Training and so much more

For the past 3 weeks, I have been on somewhat of a health kick. Those who know me know that this is quite a change from my daily life of eating Jack In the Box and drinking beer. So far I have kicked the Jack In the Box. The beer still finds a way to seduce me into partaking in its frosty deliciousness.
So the health kick. I have been running on my lunch hour every day with a couple friends/co-workers. We are gradually working our way up to a brutal 26.2 mile marathon in July. I have found that setting myself up to run a full marathon is a much larger undertaking than I originally thought. We have so far worked our way up to a 3 mile run and I am having a hard time accepting the fact that I will soon be running almost 9 times that amount in a single serving. This has me thinking that there are some life changes in order. First off is the meal plan. If I am to run that far and for such a long duration, I better be properly nourished. Properly nourished has thus consisted of oatmeal in the morning, salad with chicken for lunch, and a dinner of chicken and vegetables. It has been a week of adhering to this menu and so far I have enjoyed the change. It is difficult to stick to, but rewarding.
So much more. Mental commitment to the goal of running a marathon has contributed so much more to my daily life. Breaking through each barrier of physical stress has made me realize that we are much stronger than we let ourselves think. Our bodies are capable of incredible things, but our minds can prevent us from using our full potential. How do we break the mental block that prevents us from doing what we know we can? I have no idea. What I do know is that I am on the road to finding out. So far, I have discovered that simply quitting when you think you've had enough is not an acceptable option. Go beyond what you think you can do and realize what you actually can do.

- Ritchie