One of the things I loved most about traveling to Italy was all the time I had to read and watch movies. I almost never have that kind of downtime (because I don’t create it) and, prior to being trapped on a plane for 9 hours one way to Italy, the last movie I had seen was either animated or on television.
As you can imagine, all of my magazines are about running, and I mostly enjoy reading the stories of the unknown athletes, those who have overcome ridiculous adversity or injuries to get to where they are. After reading some of those stories, jumping into a lake to start a triathlon doesn’t seem so earth shattering.
I’m also super excited to start watching the summer Olympics! I love all the in-depth stories about the athletes and how they became the world champions they are. While on vacation I steered clear of all political news and read only the sports and Rio related headlines. Bliss.
Anywhoo, by the time I returned home, I had soaked up a ton of motivation from some very unlikely sources…
1. John Cena
Surprised? Don’t be.
This guy has been serious about healthy weight-lifting since he was in his teens. He made a career out of wrestling (wrestling!) after growing up being bullied in grammar school in Massachusetts and is smart, funny and doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, all while creating an empire.
Most recently he was interviewed by Men’s Health in a gym where the mission statement (that is written on the wall) reads “If you look and perform the same as you did a year ago and you’re ok with that, get the fuck out of this gym!” Well ok then.
I was already a fan of his and then, my boys fell in love with his roll in a Scooby Doo wrestling movie. He does it all folks.
Lastly, on the plane, I really became a fan after watching the movie Sisters where he plays a drug dealer named Pazuzu. Hilarious.
2. Amelia Gapin, Marathon Runner, Women’s Running Magazine cover model and Transgender Woman
I did not recognize the woman on the cover the latest issue of Women’s Running but, I rarely do. What I do know is that the cover girl usually has an incredible story of inspiration and Amelia Gapin is no different.
What I loved most is that when asked to appear in the mag and on the cover, she responded with “really excited about it,” but added “I expect that I’ll get plenty of hate online directed at me. (It wouldn’t be my first rodeo with this; I can handle it.” I bet she can.
What I can’t handle is the ignorance and hate against the gay, lesbian and transgender community that reached an excruciating limit with the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida this past weekend.
I applaud Women’s Running magazine for highlighting Amelia and her powerful story and to try and bring some knowledge and shed some light on a subject that needs all the positive attention it can get right now.
To get to know Amelia better, you can check out her blog: Entirely Amelia
Run on!
3. Kayla Harrison, United States Women’s Judo
As if it were not stunning enough that Harrison is the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in Judo (at the London games in 2012) but that she continued and excelled in the sport when her coach was sexually abusing her.
“As a 13-year-old prodigy in the sport, Harrison was taken to international tournaments by a coach who sexually abused her. According to Campbell Robertson of the New York Times, that coach pleaded guilty to illicit sexual conduct in November 2007.”
Of course she has a special place in my heart since she has trained with another amazing Judo champ, Ronda Rousey, and it’s been reported that Harrison has had offers from MMA.
I find her so inspiring because I cannot imagine the courage it takes for this woman to continue her career, competing at the Olympic level, and have the world know about her abuse. That kind of courage is stunning to me.
To read about 10 other inspiring Rio Olympians, check out this article from Bleacher Report.
[Tweet “Check the 3 most #inspiring #athletes of the moment! @johncena @judo_kayla @entirelyamelia #train4life “]
Who inspires you lately?
How do you feel about transgender runners/athletes?
Will you watch the summer Olympics?
OH OH OH AMELIA.
I was chatting with the ten year old about her when she happened to walk up as I was reading her online article.
I swear life is so simple when youre ten.
All my own child saw was a kickass runner and a woman who is ENTIRELY COMFORTABLE in her own skin.
<3 <3 <3
Ih yes it is! The boys take everything at face value and shrug. Totally normal. Love that! Love you xoxoxo
Isn’t it the truth that you have an image of how someone will be but then you hear or read their story and a whole new world opens up. You never know what another persons life is like. Everyone has a story. And everyone has the right to have that heard. Great picks!
YES! Perfect summary Angela!!
Amelia is such a good friend of mine and truly awesome. I’m glad you enjoyed reading her story, she inspires me too.
She is? Do tell!! You get cooler every day Hollie. Stop it!! 🙂
John Cena. He used to be my youngest son’s idol, back in the day when we watched more WWE than I care to admit to. He’s funny and awesome. I loved him in Trainwreck–that scene when Amy Schumer asked him to “talk dirty” and all he could talk about was protein supplements…
YES!!! I hated that movie (so disappointing) but he was hilarious. I never thought he was so multi-dimensional but my boys starting going crazy for wrestling after that Scooby Doo movie!! I’m afraid I will have some WWE in my future. Help me.
So I know all about John Cena because my husband is a HUGE wrestling fan. He was when I met him and his love has probably tripled for the sport lol so now my kids are big John Cena fans too!! But honestly I didn’t respect the dude until his completely hysterical performance in train wreck!! I’ve seen it several times and OMG I cry laughing every single time. I respect his hustle though, building a name for himself after the rock and stone cold transitioned out of the spotlight. 🙂
YES! The respect has grown right? I love that your husband is such a huge wrestling fan!! My husband’s eyes lit up when the boys starting talking about John Cena and I was like “ok, here we go!” I see some WWE in my future. Yikes.
I relate to the never having time to watch movies! And when I do carve out time for myself I have a hard time sitting still. I pretty much need to be trapped on a plane to watch a movie! Great list of inspirational athletes. I find so much inspiration in people’s stories of adversity, how strong they are, how much they’ve overcome. It’s pretty cool.
