inspiration

Hartford Marathon Inspiration

Finishing the Hartford Marathon

Thirteen years ago I ran the Hartford Marathon without training. It was a terrible idea and I wasn’t in the shape required to run 26.2 miles. The strangers on the sidelines inspired me to keep going. They had come to see a friend or family member running, but they’d cheer me on by mentioning something specific about me as I ran by them.

You Are An Inspiration

I often remember the crowds that day who came out in the pouring rain and made such a difference in my ability to reach a goal. Do you realize how often you motivate people? Sometimes we take for granted or don’t always recognize the ways in which we inspire others. But we inspire people all the time in ways they remember that aren’t a blip on our radar.

From mile 14 on, I pretty much considered quitting every five minutes. Then a stranger would say something that boosted my spirits. None of them remember me. They saw thousands of runners sprint passed. They stood in the rain for hours to support a bunch of crazy runners and it was their words of encouragement […]

Hartford Marathon InspirationMaggie Downie2019-10-01T16:20:24-04:00

Comic-Con Comfort Zone

Going to Comic-Con wasn’t exactly outside my comfort zone, but it wasn’t on my list of things to do, and certainly wasn’t something I’d normally be interested in attending. I’ll plan a hike, a fire walk, a giant slip and slide and build an igloo, but I wouldn’t suggest a day at a comic convention. The only reason I wanted to go was to spend time with my brother and Matt and to watch them enjoy it. That was the only reason until I discovered John Cusack was going to be there. I’m still not sure why Cusack was at Comic-Con, but I’ve been a fan before I even knew who he was as a child watching Natty Gann.

The awkward, though understandable, thing about Comic-Con is that you basically have to pay for any interactions with “the talent.” If you want an autograph, you pay. If you want a photo-op, you pay. If you are someone who collects signatures that makes sense to me. If, like my brother and Matt, you know Stan Lee is 93 and you probably won’t get another chance in life to interact with […]

Comic-Con Comfort ZoneMaggie Downie2017-12-29T20:19:54-05:00

I have a friend who often tells me that my blogs or Facebook posts motivate her to be healthier or to get to the gym. That makes me happy. In my career, getting to hear that you motivate people is some of the best news you can get.

But it’s important to know that everyone I work with motivates me too.

On a very obvious level, as a Pilates instructor I generally think it’s important to stay healthy and active in order to physically be able to do my job and to stay fit. But when I have a client trying a new activity for the first time, they remind me everything there is to try and experience out there. When I have a client who eats healthier than I do (which is probably many), I feel like I should be more like them. They set a good example for me. When a client has been struggling with an exercise for a long time and they finally get […]

InspirationMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:30:12-04:00

Do You Need A Coma To Inspire You?

When I ran the Surftown Half Marathon in September I ran about a mile with a guy I’d never met. We struck up a conversation because he was thinking of doing a RagnarRelay and I was wearing a Ragnar Relay t-shirt. I’ve decided an amusing shirt is a good tool on a long run. It becomes a conversation piece. Next time I’m going to try to come up with something even better than an old Ragnar shirt.

As we chatted he told me that he had a snowboarding injury that left him in a coma. The doctors gave him a list of activities he’d never be able to do again. So he decided to prove them wrong. This year he was running a half marathon and training for a triathlon to prove he could run, swim and bike. He’d never done any of these activities prior.

After a mile, I slowed down and we parted ways, but in a brief time a man I didn’t […]

Do You Need A Coma To Inspire You?Maggie Downie2014-08-04T18:02:20-04:00

Jack Lalanne’s Inspiration

Jack Lalanne was an inspirational person. He reminded me of Joesph Pilates in his intense passion for fitness and trying to help and inspire others to a healthier lifestyle. I really hope that when I’m in my eighties and nineties, I’m as active and healthy as they both were.

I imagine that is something we all hope for, but health in our senior years has to start now. It seems so worth it. I think everyone who chooses a career in fitness on some level really wants to inspire others to be healthy too. But everyone is inspired in different ways.

I’m inspired by being able to be active, hiking a mountain like Mt. Washington, being involved in team sports, feeling good, looking good, being outdoors, competition, having fun while working out, and the calm I find exercise provides me. I’m inspired by watching someone really passionate like the video of Lalanne in the above link or reading Joe Pilates. The picture above even inspires me, but probably only becaue I know who Jack Lalanne […]

Jack Lalanne’s InspirationMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:30:12-04:00