Proud and Looking to Brag

This Mandi Monday is actually all about Ronnie, but Ronnie Monday just doesn't sound as good. I write today to brag on Ronnie's behalf. I am SUPER proud of Ronnie's running this week, so I'll tell you a little bit about it, from my point of view.

I must say, I've seen Ronnie push himself out of his comfort zone quite a bit. Ronnie, if you haven't learned already, is very willing and eager to give anything a go at least once and gives everything his all. When we work out, he works up a pretty good sweat, gets pretty winded, often dry heaves or even throws up. I've seen him work out in the hospital, with his PICC line dangling, and seen him climb the Great Wall with a terrible cold, high fever, gasping for breath. But even after seeing him push himself through many other things, I have never been as proud as I was this last week.

This week we upped our cardio to running 4 minutes, walking 3 (x4). Tuesday was our first day for this time/distance. Ronnie seemed a little apprehensive about the shift from walking more than running, to running more than walking. But never-the-less, he eagerly laced up his now beat-up looking Brooks, and was ready to go. I tried to reassure him that he was fully capable of running 4 minutes and we were off.

About 1/4 of the way into it I could tell he wasn't feeling great. When we finished up the first running segment, his breath got a little strained. He put his hands on his hips. You could tell he had a little stitch in his side. He coughed a few times until it sounded like he was going to toss his cookies, but held it down. He was hurting. He stayed focused. He glanced at his watch (he pays attention to our time), gasped for a few last breaths, coughed once, and started running again. Each time our 4 minutes of running were up, he'd be more winded, coughing a littler harder and would take a little longer to catch his breath. But each time, he'd glance at his watch and when it was time, he'd start running again. I was impressed.

And when I thought I couldn't be more impressed, he amazed me. The last segment of the run, he ran longer than he had to, by almost a minute. Not only did he push himself to do what hurt, but he had pushed himself to do more than he had to. That I find truly admirable.

Here's the greatest part: he may not feel it this week or next year, but one day it will pay off that he has always done a little more than he had to. He will undoubtedly be able to run faster, run farther, and ultimately live longer because he always went "the extra mile" (terrible pun intended)--for that, I am proud!!

(I thought I'd throw in a video of Ronnie and me at the Great Wall for your enjoyment!)