I Did it….Again!
I’m happy to report that I finished my THIRD half marathon this past weekend. I did one in March, one in April and now one in May. I’m the last person you’d expect to find out there running along, and sometimes it even surprises me how I’m digging down and getting it done.
I don’t write this to boast or brag. I am writing this to reach out and let you know I learned a secret…and I want to share it with you. As much as running a very long distance is physical, it is also a mental challenge. Yeah, you knew that right? Okay – well, what if I told you it was more of a mental challenge than a physical one? I can only tell you my point of view — others may feel differently…but what I find is that once I get moving, the momentum can carry me quite a distance.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s tough work….I mean, you feel it – your entire body feels it….your legs, your feet, your hips, knees, your back — it’s not always a pleasant thing, but it’s those moments WHEN you’re feeling it….and you are DOG TIRED and you just want to stop or sit down…at THOSE moments– that’s where the biggest piece of the race is for many people, myself included…it’s the point where you push PAST those moments and know that you can do it and you will do it anyway.
During my first race, right about mile 8 – I wanted to sit down in the worst way…just for a minute I told myself, just want to rest for a moment….but I kept going. It happened about a zillion other times in my head during the rest of the mileage, but you just keep going.
During my second race, at mile 11.5 I started to cry. I cried for two reasons…I knew I was out there last and slower than EVERYBODY else, but I also realized I was going to stick in and finish it, even though by this point it felt like I was walking on razorblades from the lovely blisters I’d formed on the downhills, but I kept going.
During my last race, this weekend….it was at 11.5 again that a wave came over me. I just wanted it to be OVER….I wanted it to be finished, I thought that 13.1 miles was a stupid, stupid distance and I wasn’t happy, but I kept moving…and I kept going.
All three of those times – when I didn’t want to keep pushing because I was UNCOMFORTABLE, I kept going. I’m bringing this lesson into my life in other ways now….just because I’m uncomfortable doesn’t mean you can/should quit. You keep going and get it done….whatever it is you’re hoping to achieve.
Here’s to getting it done – whatever it is in your life that needs to get done!
