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I don't know for sure about other people, but I suspect that what I feel is universal when it comes to the spark and inspiration making a plan can give.
This morning while perusing local and national news sites after concluding CBS's Face the Nation and Sunday Morning, I saw a story on the Star Press's website about the Walk Indiana event to be held again this September. Eager for this new challenge and goal to work towards, I made note of the walk's date on my calendar and forwarded the story along with a brief message on to my in-house walking partner.
This year, I do not look forward to the accomplishment of crossing the finish line after thirteen or twenty-six miles, so much as I anticipate and value the training with a new honesty to myself. Training is necessary to fully enjoy and achieve this walk safely and more satisfyingly than showing up on the day of the walk to "see what my body can handle"; I now see it's a 'journey, not a destination" thing.
But, I haven't always owned that philosophy. While my husband and I walked the half-marathon distance of the 2011 Walk Indiana, we took irregularly-occurring, more casually-paced, shorter distance training walks throughout the summer. Additionally, my preparation for completing the sixty-mile Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure twice (2009 and 2010) was along the same lines - knowing I should train, but not knowing how exactly (ie: coordinating water/restroom stops around a "country block" in the July heat; walking in my old, sketchy neighborhood; walking along busy roads vs. temperature-controlled mall walking; walking alone vs. finding a buddy). Now, I see ignorance of the unknown, excitement for the actual event, and admitted laziness clouded my commitment to consistently following the recommended training regimens for Walk Indiana and the 3-Day; though I was luckily able to plug along and put one foot in front of the other to reach the finish line of each event, I know my preparation was not the wisest or most responsible strategy.
Knowing quite a bit more now about distance walking and myself, I recognize and accept hard work for months before hand will pay off exponentially in the enjoyment I get from the event and from the ownership I am taking in the training process. Beyond the singular accomplishment of walking "x"-miles on one day, I aspire this year to earn the accomplishment of walking many days and hours to change my mental and physical endurance and my outward physique on the road to the official day of Walk Indiana.
In addition to being a local walk, I also adore the philosophy behind the Walk Indiana event, which focuses on individual and community wellness. It is a philanthropic, empowering event that offers community training walks that highlight, as I said before, the journey rather than the destination of participating in the walk; this is not a competitive 5K, mini, or marathon, but rather, a demonstration of self-determination and self-love. For me, that commitment must be about the consistent training. I originally stated this as, "If you put the work in, the end result will be there," but I really must own it by saying, "If I put the work in, the end result will be..."; just as I advised my seniors during Friday's class, "You know you are grown up when you face the things you may not want to do and you begin the work anyway because you know it is the right thing to do." The physical and mental preparation of training will uplift me for the challenges and growth opportunities I plan for myself and for those that are unforeseen.