Below is an ESPN video that documents the story of Terry Fox.  It is both inspiring and incredibly sad.  Here is a man who lost his leg to osteosarcoma, yet took it upon himself to run across Canada to raise money for cancer.  Terry ran 26 miles a day on an artificial leg.  He did this day after day after day.  Whether it was hot, cold, raining, or snowing, Terry got out and continued to run.

Unfortunately, it was eventually discovered that Terry’s cancer had returned.  This discovery was made while Terry was still running 26 miles a day.  Not only was he running on an artificial leg, but also with large tumors in each of his lungs.

The story of Terry Fox really puts our own bumps, bruises, and minor setbacks into perspective.  It also demonstrates the power of determination.  Terry was determined to raise one dollar for each of Canada’s 24 million people.  It could not have been comfortable running 26 miles a day.  Logic would suggest that it isn’t even possible to continually cover such distance.  Add an artificial leg and cancerous tumors within the lungs and it sounds impossible.

Take ten minutes out of your day to watch the video below.  It is one of  the most powerful stories I’ve seen (thanks to Rob for passing it along).

In the words of Thomas Fuller,

“An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.”

I have created a new Facebook page which can be accessed through the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/rosstraining

My personal Facebook page reached the 5000 friend limit a few months ago.  As a result, I’ve been unable to accept new friend requests.  With the new page, there is no limit so I will continue to use it for site related updates (ex. new articles, videos, blog entries, quotes, etc.).

In addition, there are a few RossTraining groups within Facebook.  These groups are not mine.  I did not create the groups and do not administrate the pages.

The link above is mine however so feel free to contact me through it with any questions.

Thank you,

Ross Enamait

Below is yet another spectacular video courtesy of Gorilla Productions.  Any fan of combat sports will enjoy this 2009 boxing recap.  Gorilla Productions continues to put out the best boxing videos on all of Youtube.  Hats off to their crew for the hard work.

Following my last entry, I received several emails about Ironman Marc Herremans.  With my limited knowledge of the sport, I had never heard of him.  It didn’t take me long to realize that there was something special about him however.

Back in 2001, Marc Herremans finished 6th in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.  Finishing 6th in such a highly regarded race is clearly an amazing accomplishment.  Yet despite his strong performance, Marc wanted more. He had only started training for triathlons in 1998. Therefore, it was reasonable to believe that he would crack the top three in 2002, with the possibility of eventually winning the race.

Unfortunately, Marc’s dreams took a drastic turn for the worse after a terrible accident in 2002. After losing control of his bike, Marc was left paralyzed below his chest. Following such a tragic accident, it would have been reasonable for Marc to give up his hopes of winning the Ironman.

Fortunately, Marc has shown that he is everything but reasonable. Three months after his accident, Marc began training again, this time as a wheelchair competitor. Less than one year after being paralyzed in a near fatal accident, Marc Herremans competed again in the Ironman. He then competed each year afterward until he finally won the race in 2006.   He was the first wheelchair athlete to finish.

Marc continues to train with the hopes of eventually walking again.  If you are in need of inspiration, look no further than the video below:

Athletes such as Scott Rigsby and Marc Herremans have shown me that we all have much more potential than we will ever realize.  In Marc’s own words,

“I didn’t know I was this strong either, but I became aware of it after the accident.”

I’m blown away by his determination.  To see him get up and compete after dealing with such a tragedy is beyond amazing.

Marc speaks more about his life and his refusal to give up in the translated interview below:

Walk With Marc Herremans

It’s worth taking a few minutes out of your day to listen to him speak.

If you are in need of inspiration, look no further than Scott Rigsby.  He is a double leg amputee who finished the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

The video below tells the story…

Scott is a living example of the words below (per Orison Swett Marden),

“Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours.”

Following yesterday’s entry, one reader commented with a link to Jamie Oliver’s TED award speech.  Up until a few days ago, I had never heard of Jamie Oliver.  He has some interesting things to say on the topic of childhood obesity however.  If you are concerned about the topic, I encourage you to take a look at the video below.