SISU

Growing up with my father after divorce was impactful.  I had no idea, at 12 years old, that living with him was so different, but it was.  He was a struggling entrepreneur and salesman, emotionally challenges with other reverberations from his own childhood.  He was a loving, sensitive father, but frequently absent.  When he was home I often found him escaping in poetry or sic-fi novels.  He ran almost every day, with integrity.  It was the 70's and his work and the Montreal Olympics brought him closer to such icons as Lasse Viren for strength and commitment to his goals.

I ran with him a couple of times on Mount Royal, his perpetual challenge was "The Loop" at the top.  He ran marathons in different cities and considering his amateur status, his standards were high and I was always told to push hard, and NEVER, EVER walk.  His Finnish friend taught him about 'sisu'.  

Sisu is a Finnish word that cannot be translated properly into the English language, loosely translated to mean stoic determination, bravery, guts, resilience,^[1][2] perseverance and hardiness,^[3][4] expressing the historic self-identified Finnish national character. (Wiki)

In Italian, the closest thing I can think of is 'grinta', which translates pretty well as grit.

My more modest goals through my first marathon at the age of 35 were fueled by this.  Dig deep and push through.  I was disappointed when I actually had to walk my last few miles of the Hatfield-McCoy marathon, but Dad was gracious enough to be present and even finish the run with me.   A good memory of wanting him to be proud of me and him meeting me where I was, knowing I had put in a good effort.

Thanks to this odd indoctrination of a foreign mantra, I was able to reap the benefits of athletics and continue to pursue them in various forms, overcoming my terrible lack of swimming skills and the fear of cycling from an accident I suffered when I was younger.

Sisu is something that everyone has access to, it just needs to be embraced.  The greatest of life's challenges can threaten to overwhelm us, but the strength to bare them is there, and even welcomes, beckons us to put it to use.  I think this is why I continue to seek opportunities that bring this character to life.