****Quit****
Today, I have something on my mind to share with whoever wants to listen/read. What I’m going to share with you today are my thoughts about the word quit and the implications of it. Almost every time human beings are posed with a significant challenge it’s not uncommon to default to thoughts of quitting. The question I ask myself today is what is the source of the energy, motivation, and determination that prevents us from quitting? Personally, I gave in to the urge to quit quite often when I was younger but as I matured I learned to be less reactive, think it through, and not quit.
I can think of no better example of how a positive attitude can overcome the urge to quit than that of my wife who has cancer. Diagnosed with 3rd stage ovarian cancer 9-1/2 years ago, she could have easily succumbed to depression, anxiety, or any other similar condition but when faced with adversity she chose to be positive. Today, in spite of a diagnosis that typically results in death within five years she is still alive. I attribute her ability to beat the statistics because of her determination, desire to live, the threshold for pain combined, and just pure stubbornness. I can detail her experiences as clear as day but there are no words to describe her pain. I witness her pain daily; I witnessed it today and will witness it again tomorrow, but can tell you I don’t even have an understanding of what she feels or how she overcomes it. It’s bothersome to me that as time goes by people forget that she’s sick or take for granted that because she smiles she’s okay. It becomes even more bothersome to me when I realize that there are times that I do the same. If the response from others bothers her she certainly doesn’t let on that it does but instead keeps moving forward with the desire to be treated just like you and me. Little sympathy was given and no sympathy was wanted but instead constantly moving forward, looking ahead, and making plans for the future. My wife, the woman I love, is the very same person who teaches me every day the value of life.
As for me, yes, like most others I’ve reacted to challenges by initially wanting to quit but over time I learned methods to cope until the challenge can be overcome. While my most significant experiences as a runner are in no way comparable to those of my wife as a cancer survivor, I have moments I can refer to in times of weakness to remind me of the power we possess as humans.
The moment I reflect upon the most occurred in June 1999 at mile 75 of a 100-mile race conducted in the mountains of Virginia. I faced the adversity of climbing a rocky mountain in the darkness while alone. Being my first event at this distance I had never encountered a similar challenge so when the choice of quitting entered my mind I succumbed. I gave up, I quit, and there will always be a piece of me that will regret that moment however with that moment came a lesson that gave me the knowledge and strength to go back the following year and not only finish but do so in the top 10.
If I can find someone who wants to listen I enjoy interjecting a story about the Badwater Ultramarathon in our conversations. As it applies to quitting I have no stories about that event where that thought ever entered my mind or that of the other 99 people that were with me. Clearly, you would think a 135-mile event held on the roads of Death Valley, California the word quit would be heard often but when 100 of the toughest runners in the world group together over a two-day period in July the word quit is removed from the dictionary.
Like running, life is not about winning or losing but instead finishing. We battle through adversity, overcome challenges and in spite of what data or statistics say always remain positive and move forward.
Hopefully, my message reaches somebody today who faces what appears to be an overwhelming challenge and finds what I wrote to be helpful. As for me and my wife, quitting will always be a temptation but never an option.
