Training vs Trying

I have had people, some friends even, give me a hard time about the time I spend training for a race or just fitness in general. They balk at me not stopping even a foot short of the mileage I know I need to put in that day. 

One man I know said: “Why are you wasting your time training? I would just get up and run the race and just be sore for the next few days.”

And then the race comes and I easily finish, not in record time by any means, but I finish injury free. I ENJOY the race. I run past people who look like better runners than me cramped up along the side of the road because maybe they thought the same thing as that man: training doesn’t matter. But I know it does.

I finish enjoying the journey because I was prepared for the road in front of me.

I know there is a difference between training and trying. I know each step along the road is an investment in my health.

I know what “the man” does not: that training is part of the experience of health and fitness. It’s not about getting a medal or bragging rights, it’s about putting in the work; finishing what you start, knowing each mile intimately and knowing you are prepared for it. It is the journey not the destination. The finish line is the reward for the effort between the training and the start line.

Live BOLDER and stronger and prepared, my friends, because the road is calling.

~Amy