Mind over Matter

By: Stephanie Geraghty

I'm dismayed to admit that I created this blog over a year ago yet this is the first post.  Stories and ideas whirl around in my mind constantly but finding time to put them in writing can be a challenge!  My goal is to post weekly but keep the posts reasonable length.  That's achievable for both you and I, agreed?!

This first post I want to focus on what helps make the runners in Stroller Warriors so successful.  It's a simple concept.  Mind over matter.

This past weekend, two women at Stroller Warriors Camp Pendleton tackled the Carlsbad Marathon, their first full marathon.  Both women battled some incredible challenges, including injury and perhaps more intimidating, fear of failure.

Why do we harbor these fears?

Well, the answer is obvious.  Nobody wants to fail.  Nobody wants to be left behind, stared at, or perhaps worst of all, forgotten.  Not to mention, 26.2 miles (and ANY mileage) can seem like a LONG way. Especially if you're hurting.  You will probably be surprised to hear that a lot of Stroller Warriors are actually beginner runners, or just getting back into it after an extended break.  So these apprehensions are valid and prevalent.

The thing about Stroller Warriors is these factors become obsolete.  These spouses and families care about each other so much, not only as fellow runners, but as friends.  They run by your side and make you believe.  They push you to run that last interval faster than you could otherwise.  They stop and help you fix your stroller wheel or pick up your child's lost toy on the trail.  They wait to cheer until every last SW has passed.  They hug each other at the finish and share the joy as if it was their own.

Stroller Warriors Camp Pendleton Coordinator Mia Mashburn jumped on the race course with her team mate, giving Anne a boost when she needed it most.

 

Their presence and support alone helps make SHEER WILL the only option.  Mind over matter suddenly becomes easier.  Yeah, this is hard.  Yeah, this hurts.  But I'm going to do it anyway.  I want to, need to, and WILL.

So that's why the runners in this club succeed in meeting their goals.  Running is challenging and sometimes the miles can seem insurmountable.  Especially as military spouses.  On any given day, we're fielding surprises, changes, separation, deployments, loss, and life.  Taking care of the house, the kids, working, volunteering at school, going to school themselves, running businesses, helping out the neighbors, and generally trying to save the world. Oh, and try to squeeze in that running workout too, with time you don't really have!

But when you've got friends at your side, suddenly mind over matter becomes achievable.

Congratulations Anne and Dao!

Stroller Warriors Camp Pendleton workout leader Sarah Viczorek posted this quote on their site recently, referencing the hardships we all battle at times.

"There’s no joy, poetry, or rhythm to those first few weeks. Your body seems to have forgotten that it’s been running since you were three years old. There’s no connection between your shoulders, your arms, your knees, and your feet. They don’t work together like the fluid, well-oiled machine you remember. Instead, they rattle and rumble and lumber along. You don’t run like a Kenyan, you run like a Quasimodo.

So far as I know, there is no way to avoid this process, and there is only one way through it: _sheer will_. You go out and force yourself to do the ugly thing tomorrow, and then the day after that, and then the day after that. You trust that a better day will come. No matter how slow, awkward, and horrible each run feels, you envision a more-fluid future. You stay optimistic."  ~Amby Burfoot (78) returning to the Boston Marathon after winning it in 1968

 

So get out and WILL it, runners.  You can.  You must.  You will.

HAPPY RUNNING,
Steph
Stroller Warriors Founder & Camp Lejeune Coordinator