Time to Breakaway, Time to Push My Pace

 Now I played a handful of different sports through out my life, and one thing they all have in common (except  Vball) is running. Whether on the court, field or track. Whether during training season or in the heat of the action. Can you tell I love sports??  Well, I ought to. My parents both were on scholarship for track- and they were both one of a kind, record setting, athletes. Competitive, quick and steady. Even today I run into people that knew them or watched them compete as far back as highschool, they can never say enough about those glorious days. That never gets old to me, ya know? I am proud. They would have made excellent coaches. Watching the races alongside them today, makes me wish I would have followed close in their footsteps. My dad says I would have been great! My brother, I think, even better than me. It's kindof bitter sweet to watch the races and know we have the build and the bloodlines ;) If the state track and field board would not have moved Maxine Graham from AA to A, my mother would still hold the single A high school long jump record today!

I remember my dad setting up those old wire hangers, and bending them in such a way that they resembled extra-mini hurdles (his forte in his prime) for me to leap over as I ran down the hall. In a big announcer voice he'd say, "Runners take your mark, get set, GO!" My parents taught me techniques that helped them hang with the best like breathing correctly, and how "use my arms". These helped me in anything I played.  Another thing they taught me was about pacing myself. Now, my parents were sprinters. I think the reason I wasn't much a fan of racing, is because it's so "individualistic." It's all about your game, your training, your individual effort. I like actual "team" sports, where players play their own game, but are fueled by the synergy of the team. LOVE THIS. The fact that I even think that way, probably says a lot about my personality, huh ;)

More on Pacing Myself- this concept of pacing myself has to do with leveling out my energies, so they are consistent throughout. You do this, I believe, to conserve your energy. This way you can accelerate and really push yourself in the last leg of the race. This is speaking more from a "distance runner" standpoint. I used this during conditioning/training seasons to practice the discipline of endurance. It's actually how endurance is built. You have to steadily push yourself, all the while saving the best (of yourself) for last! This is what wins games and all sorts of events! It's how underdogs come back out of the locker room with their game face on and  CLEAN UP in the last quarter! WOOO! They are tired and drenched in their own sweat. They may be down several points with  nothing left to give. But after the coach's pep talk, there is a tingle of new energy you can taste in the air! They come away with the victory because they dug deep and turned their BEST on! Ah, it's beautiful! But for real, this stuff is training that is relevant for every area of life. I even used them while in labor. It helped my confidence and focus, especially when it was time to transition from pacing myself (laboring), to pushing (delivering).

In my life, now more than ever, I feel an urgency to pickup my pace a bit. Push myself. Get ahead and steadily PULL (BrEaK) AWAY!  I can still hear the words of Kelly Clarkson's (actually Avril wrote it) ringing in my heart as my friend <3 and I sang our farwell to the senior class of 2005. In what ways do you feel it's time to break away from the pack? In your health, education, relationships, business, personal goals and dreams?

::Breakaway- you can't be the best hangin with the "ok's"::