Excuse Me?
“Then one day she got tired of listening to her own excuses.
And everything changed.”
While I was finishing up a short run, those two sentences appeared in my head almost as if the letters were being typed onto the clouds in the sky in front of me. It was yesterday - November 15th. There was a bit of the prior day’s snow still on the ground but the sun was shining and I had just started an 8-week training plan to get ready for a ½ marathon in Louisiana in January as part of my ongoing quest to run a race in all 50 states.
As I was finishing up the last ½ mile, without really even thinking about it, I found myself slowing down. Even though I was feeling fine, a thought creeped into my head out of nowhere.
“You aren’t young anymore Gina.”
I hadn’t been struggling during my run - my legs weren’t feeling heavy nor was my breathing particularly labored. I had been feeling just fine actually and then this negative and unwelcome thought appeared in my head out of the clear blue.
I allowed it to linger in my head for just a moment before I shook it away and I turned my thoughts to meeting Jeannie Rice in Florida in November 2019 after finishing the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation ½ marathon. The race itself was not my favorite. I’d been miserable the entire race actually – it was hot, flat and due to the nature of the location, a highly secure Air Force base, there were no spectators allowed on the course itself. Without people along the way to clap and cheer, I was in my own head the entire time. There were some interesting historical moments to appreciate along the route but overall it was grueling. The bright spot of this event was the fact that I had the privilege of meeting Jeannie Rice, who holds the half marathon age group world record with a time of 1:37:07 at the age of 71. I’ll do the math for you, that’s a 7:25 per mile pace for 13.1 miles. My fastest half ever was a 1:56 and while I’m damn proud of that, it was the year I turned 40 – more than 30 years her junior. And lest you think she’s an elder Shalane Flanagan or Molly Seidel – nope. Rice didn’t even start running until she was 35 years old. How’s that for inspiration? While it’s true that I’m not out to set any course or age group records, I just want to finish a race in every state – I still give myself excuses all the time.
Until yesterday.
And to clarify, my excuses aren’t limited to running. They extend to my coaching practice, speaking goals, the book that has carried the moniker of “in process” for over two years now.
It extends to business goals, interests, relationships, even hobbies.
In addition to “you aren’t young anymore”, here are a few other excuses I’ve been telling myself:
- You’re not smart enough.
- You’re not certified in that yet.
- You’re not ready.
- You don’t have enough experience.
- You don’t have what it takes.
- You don’t have the right strategy.
- You aren’t focused enough.
- You’re too busy.
- You don’t know how.
- You’ve never done that before.
- You’re not that pretty.
- You might look stupid.
- You’re not good enough.
- People will think you’re [fill in the blank].
The list could go on and on but I’m done spending any more time building it.
That’s enough.
Now read those first two sentences again:
“Then one day she got tired of listening to her own excuses.
And everything changed.”
I have a question for you.
If those two sentences appeared in your memoir, what would come next in your story?
However you respond, focus TODAY on taking one step toward that reality.
