A Push or Two

My child smells like cheese, I smell like a sweaty wreck and you don’t want to know what my elderly beagle smells like. But I still can be proud of the whole stinky lot of us because we all took to the streets with an important tool…the jogging stroller. Well, I don’t know if mine is really an official jogging stroller but it moves forward when you push it which is why I started thinking about what exactly is pushing me. Not to mention the fact that I would like more of it please. Not more motivation but more momentum. And even though some people tend to use these terms, kind of interchangeable, I found the difference between them to be exactly my problem as of late. There is a difference…I looked it up.

Motivation is “the activation or energization of goal-oriented behavior.” So in my case…I thought to myself…set a goal of running the half and draw energy from the fact that it might do some good for the Youth Homes. Okay. Done.

While momentum is a bit more scientific or to be more accurate...a matter of physics.

Momentum:  noun pl. momentums -•tums or momenta -•ta (-tə)

1. the impetus of a moving object

2. strength or force that keeps growing a campaign that gained momentum

3. Physics, Mech. the product of the mass of a particle, body, etc. and its velocity: abbrev. M

And as in any thing that moves...momentum can shift, change and wax and wane.

So…I’m left wondering what just exactly will keep pushing me forward. I, unfortunately, cannot be pushed through the streets of Missoula in a jogging stroller and truly feel any sense of accomplishment….I mean really, as much as I’ve dreamed that could be an option it would be a bit of a cheat.

But what WILL push me? Where do I draw momentum from? I really had to think this one through…dig deep down. And what I found wasn’t all that special or unique to me. You might even find it to be an "Uh Duh" kinda statement.  It is what anyone needs to accomplish something they think is impossible. It is also something that adheres to the rule that strength of momentum can come and go.

It is simply...a belief in one’s self.

Simple but not always easy on mile 2 of many many more ahead.  My belief that I can do this comes in bursts for now...waxing and waning. 

Update:  I am going to the running class my friend asked me to try.  She told me I will have to run 16 times around their indoor track to get a baseline of my ability.  Hmph.  And then onto the first training class with Run Wild Missoula on Sunday.  (push push...push push)


Jessica, Hannah's primary staff, writes this update for the week:

Hannah seems to finally be making herself comfortable here. (Although that could change on any given day!!) She is more at ease with each of the staff members and her peers. Hannah seems to be understanding the rules and expectations of the level system....but that doesn’t mean she’s necessarily following all of them. Just like a teenager, she's pushing the limits some to see what she can get away with!

She’s become consistent with her three cardios each week, and it seems to be getting easier for her to do. We changed things up on her over the past couple weekends because of the beautiful weather. We did cardios as a group and hiked up the M and the L. Hannah was really excited about the change, and REALLY excited about skipping out on the treadmill for a night! Mixing things up a bit has been good for her...although we emphasize consistency in the program, sometimes flexibility is what pushes us to grow even more. Hannah went into each hike with confidence, but this quickly wavered. After about 5 minutes on each hike, she fell behind and starting complaining of body aches and pains that were not related to hiking. It seemed as though she didn’t have as much confidence as we first thought. However, I’m happy to say that with some encouragement and a steady pace the complaining quickly stopped and she was a superstar! Hannah really enjoyed the new experience and the view at the top of each hike was more than a reward for her.