Today: All kinds of Olympic inspiration.

[tweetmeme source=”elizabethev” only_single=false]Ever have one of those weeks where…

You stay up too late watching the Olympics (even though you’d seen the spoiler alerts and knew, sadly, that the flying squirrel would fall of the beam), have trouble waking up the next morning, spend too much time playing “spin around, tiny man” with you dog and not enough time picking out a reasonable outfit, forget to eat breakfast, fail to pack a good lunch and snacks, get stopped by every single Greenpeace volunteer in Boston on your way to find something half-edible and fully vegetarian, accidentally write clear across your chest in black pen when editing a report, somehow get a bruised toe during your soccer game, feel cranky and say something (hilarious, but) rude to the other team’s goalie, forget that you tucked your wallet under the driver’s side floor mat and search endlessly for it, get home way past your bedtime, and, forgetting how the day started… you turn on the Olympics again?  Maybe?  Minus the being rude part?

[Image source]

Regardless of the fact that the Olympics have kept me up late (which reminds me, I need to delete the NBC Olympics app.  It’s the ultimate spoil sport.), they provide no shortage of inspiration.  And I’m not just talking about the Olympians’ physiques, though, um… two words: beach volleyball.   The people, the stories, inside those bodies is what really gets me.  (If that sounded creepy, this was not my intention.) I don’t know about you, but that VISA commercial featuring US track athlete Lopez Lamong has me welling up every, single time.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwZ2n0kURuY?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about running, mostly because I’ve spent a lot of time… well… running over the past few years.  In the weeks after the 2011 New York City Marathon, as I pathetically limped from here to there, unable to get out for a run, I was reminded that– for me– running is a luxury.  It’s a privilege.  It’s something I do because I have free time, safe streets, comfortable sneaks, and someone to look after my dog.  When have I ever run out of true necessity?  When have I ever run to survive?

If you’re interested in learning more about the so-called “Lost Boys of Sudan,” I highly recommend reading God Grew Tired of Us (A Memoir), by John Bul Dau with Michael S. Sweeney.  Have tissues at the ready.  It’s crushing and uplifting all at once.

There are so many other inspiring stories to come out of the Olympics, a few favorites:

• Hamadou Djibo Issaka, the rower from Niger, who started rowing just three months ago
• Oscar Pistorius is the first amputee to compete in the Olympics
• Boxer Claressa Shields overcomes significant odds to win Olympic gold
• Manteo Mitchell finishes his relay leg despite having… a broken leg

One of my favorite images, so far, though has been one of sheer joy.  Certainly something worth staying up late for.

[Image source]

Yes, Robert Harting.  Yes, yes, yes.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Meeting with ye olde dietitian
• The game plan for an organized fridge
• Looking forward to taking Clark on another therapy dog visit tomorrow 🙂

What is your favorite Olympic story so far?