The Option of Quitting

When I teach Boot Camp, I sometimes get on my fitness soapbox about various new trends, eating fads, and other relevant issues.  I'm lucky enough to have a captive audience, who is obligated to listen to my crazy rants because every minute I spend talking is one less minute they have to spend doing push-ups.  Or so I've been told...

A couple of weeks ago we were discussing marathons.  I was preaching that everyone should run a marathon at least once in their lives, just out of self-discovery.  You learn so much about yourself when trying to complete 26.2 miles, when your body just wants to stop and you're taxed beyond comprehension.  That's when a few of the Boot Campers brought up the excellent point that they have delivered children, and that is enough of an endurance battle for one lifetime.

They're right -- having no children of my own (except one little furry Yorkshire Terrier who is technically adopted), I cannot begin to imagine what a woman goes through during child labor.  However, when I was musing on this the other day, I realized there is a main difference between the two when it comes to perseverance:  the option of quitting.

When you are giving birth to a baby, there is no quitting.  The baby is coming whether you want it to or not.  In a marathon, there are LOTS of opportunities to quit.  At every other mile (or even every mile near the end), there are race volunteers willing to take care of you if you can't continue.  There are volunteers on bike patrolling the racers, making sure everyone is okay.  You can bail out at any time.  And yet, knowing you CAN quit, marathoners keep going.  From a mental standpoint, I think that's a bigger challenge -- being tempted with the option of stopping, yet pushing on and finishing anyway.

Hope this idea gets your gears going and inspires ideas of your own.  And to all the moms out there -- sorry if I offended you; in no way am I saying child birth is easy.  I'm just making comparisons and drawing conclusions that I seem to find interesting.  If you're thoroughly outraged, though, there's a comment section below.  I always like a good debate!