Motivating Movies

In the past couple weeks I went to see The Blind Side and Invictus, both great movies. I started thinking about all the great movies out there that motivate me. I have to admit that I kind of a movie junkie. I would rather watch a movie than TV any day. I think the only reason I have cable is to watch sports and movies, that's about it.

I think sports movies are some of my favorites! That is most likely because I consider myself an athlete and I know what it takes to get out there and push yourself. I have a lot of respect for athletes who strive to be the best, push themselves to the edge, to put it all out there. Some of my favorites movies are true and some are not, but they seem to motivate me the same.

Just a few of my go to flicks:

Without Limits. My favorite part of this movie is when Pre runs the Olympic Trails. Watching him "run away" from George young inspires me.

Remember the Titans. I love this movie. The scene where Denzel Washington is yelling at his team saying, "Will you ever quit?" And they respond, "No! We want some mo', we want some mo", we want some mo'!"

Invincible. I like this movie. I love it when Vince picks up the fumble and runs it in for a TD. Then he stands there with his hands in the air.

Pursuit of Happyness. This movie is the definition of dedication and perserverance. It may not be about sports, but it is about going after something you want, no matter what.

The Rookie. I know, this is a Disney movie, yeah go ahead and laugh. BUT, another person who wasn't afraid to follow his dream. It would be no surprise that I think the best scene is when he runs out on the field to pitch in a major league baseball game for the first time.

The Miracle. This might be my all time favorite movie. So many great scenes. so many great speeches. You can't even narrow it down. I love watching this movie when I'm on my trainer.

I am now adding The Blind Side and Invictus to the list. You can be sure I'll be snatching them up on DVD when they come out.

I am a visual person. I need to see my goal in front of me, it keeps me focused. When I wanted to qualify for Boston the first time I went to Boston and took a picture of the finish line painted on the road and then put the picture on my mirror. I also wrote my goal time for my qualifying marathon next to it in red lipstick. When training for my second Half IM, I again wrote my swim/bike/run splits and total time on my mirror so I would see them everyday. Currently, I have my swim/bike/run splits and total goal time for my IM taped to my refrigerator door. Motivating movies are another "visual" way to motivate myself.

What about you? What are the great movies on your list?