Breaking Out - A Transformation

I want to relate a story about a very good friend of mine who has been a tremendous inspiration to me and a shining example of breaking through self set, self limiting boundaries & even boundaries that may have been imposed by society to achieve a phenomenal goal.

We will call him "John" so as not to embarrass him or cause him any uncomfort.

"John" came into my life through a faulty tail light on my wife's car that was taken to Wal Mart for repair. "John" did not normally work there, but due to a temporary leave o

f absence from his regular job, was the one who took care of my wife. "John" had been looking for a church & just happened to see a window sticker on our car that peaked his interest. Fast forward a year or so, now "John" & his family have joined our church & we have become good friends.

Now "John" was not always this way. In his past life", "John" was very active in a number of biker groups; you know, the ones you REALLY FEAR! "John" was definitely a different person than he is now. Turning his life around, focusing on his family & strengthening his spiritual side in & of itself is a tremendous inspiration but is not the point of this writing.

In my ramblings about marathons & ultra marathons, "John" decided that he wanted to run a marathon some time next year. He went to one of our local running stores & after looking over the plethora of running shoes, picked a pair & started on his journey.

"John" made out a running schedule to plot out his daily runs & weekend long run. He was spending more & more time out on the trails & alone with time to ponder the worlds problems, think about what he is thankful for & have some quiet time to pray. There was the odd encounter with shadows (oh yea, it was not a shadow but a skunk - maybe I ought to leave this for another post), dear & time with his daughter as she rode along side on her bicycle.

Convincing me to run the Warrior Dash with him September 24th, we had a BLAST running & climbing at Turkey Mountain.

"John" had planned on running the 10K at the Route 66 Marathon this November but with his distance up to about 8 miles now (& further by November), he will likely sign up for the 1/2 Marathon.

His marathon debut will be some time in 2012 (possibly the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in April).

Coming from where "John" came from to running his first marathon (& hopefully not his last if I can help it), he has truly broken thorough his old self into a new person (& one that I feel blessed to be able to call a friend).

"John" will also be crewing for me when Know No Boundaries runs our 2nd 100 mile run on October 15th & 16th at the Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd.

Thank you "John" for being my friend & a true inspiration.

Blessings to all.