Gonna Fly Now

I have a few things that keep me motivated while pursuing my passion.

Outside of my beautiful, supporting wife and pulchritudinous daughter, one of my main motivations is Rocky.

Yes, as silly as it may seem, the “Rocky” movie gives me hope, motivation, and perseverance to keep going. Here is why : (*spoiler alert. But let’s be honest, if you haven’t watched any Rocky movies, you should feel some sense of shame*)

1) Winning through losing. Alright, technically it was a draw, but Apollo retained the belt.

The original Rocky speaks volumes about the underdog. A no name prize fighter, living in the slums, gets a one in a million chance to fight the champ. Through hard work and dedication, he capitalizes on this opportunity, puts on a phenomenal show, gains respect, and the woman of his dreams. Heck, even the film itself was underfunded, and still became a huge success.

Though I’m not running for prize money, the woman of my dreams, or for respect – I would like to defy some odds and put on a show. Let’s face it; I’m no longer the spry runner from when I was 17 years old. However, through all my trials and tribulations, I have pushed hard and actually placed in my age group for many races and race series. This leads us to number 2.

2) Hard work pays off.

As Rocky trains, he rarely loses sight of his ultimate goal. He ramps up his training (as unorthodox as Mick makes it) and realizes that this could be his last opportunity to achieve greatness. Also, blasting through a slab of cow is really cool.

How this relates to me. Well, last year at this time, I was running a 5k in 23 minutes. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was coaching Track in the Spring and Cross Country in the Fall, I’m sure my winter 5k’s would have been even slower. However, this year I decided to put in the work that my body deserves. Instead of just running a few miles here and there I have tried my best to run at least 3 days a week. This is my new minimum standard and I like to make one of those a long run (+8 miles) or speed work (minimum of 1.5 miles).

Has it paid off? Absolutely! Just last weekend I ran my fastest 5k since I graduated high school – 18:59:7!

3) Be nice to others.

How’s that for a curveball? When discussing “Rocky,” not many people will focus on how affable and courteous Rock is to others. But let’s think about it; He continued to (awkwardly) pursue the girl he liked. He tried wooing her with gifts and randomly popping in to the pet store to simply say “Hi.” Then, the catch to this situation Pauly, Rocky’s good friend, is also Adriane’s older brother. Though there are some conflicts, Rock is usually the gentlemen with things, even allowing Pauly to punch him whilst giving him a watch!

Finally, there is the general population. Running through the city of brotherly love, most everyone says good morning or gives a wave as Rocky passes. It is obvious that he is no slouch and is nice to others. I mean, why else would random people wave to an arbitrary person running in the street (or maybe they are afraid that he will break their fingers. Something that he refused to do for his bookie, since the guy wouldn’t be able to work, thus not being able to make money to pay back his boss. Man, what a nice guy!) I mean, even when I wave to people to say thanks for giving me the right away at an intersection or alleyway, I’d say about only 50% wave back or acknowledge my courteous behavior.

But what this goes to show you is that if you are kind to others, they will be kind to you. The golden rule if you will. Continuing with this, I fully believe in the piece of dark chocolate candy wrapper that I received as soon as I began my first full time teaching job. It stated, “Happiness is contagious.” How this relates to motivation for running? Well, as Rocky has shown us through almost every movie, if you are kind to others, they are more likely to support you through your journey and cheer you on. As I embark on my own personal goals, I have received tons of support and have been told by numerous people that I am motivating them to achieve their own goals – to me, that is the greatest motivation.

So tell me, what motivates you?