OMG totally!!! I was great to be trapped and literally HAVE to watch TV, otherwise I would never do that. And yes, I love that literally everyone has a story and you just never know what someone may be going though. Good stuff 🙂
What I really liked about the Women’s Running cover is that they decided to go ahead and put someone on the cover that they new would potentially lead to loss of some readers / subscribers….. actually when I looked at their Facebook of announcing her on the cover, there were emoticons for like, love, sad, and angry…. (I love that you can “express” yourself better on Facebook now with the emoticons)….. They new they’d get the sads and angrys, but they decided to feature transgender athletes anyway…..
As for that wrestler guy and the sentence about if you look the same and are doing the same workout as last year, then get the fuck out of my gym…. I think someone could say that to me…. time to bust through the plateau and get my ass kicked!
Abso-friggin-lutely!!! That is definitely part of why I love WR so much. They are who they are and stand up for what they believe in…it’s not about subscribers but doing the right thing. And yes to emoticons as some people are smart enough to leave one and not comment.
And that “mission statement” made me laugh out loud! I thought wow – if I saw that everyday at the gym it would be motivating for sure…that and John Cena. LOL!
Wow! those are all great inspirational stories! I liked John Cena on Trainwreck, he was hilarious! My brothers used to watch him on TV too.
End of the school year has me feeling very unmotivated, it feels that I can’t make time for anything other than going to work and making dinner! I need to get my head on straight soon!
I’m having a hard time with the transition myself. I just want to hang out at the pool with the boys so I’m rushing though all my work/workouts. I need a rainy day to get my motivation back!! Good luck with yours. I’m sure we’ll find it 🙂
Also, thank you for addressing your feelings on the Orlando shootings, it feels that so many running bloggers are avoiding the subject, and I find that very heartbreaking. As this was such a horrific attack on the LGBT Community! But you are totally kick ass, and wont’ fear from the subject! that is why you are one of my favorite bloggers! Keep up the amazing work!
Thank you for saying that! You know I keep it completely real here and, if I had more to say, I would. Right now it’s just so sad. The fear and the ignorance is ridiculous. Thank you xoxo
Stephen Colbert shared his thoughts on the Orlando shooting and talked about changing the script of how we address these tragedies and about how love means to take positive action and hope for change. I admire Women’s Running and Amelia because they are taking those positive actions – showing that transgender, LGBT, whatever, doesn’t negate one’s personhood. No matter what your orientation you still have hobbies, hopes, dreams, goals, passions, struggles all that – those common threads of the human experience and particularly of the runner’s experience. And good for her for having such a positive, no BS approach to the online trolls!
Love this post! Today was a day where I could use the reminder that the most inspiring athletes had ups and downs on their journeys. Thank you, Alle!
YES! I think ignorance and fear are at the heart of these insane actions so people need to be educated!!! I love WR and publications like it for doing just that.
And yes, everyone has hard times – it’s what makes the good ones that much better!! Sending you some positive, strengthening vibes my friend!!
Wow these are all great inspirations that I didn’t much about before! I knew very little about Cena, nothing about Amelia, and half nothing about Kayla. Thanks to your post I’ve read up further on each of them and already feel inspired. I love finding inspiration all around me. I choose to seek out inspirational people in my small world especially. This past weekend I met a new runner in our club who is a crossfit enthusiast, and she did crossfit till she gave birth with two of her three kids. She was such an inspiring person and example of how exercise can make for a great pregnancy. Oh she also made a point that with the two kids that she had and stayed active during their pregnancies, she had a much better experience and labor. I love that!! You’re a great inspiration as well. I look to you in a great way! I seek inspiration in those around me, that way it’s not so unbelievable:) my close friends and mother have always inspired me to be my best and be myself. The sky’s the limit!
YES! Absolutely!! It’s finding the inspiration in the everyday athlete, the woman at class, a neighbor – all of those things and right out of your front door. I love it Danielle!!
Such awesome, inspiring people! I will have to check them out!!
I have a friend who is a runner, mother and incredible all around athlete. She inspires me so much. I am going to be writing a post about it soon.
Yes to the Summer Olympics!! I can’t wait – I will be glued to the TV!!!
Love this post – I think we need people to look up to, to inspire and motivate us. Rock on!!
Oh I cannot wait to read about your friend. Like I said to Danielle – it’s the inspiration next door that moves us most, that makes us believe we can do it because these are real people with real responsibilities and problems, just like us! Thanks Natalie.
LOVE John Cena!!! And the gym motto. For real.
Amelia iso very inspiring too… same for Kayla. How these ladies continue to perform at such a high level in the face of adversity is incredibly moving and motivating. Can’t WAIT for the Olympics!
I didn’t know that John Cena waa bullied when he was younger. Looked at him right now, with all those hardwork. I’m not familiar with the other 2 ladies but when I read about them, I am impress with their strength and dedication to get fit and healthy and their passion with what they’re doing. Thanks for sharing this post. Its really inspirational. By the way, qhose your favorite among the three?
Thanks so much for reading and commenting! John Cena is definitely an interesting guy who works so hard…and continues to work hard building his career, etc. I don’t think I could choose and, as the title implies, my motivators are always changing. Right now I’m super inspired by Gwen Jorgensen who won gold in triathlon at the Rio Olympics and then ran the NYC marathon!
I delight in, cause I discovered exactly what I was having a look for.
You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a
great day. Bye