Achieving Your Goal By Relieving Yourself In Public

Most marathons provide more than their fair share of heroes and heroines who provide great examples. The London Marathon in April 2005 provided one or two especially heroic examples. The competitors have much to teach about achieving goals.

On Sunday 17th April 2005, Paula Radcliffe was running in the London Marathon and had to stop for a call of nature. Instead of running off the course and possibly losing the race, she decided to answer the call close to a drinks table at the side of the road.

She knew that this might well be filmed and broadcast to millions but was determined not to stop for longer than necessary. I am more impressed by her answering the call of nature in public than by the fact that she won the marathon. Her priority was to win and not to save herself embarrassment. Her sheer guts and determination have never been more obvious.

Some really ignorant person wrote in to complain that Paula's behaviour was disgusting. She clearly had no idea what running a marathon can do to your body. The organiser offered the critic a place in next year's marathon to provide a chance to find out!

Paula stopped 5 miles from the end of the race and squatted on the ground. She had endured stomach cramps for several miles before that and was losing 10 seconds every time her stomach cramped up.

Later, after she had won the Flora London Marathon in 2hrs 17 min 42 sec, a world record for a women-only race, she apologized for having to relieve herself in the street. She was embarrassed but was also smiling because she had achieved her goal of winning the race.

She commented: "I've got to apologize to the nation for having to stop but I was losing 10 seconds every time my stomach cramped up. I didn't know how far I was ahead but I felt I just had to stop."

In fact, Paula had more than a two-minute lead over Constantina Dita, of Romania. Paula had joked about finding one of the 950 Portaloos. "That would have been OK but I would probably have had to fight my way through the crowd and then sign a couple of autographs on the way out." That could have taken at least two minutes and stopped her achieving her goal.

"I was annoyed because I was feeling good and looking forward to running faster in the second half of the race," she said. "But my stomach got so bad I thought, why not stop, and then I would be able to concentrate on running properly again."

In 1985, another top runner had felt compelled to take a toilet stop in London. Steve Jones relieved himself behind a sentry box at the Tower of London before going on to beat Charlie Spedding in the 1985 race.

However, he at least had some decent cover available and so I would not rate him in the same class as Paula!

Paula's mind was focused firmly on the goal of winning:

"The main thing was to win the race - when you are in a race all you think about is getting to the line first and that's what I had to do. Everyone is paranoid about it. You try to eat as plain food as possible but you can't get much plainer than plain pasta. It's the first time it has happened to me in a race."

The organizer tried to shed light on the loo situation: "We had every single Portaloo in the country around the start, finish and along the way. The route is lined with houses and pubs so for the average person it's not going to be a problem but there is no way that's an answer for someone running at the speed of Paula."

Paula's call of nature has provided the world with an inspiring example of the kind of determination that might be necessary to achieve a big goal.

Clare Forbes, 10 years younger than Paula at the age of 21, provided another example of ferocious determination. She took 19 hrs and 10 mins together with a 3 hour break to cross the finishing line.

She was moving on artificial legs. 4 years ago she had suffered from meningitis. It was uncertain whether she would ever walk again. She entered the marathon on behalf of the Meningitis Trust to raise money to help sufferers. She must also have inspired many other people with artificial limbs to realize what can be achieved with courage and determination.

About the author

John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams.

They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.

The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now! - Acronyms, Stories, And Pictures...Easy To Remember And Use Everyday To Grab Your Life And Soar With The Eagles"

The book can be found at this URL

http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

The book uses acronyms, stories and pictures to help readers remember 36 laws that can gradually transform your life if you apply them.

Ezine editors / Site owners. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site as long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include my resource box as listed above.

FatCat
06.09.2008Financial goal setting - key points
FatCat, Australia - 15 hours ago
Professor Chris Jackson, Australian School of Business, University of NSW recommends setting a hard and specific goal “because that will allocate your ...

Jones: Realizing the dream takes wise goal-setting, persistence
Northwest Herald, IL - Sep 5, 2008
Setting aside time to engage in a planning process provides the opportunity to develop incremental goals that lead to the realization of the desired vision. ...

SwimmingWorldMagazine.com
Swimming Technique Focuses On Early-Season Goal Setting In ...
SwimmingWorldMagazine.com, AZ - Sep 4, 2008
In this issue of Swimming Technique, author Daniel Carl outlines a system for setting seasonal and yearly goals. Five key areas for goal setting are ...

First win eludes Eagles / Ferris State blocks potential game ...
Ashland Times Gazette, OH - 1 hour ago
But Bulldog Kevin Noe got his arm on Berkshire's kick, setting off an FSU frenzy and dimming Ashland's hopes for a second straight playoff appearance. ...
College football: Blocked kick leaves Ashland University 0-2 Mansfield News Journal
all 4 news articles

Long-term plan aids marketing of Michael Phelps
The Associated Press - 16 hours ago
"I've learned that through education, planning, goal-setting, and informed decision-making, anything is possible," said Phelps, who was raised by a single ...

Prpich’s goal proves to be the difference for Stevens
Rapid City Journal, SD - 3 hours ago
They possessed the ball effectively, creating space for their forwards and setting up a number of advantages that went unfinished as the first half ended in ...

Goal.com
As the Calcutta Football League (CFL) nears its end, Goal.com ...
Goal.com, Switzerland - 5 hours ago
As for Bagan, another four points will ensure them a second consecutive league title but with a superior goal difference, one more win may just be good ...

Pelicans begin quest to cap record-setting season tonight
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC - 6 hours ago
"That's been our goal since Day 1. That's what you play for. Even at this level. That's something you can't take away from a kid is a championship. ...

OnlineSportsHandicapping.com
MSU DIGEST
Lansing State Journal, MI - 1 hour ago
Cara Freeman scored her fourth goal, on a header off a corner kick, and Laura Heyboer added her third with assists from Lauren Hill and Freeman. ...
Spartans, Ringer Ground Eagles, 42-10 MAC Report Online
Cousins gets Division I baptism MLive.com
Miscues, Momentum Swings Define First Game FightOnState.com
Lansing State Journalall 248 news articles

Men’s soccer rebounds from early loss
The UCLA Daily Bruin, CA - 2 hours ago
The Demon Deacons were effective on the offensive side as well, shooting the ball 17 times and setting the tone early with a goal in just the third minute ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

On Achievement