Brian Beam: Warrior Wednesday 6/11/2014

So, a couple months ago, as you may have read on here, I started an initiative to get back into jogging, a hobby that I truly enjoy(yeah, some would find that crazy). I love the natural energy that jogging a few times a week gives me, and most of my story ideas are formed during my runs.

Last June, I had some trouble with a protruding disc, causing both lower back pain and nerve pain. Even after physical therapy, when I was feeling better, I'd fallen out of my jogging habit. It took me the greater part of a year, but I was finally struck by how much that bothered me. Therefore, I signed up for last month's North Carolina Warrior Dash and started this blog feature as a way to give me a sense of accountability to get back into jogging and improve my health.

Now here I am, nearly a month beyond the Warrior Dash. Am I still motivated. I'm proud to say that's a big yes.

I've already run 2 5Ks since the Warrior Dash and, excluding last week and this week, have averaged about 10 miles a week. Last Wednesday saw me doing something to aggravate my back for the first time in months, sudden stabbing pain striking me about a mile and a half into a morning run. Somehow, the issue resolved itself(with the help of prescription anti-inflammatories, that is) by Friday, and against my better judgement, I ran the aforementioned 5K, mainly because I'd already paid for it, and I'm stubborn(read - stupid) like that. Thankfully, it went well, and I'm still mostly pain free.

That's a lot of set up for the simple point I'd like to make. While I probably should have taken the safer route and skipped the race, taking part in it made me realize that my motivation to run and my love of the activity is there, and it's as strong as ever(I don't recommend anyone taking a risk like that to come to such a realization).

Along with my 5Ks, my son Jonas ran in the 1/2 mile fun runs associated with each. I will never push him to run, but as long as he gets excited when I ask if he wants to do a race, I'll let him do as many as he wants. I would love to have him by my side for a full 5K.

I'm not sure anyone reading this even cares about this, but I mean it to show that A)Taking control of something that you've lacked in your life over a long period of time is possible if you want it bad enough, and B)It's possible to maintain the motivation to keep that something going. And I'm not just talking about physical health. How many times have you realized that you haven't made time for a favorite hobby as simple as making time to read? We all have something we enjoy doing that we have grown increasingly distant from. Try to think about something you wish you had time for, or that you lost touch with due to past circumstances and simply haven't gone back because you've become so used to not doing it.

Now, make some time for it this week. See how it goes. Maybe you'll fall in love with it all over again.