"I am capable of more than I ever thought possible."

I started running about five years ago. It seems like so much longer, but I think that it has been about five years. I started running, because I thought that it would help me to drop some unwanted pounds, but that was not the case; only extreme amounts of exercise may make up for a poor diet.

When I started running, I never knew that running long distances was possible for me. I started off by running with a group around a track, and from there I started running with the group that I currently run with, The Arlington Road Runners. And, the rest is history.

Running confirms to me that "I am capable of more than I ever thought possible," and that is basically why I do it. Yes, I do enjoy it, but what I like more than running, is the feeling that I get when I finish a ten mile run, a half marathon, or a shorter run: "I am capable of more than I ever thought possible." With consistency, anybody, and I mean anybody, can do something that he/she thought was impossible. Just think about it for a few minutes. There are some things that you thought you could never do, and you did it.

On Dec. 22, 2012, my college friend, Dave, finished his first 5K race, 3.1 miles, and when I talked to him after the race, I could hear the excitement in his voice.

Dave's first 5K

Dave and I reconnected through facebook, and I must admit that I was a little shock to see the amount of weight that he had gained. No judgement on my part, because I know how slowly those pounds can creep up on a person overtime.

In one of his FB post, Dave stated that he eats out a lot. You know that I had to say a comment along the lines of how he was basically killing himself and needed to consider eating at home more. We playfully went back and forth about this, but you know that I was very serious.

Shortly after this pleasant exchange, I saw on FB that Dave was in the hospital. This required more than a FB message, this required a phone call.

On September 22, Dave thought that he was having a heart attack: he was lethargic, weak, and his eyes were bloodshot red, so he went to the doctor to get checked out. Once they took his blood pressure, the doctors and nurses started doing those hurried movements as if "this is serious."

And, it was serious. Dave was not having a heart attack, but he was experiencing a hypertension crisis. He got to the doctor just in time to get great treatment and basically save his life.

Dave told me that "he kept thinking about his son and how Drake needed a father." He also stated:  "I couldn't let him grow up without a dad. I vowed that I was not going to die, because I was unhealthy."

Dave got out of the hospital and literally started to "run for his life."

I was both sad and happy for Dave. Sad that he had to go through this, but happy that he was warned, by his body, "to get it together." And, "getting it together" is just what he is doing.

Dave texted me to let me know that he was running in his first 5k, and you know that I went straight into support mode. I knew that if Dave successfully finished that first 5k, then he would be convinced that "he is capable of more than he ever thought possible," and the sky would be the limit for his health.

So, on December 22, Dave completed his first 5k. It was almost exactly three months after he thought that his life just might be over:

Before and after

Dave has lost thirty pounds and is on a health journey....

Now, Dave is just like you and me, and sometimes we let life "just happen." However, sometimes, we get reminders to live consciously and that "We are capable of more than we ever thought possible,"

Our bodies are incredible: they normally warn us when something is not right, they can be stretched to the limit, they can get stronger and stronger, they will heal themselves and are "capable of more than we ever thought possible."

Everytime that I run, whether it is a good run or a bad run, it is a reminder that "I am capable of more than I ever thought possible."

You, my Dear Readers, are also "capable of more than you ever thought possible."