumbed to being sedentary. Breathing was just so tasking. Going up the stairs was hard. Blow drying my hair caused me to sweat buckets.
Five weeks later, I am doing at least 30 minutes of activity a day. I am walking up hills and gaining so much strength.
Comparison is a thief
As I watched my other teammates, it was a struggle not to compare the aptitude of our workouts. Natasha, kindly put it, “my 30 minutes is different from your 30 minutes, but it is still 30 minutes.” As you are running your race, focus on what you came to do. Don’t watch your competitors. You will get out of your lane, stumble and have to work just as hard to pick yourself back up. Focus on what is ahead of you. You cannot run your race in other people’s shoes!
Gold, Silver, Bronze: It doesn’t matter
Yes ,the challenge was a competition, but in the end, as cliché as it sounds, we are all winners. We stuck with a plan for five weeks. We ate better. Worked out daily. There may have been some tears shed along the way. You still finished. Time was made for yourself girl! You did it! Take the flowers. You crossed the finish line!
Finished….But just getting started
Regardless of the place I ended the race in, I know my best was given. In motherhood, show up for yourself daily. Make time for yourself. Set goals. Accomplish them with a tenacity you have never felt before. Gaze into the stands. Hear the roar of the crowd. Let that motivate you to continue to train.
WE are just getting started. With each year comes a new milestone. A life lesson. A triumph. A new lap. Building up the courage to just GO can be hard. Just know, you have a nation behind you cheering you to the finish line.
With love and light.
Mommi Shanaye
Leave a Reply