Beautiful Struggle
WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION?
Every year in the United States hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets, participating in marathons large and small. In fact, just last year more than 1/2 million runners completed a marathon, with ages ranging from 6 to 85 years old. The number of runners, as well as the number of races, has been climbing at a record pace over the past several years.
Dr. Lonnie Davis is an orthopaedic surgeon practicing in the Northern Virginia region. He specializes in the care of patients with active lifestyles. Dr. Davis has been a lifelong athlete, including playing Division I football and track. He completed the New York City Marathon in 2004. He has also completed several 1/2 marathons. The Run With The Doctor campaign was borne out of Dr. Davis' love for running and helping others return to running after injury. While training for the USA Marathon on March 17, 2012, Dr. Davis will run with local running groups.
Dr. Lonnie Davis believes that there is more to the country's growing infatuation with long distance running. The health benefits of running are well documented, says Dr. Davis. But trying to improve one's health is only part of the motivation for a lot of my patients. Dr. Davis enjoys talking to his patients to find out what motivates them to run. "I find that, not only are the stories interesting, the information also helps me to decide the best treatment plan for each patient."
Like many others, Dr. Davis' initial motivation to run the marathon was personal. "I thought it would be a fitting way to commemorate the loss of a loved one." Though he ran track in college, Dr. Davis quickly points out, "I was a sprinter. I never had the desire to run long distances." Having completed several 1/2 marathons, Dr. Davis decided to give the full marathon a try. He selected the NYC marathon.
As is customary with the NYC Marathon, the participants are required to remain on Staten Island for several hours prior to the start of the race. It was during the holding period that Dr. Davis had somewhat of an epiphany. "While waiting for the start of the race, I was able to talk with several other runners. I was captivated by the various stories that the runners had. Whether it was a bucket list goal, a group effort or a celebration of beating cancer, the stories were all unique. The one thing that was constant was that everyone had some type of motivating factor."
Out of his personal and professional experience, Dr. Davis developed the concept the "Beautiful Struggle. What's Your Motivation?" The concept speaks to the difficulty and personal sacrifice that is required to train for and complete a marathon. It also serves as a simple, direct and open ended acknowledgement of each runner's personal motivation.
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