My sister in law lives in North Carolina and has been training for the Parkway Subaru Battleship Half Marathon for several months. When we went to visit her family last month I did one of her training runs with her. She has been committed to her training regimen and excited for her race. Her race was scheduled for this past weekend, November 14, 2021.
She flew in town from North Carolina unexpectedly Friday, November 12, to see her grandfather who is very close to passing away. He is approaching the gates of heaven and she wanted to see him one last time and be there for him and her family.
Of course the race was not important given the circumstances. She is staying at our house and on Saturday she mentioned that she is going to run her half marathon on Sunday as scheduled. Immediately without hesitation I said, “I’ll do it with you”.
Let me give you a little background on my relationship with Christi, my sister in law. I met her when she was ten years old. When she was eighteen she came to College Station and moved in with us for her first year in college. In November of 2014 I had the honor of officiating her and her husbands wedding. She is very special and someone who is near and dear to me.
Sometimes you wonder why you are working out? Sometimes you may ask yourself if any of these workouts matter? Obviously we know the benefit of exercise or else most people wouldn’t do it.
But do we really know all the possible benefits? Could it be that there are benefits or “blessings” that are only possible because we are training physically for them?
This was one of those moments for me. It was a blessing to get to run this 13.1 miles through Bryan and College Station with my sister in law yesterday. The weather was amazing and we had the best fan club following us around the entire course.
I share this story to get you thinking about your health and your fitness. Are you missing out on unexpected blessings?
I know exactly what you’re thinking, “Charlie if you think I am going to run a half marathon for someone else you’re crazy”. Of course that is a unique example but trust me there are other examples you will be able to relate to. Some are as simple as playing outside with your kids or going for a walk with a loved one.
In my book, You Can Be Fit, I wrote about a client and dear friend of mine who was able to walk the streets of San Francisco visiting her son and not feel exhausted because of the workouts she had been doing with me and the weight she had lost. Later she was able to overcome serious health issues that she would not have overcome had she not started exercising according to her doctor.
Remember that these are moments you would only know about if you are training and physically prepared for them. Exercise is about so much more than looking better and fitting into smaller clothes.
My run yesterday was to encourage my sister in law and be there for her so she didn’t have to run alone. Through that I experienced so many blessings. Here are a few:
1. Making another great memory with my sister in law
2. My kids got to see me do this and be a part of it
3. I got to really test my body because I haven’t run a half marathon in several years
4. The weather was perfect and definitely a blessing
5. Running recharges my soul
Are you training for moments like these? Or are you missing out on them?
It all begins with taking the first step. I know it can be overwhelming and difficult especially when you don’t know where to start. That is why I started started personal training. I want to help you get started. All you have to do is ask for help.
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