What #fitwinning means to me, and why it is important

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Today's Run

7 miles! 1000+ calories!

That's what I'm talking about! I was a little nervous about this run, knowing I was looking at my longest run ever. But I did it, even threw in a small hill at the beginning. It feels so good to know I have hit that number, because my 10K is in about 3 weeks, and my 10 mile race 2 weeks after that and I now feel more confident I will be able to do both at a level I feel comfortable with.

Achievements like that are what I look to when I use that #fitwinning hashtag. It's pretty simple: Fit, as in fitness, as in being able to comfortably run a certain distance, to set a fitness goal and achieve it like my running in races or my friends who ran in the Tough Mudder. Winning is all about attitude, taking a can do approach to things, instead of letting your mind defeat you. And combined fitwinning is best summed up by days like today: run a personal best 7 miles in the morning, then look forward to playing kick ball with friends and family in the evening. It's going to a big family gathering and feeling more comfortable going and playing ball with the kids and teenagers than sitting around talking.

I think that is the biggest part of what gets missed in the messages about getting fit and being fit are the real benefits. Fitness on it's own is a worthy goal, but what you can do when you are fit, and what an effect it has on the rest of your life, that is the biggest message that I like to get across.