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Endurance - A Way of Life
Endurance- A Way of Life
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\r\nBy Rebecca Dussault
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\r\nThe endurance athlete is a unique type of person. The average person alive today would really rather not sign up to put their mind, body and spirit through a grueling race or event, which could last a couple minutes, hours, or days. It is something special which ignites this flame in the endurance athlete and sets them apart.
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\r\nFor me endurance athletics are a challenge physically, mentally, and spiritually which help shape everything else in my life; how I deal with disappointments, set backs, suffering, and relationships. What is the purpose of sport if not to cultivate the dignity and harmony of the human body, to develop its health, strength, agility and grace? There are so many parallels between training and racing endurance style and dealing with the things that present themselves in life. Endurance is something that is built up slowly and over a long period of time which requires perseverance and patience. There isn’t much in the way of instant gratification while training and racing endurance distances.
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\r\nWhen the going gets tough, that’s when I get going! I see athletics as being necessary to help my soul be victorious over the weaknesses of my body. It is important to always believe in what I am doing and why. For instance, I may be doing a long distance workout or an interval session in July, but my first competition isn’t until December, so I’m tempted to lessen the quality of what I’m doing. Training requires that things be done months in advance and that small goals are kept along the way to a greater goal. This, I think, is also the very pattern of life. With the small markers along the way being accomplished one can know that they are on track towards the final goal.
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\r\nDuring an event I have to be so mentally tough because I am physically pushing myself to the limit and this is when my mental game makes all the difference. I could be in my best possible physical shape but have a hard time mastering my mind, which could mean defeat in a race. Daily I try to train myself to endure with hope and patience in all things in life. I might be suffering at some point in my life, but like in racing I can tell myself that “this too shall pass.” It is hard for a time, but if I pool all my energies for this one attempt at this one specific time, then I’ve tapped into my potential. It is really a matter of how bad I want it and how hard I’m willing to go in the moment.
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\r\nI find the motivation to keep going because of my goal in mind. My overlapping and all consuming goal is the attainment of eternal life in heaven with God. This is the most powerful motivation and is the greatest strength that I rely on to live and race at this pace which at times is glorifying, exciting, daunting, frustrating, and disappointing. I don’t do it just for myself, for the shallowness in that would have grown old long ago. My family, friends, fans, women, men, juniors, seniors and children all play a role in my dedication to sport. Like a steam engine that is driven from the flame inside, so my soul drives me on, seeing that all things are done with a firm purpose and for the betterment of myself and those around me, so I race on, to complete the real race of life.
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Rebecca, Sharbel and Tabor Dussault.
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Rebecca during a 5k time trial earlier this summer.
Written By: RDussaultDate Posted: 9/27/2004Number of Views: 289
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