I completed my second marathon this past sunday, Oct.13, and I think I’m still in shock that really happened.
Marathon’s aren’t something you just out-of-nowhere decide to do, you have to want to do it, you have to be starving for accomplishment, and aiming for that overwhelming sense of pride and relief. To be able to wake up and say, “I ran a marathon,” is enough for me to feel like I’m doing something right.
I think that the feeling of accomplishing a marathon is unique on so many levels. To some it might be about beating your time and to others it’s simply pushing yourself to a limit you thought you’d never reach. To others, maybe you’re proving someone wrong and to some you might be proving yourself right. Whatever it is, don’t sell yourself short and know you always have potential to do whatever you set your mind to.
I’m not a runner, and clearly that shows after finishing a marathon in 5 hours 38 minutes. That pace is slow enough for advanced athletes to power walk. When I tell people I ran a marathon and they ask, “How did you do?” I wish I could respond, “I finished, how about you?”
They’d have no response, why?
Because less than 1% of the population runs at least one marathon in their life.
Why does it matter how I did? I finished, is that enough? For some, no, for me, yes.
The point of my story isn’t about my race results. It’s about accomplishing something bigger than I ever thought I could. There once was a day I said I could NEVER run a marathon. But, I was one of those people who proved myself wrong and everyone else who never thought I could either. And, in the process, I fell in love with something perfectly healthy for me: running.
I’m not cut out to be a marathon runner, but hey, I can say I did it and move on to the next challenge. My next goal is to do a triathlon. Since 26.2 miles is very hard for my body to endure, I believe the combination of running, biking, and swimming will be much more manageable.
So with that said… I challenge you. I challenge you to go and sign up for SOMETHING you never thought you could do. I don’t care if it’s a 5k race, boxing, or a pottery class… Do SOMETHING!
What’s life without a little bit of excitement?! Go out there and do something remarkable!
Change can happen in seconds. It’s about waking up. That’s all it is… Waking up to your true potential and strength. -Jillian Michaels
Cocktails & Crossfit 