Celebrating Victories
As we enter 2023, it's easy to get wrapped up in New Year's resolutions and the constant striving for self-improvement. While we love setting goals for ourselves, we also think it's important to acknowledge and feel proud of our current wins. Here are three RAD rabbits on victories they've observed in their running and wellbeing.
Dani Shirtcliff
I can still remember the night before, picture- perfectly. I gobble down a packet of instant rice along with some bland tofu in our airbnb microwave. “ Well, to be honest I don’t even know if I'm going to run tomorrow” I say, hobbling over my aircast to the couch. The next morning the sun comes up , runners migrate to the start line, and one of the race volunteers tries to talk me out of it.“ I tell myself maybe I will just run a 10k. “ We have shuttles throughout the course ready to carry runners who can't complete it,” she says, looking down at my shoes. Five weeks before my dream of the New Zealand Marathon I broke my foot, got a contusion on my metatarsal ,and a grade 3 sprain. I haven't run or walked a lot since the incident. We all know the recipe as runners as to what fuels us, if that be a passed loved one, a fire inside, your why is always different to attain our own personal accomplishments. My victory includes running a marathon on every continent to see our beautiful earth and this was going to be my third one. I get in the cattle corral of eager fresh faces and the gun goes off. The best part about this run is at 30k I lost and found myself, all in the same race. My foot got me there but it wasn't without my amazing running coach who I look at more like a big brother who was probably the other person I told I was actually going to do this insane race.Half way in, I looked down at my feet telling myself it was ok to quit. Everything hurts. Then a fellow runner asked me about my awesome rabbit kit and that lit a spark. The conversation carried me through the paincave, and that's when I decided YES I'm going to finish this marathon , crawling if I have to. ( I did not) We ran for a while after, gave fist bumps, and off I went. I usually don't get emotional during races but when the announcer said “ here comes Dani with a strong finish” the relief, the feelings of pain,the months of not getting to run, all left my body with tears of victory. Was it the smartest thing I have ever done? Not in the slightest. Did I prove other people and myself the human body is built to endure? You betcha.
Shelly Coburn
I was drawn to this prompt this month due in part to it being one of my goals for the year. My core personality thrives on competition and performance numbers. The highs are high for me and the lows are low. In December I started my sixth consecutive year of keeping a training journal and I noticed a pattern as I began to flip through them. I am always focused on the BIG goal. I have focused on getting a new PR and Qualifying for Boston every year for six years. I spend most of my time writing about how I did or did not meet this goal and then going through this process of feeling like I need to start over or continue at this warp speed of success. I decided that I needed to start more weekly goals for myself. They may be as simple as getting every scheduled run completed on the scheduled day or as hard as a speed workout with 3 miles @ 6:50 pace. In doing this, I have found that I can find more things to celebrate at the end of the week vs. writing in my journal about all the ways I am not going to make those big goals. I have a colleague who reminds me often that I jar is filled better with small pebbles vs. big rocks. I have always been a big rocks kind of girl-I am working on looking at the small pebbles.
Kamie Miller
This year has been a great year of success and challenges. I am learning a lot by trying newthings! From road racing to Mountain adventures, and trail racing! Not to mention winter racing.I am learning that I can love all aspects that running entails. Ive learned that I don’t alwaysneed to be fast on the road and can have just as much fun on the trails. This year Is my firstyear as an a ambassador and its been so great to connect with others, such as I did whileracing Chicago marathon this year and qualifying again for Boston. Next up is New York, awinter marathon and a 100k in Alaska!
