Rhonda's Runner Insight

The next time you find it hard to get motivated and out on the road, think about Rhonda.

Rhonda is a 44 year old woman who runs in Montana. She's been running for 16 years and started, like many of us, at the coaxing of a friend who needed a running partner.  At first, Rhonda resisted. She said that she'd rather do just about anything, including climb Mt. Everest, but ultimately she gave in and got hooked.

Then, in the spring of 1997 Rhonda started to go blind.  Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, her vision  deteriorated rapidly. She is now legally blind and cannot drive a car or ride a bicycle. While her running has been affected by the disease, it hasn't stopped her, and she trains consistently and races frequently.

..."Even though I've been diagnosed with RP, I don't have to accept this as my reality," she writes in her blog.  "I am absolutely convinced that I will see again.  It's just a matter of time. And I want to take you on my journey, if you're so inclined to go with (sic). 

"My reason for writing this blog is to hopefully inspire even one person to understand that the change they seek is within.  But I'm also doing this for myself, as much as I am for others.  I'm using this blog to inspire myself as well as keep myself positive, focused and motivated.  I hope together we will have a fun time exploring where I've been and where I'm going.  This journey is about overcoming obstacles that prevent us from being the best we can be.  

"And I'm ready to get started...how 'bout it?"

I came across Rhonda's blog, Runner Insight completely by accident - I read so many blogs written by women who run and write about their experiences. As I scrolled through this woman's posts, I felt her energy and incredible attitude coming through her every word...how she trained and ran the marathon despite her trepidation - how she did it simply for the sense of accomplishment it gave her.  It's so familiar, isn't it?  The sense of accomplishment and pride you get, not from being the fastest or the best, but simply because you did it. And Rhonda did it blind.

I frequently feel tired and really burned out.  Sometimes I find it hard to write.  I feel discouraged and overwhelemed by the amount of work I have - even the amount of work it is  to keep Traxee going. But Rhonda's words really struck a chord with me and I somehow feel energized by her spirit and bravery.

So tonight I leave you, not with my words, but with hers.  I hope they inspire you as much as they did me:

I am a runner.
Eleven years ago, I started going blind.
But I didn’t want to have to stop running - to give up the thing I was passionate about.
So I chose not to.

I continued to run.
A year and a half ago, I ran a marathon.
I’ve created a website hoping to inspire myself and other people to break through whatever barriers or obstacles lie in the way.

It’s all about envisioning and creating a new reality for yourself.

Whatever your obstacles….

Whatever your passion.

This is my story.

This is your story.

 
Goodnight Traxees!

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