When I took my first steps after surgery for cancer last year I struggled to make it across the room. A few weeks later I was still only able to hobble 50 steps or so, clutching at my abdomen as the scar tissue tugged. After chemotherapy and many months of hospitals, nausea, and exhaustion my body was 8kg (16 pounds) heavier, exhausted, bloated, and nauseous.  And I wanted to run a marathon.

I found a trainer, Chris Lonsdale, who agreed to take me on. Luckily he did not laugh at me when I told him I wanted to run a marathon - 26 miles, 42.2km. He did not see the broken and labouring body; he saw the spirit in me, the fire in my eyes, the determination, will, and inspiration to achieve what looked like the impossible.

This crippled person was not who I was - I was a strong, energetic, full of life kind of gal. The picture I had in my head was of a healthy, gazelle-like athlete springing across the hills for ten kilometre runs. OK, those who know me know my body is more 'bellydancer-like' than 'gazelle-like', but the picture of health was one of ease and grace (like a gazelle!).

I had a vision of who I wanted to be and what I wanted to achieve. This however bore no resemblance to where I was in the present moment. My body was heavy, I lacked energy, I got dizzy with more than an hour of effort on anything, including reading. Walking for ten minutes at a slow pace was exhausting. How was I going to run a marathon??

This is when the magic of focus and clear intentions took over. I held the dream in front of me in a bright, shiny picture. I imagined what it would feel like to run long distances again, to feel the wind swirl around me as I ran effortlessly for hours. I felt the exhilaration of this picture in all the cells of my body. I did this every time I struggled up a hill on a walk after a chemo treatment. I did this each time I stepped on the treadmill. I could only manage a few minutes of walking at a slow pace, but in my mind's eye I was a healthy, fit marathon runner.

Some days were much harder than others. Regaining fitness really hurts. I felt heavy, breathless, and laboured through all the workouts. I was tempted to throw in the towel - it seemed like such a long way to go, such a huge effort, and my body was so far from the condition it needed to be to tackle even a few kilometres, let alone 42!

My trainer kept me focussed on the 30-second training rule. This is where each time you workout you push just a little harder than last time. Just one more repetition on the weights, just 30 more seconds on the machine, just one more push up. I would think, "Come on - I may not be able to run a marathon yet, but I CAN do another 30 seconds." Each day I exercised I was stronger than the last. Each week I was much stronger than the previous week. After three months I could run 20km again. Four months after that I could run 5 hours and finish a marathon. 30 seconds of focus, repeated again and again, got me through the marathon 7 months after chemotherapy.

How many of us stop short of pursuing a goal, a dream, when we look around at our present circumstances? Do you stop and think, "that is so far from where I am now - I'll never make it. I don't know even where to start. It is just too hard/too far/too long/too complex/too expensive"? Sometimes we stop before we begin because the gap between where we are and where we want to be appears so vast.

Here's a reality check. WAKE UP! You are in charge! You are at the helm of your ship. Your present situation is the result of PAST thought; your future will be the result of your thoughts and actions NOW. So even if you don't look like a marathon runner NOW, if you want to be one, you have to BE one now - in thought, in feelings, and in baby step actions.

Whatever dreams you have, here is the 30 Second Marathon Success Blue Print

Step 1. Connect with your intention. Feel inspired, know how good it will feel to achieve this thing. Experience the 'feel good place' of that intention as if you had already achieved it. Hold it like a photograph in your mind's eye. Look at that photo and feel all the 'memories' flood in.

Step 2. Get support. Work with someone with expertise in the area of your dreams to help develop a plan and guide you there.

Step 3. Focus on baby steps. One little step at a time. Reward yourself for having taken them.

Step 4. Enjoy all parts of the journey. Celebrate the effort, the reward, and the rest and relaxation along the way. For me, the best part of the marathon was the training. Each week a new barrier crossed, a new threshold blasted.

Dreams Inventory
What are your dreams? What is your big picture? Send me an email and tell me - it will be fun to share with the readership what everyone else is aspiring to create in their lives. When you share your dream it becomes a little more real too. Why not inspire someone else and share what you desire? It could be a Mazzarati Spider in flashy silver, or a house on the beach at Harvey Bay, or a $10 million business, or publishing a book, or...
Come on - share your dreams - one sentence only.

Laser Thoughts
When you marry in to a family, you discover a whole new way of doing things, ways of thinking, and different values. Welcome to:

Routh Family Wisdom
"Never pay full retail." Always shop in sales. Use discount cards. Negotiate. Haggle. Shop on line. Barter. Do anything, but make sure you get a bargain.

"An afternoon lie-down bucks you up for the rest of the day." A Paul Routh dictum. This is how he preserves his youthful humour and vitality.

"Always follow the six o'clock rule." No beer before six. This prevents excessive consumption and ensures you don't peak too early at a dinner party.

"You need at least one activity per day." An 'activity' is something physical, preferably outdoors, that gets you moving. Examples are fishing, swimming at the beach, walking the dog. Afternoon naps in the hammock do not count as an activity.

"Champagne and grandchildren - the secret to surviving and thriving in your golden years." Noelene Routh says you need the champagne after a day babysitting the grandchildren!


Copyright Inner Compass 2006.