It’s So Amazing Here.

Today was a big deal.

I ran 18 miles, which is the farthest distance I have ever run, ever.

Not only was it the farthest distance I have ever run, ever, but for many years I told myself:

“If you can run 18, you can run a marathon.”

So I ran 18. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually do it. When I started really kicking up the mileage, I was scared. Going over 13 was rough. Then I made it to 15 (barely). Then I made it to 15 again (not quite barely, but it wasn’t like a cake walk or cake run or whatever you want to call it). These were hard runs. I questioned why I was doing it. I questioned how I was doing it. I started to doubt that I’d ever run a marathon at all. I wondered if I was even capable of running any farther.

I was.

This morning, I walked out the door and said, “Today, you will run 18 miles. No matter how tired you feel, you are capable of doing this. You will be tired. You will want to give up. Don’t. Just keep running.”

It was the best advice I ever gave myself (and actually listened to). I realized today that all this running that I’ve been doing is actually paying off. The long runs really are getting easier (who’d have thunk). In fact, I’m pretty sure I could  have kept going. The last three miles I started unknowingly picking UP the pace! I stopped at 18 anyway because I had other things I really needed to spend at least a little time doing today, but I was not about to collapse, and I did not feel sick or in any sort of major pain. I was fine.

The truth is, you can’t run a marathon overnight. Or over a week. Or even over a month. It takes many weeks of long, sometimes painful, sometimes tearful, sometimes grueling runs. They do, however, get less painful, tearful and grueling, even though they are not getting any less long.

We are amazing creatures, and are capable of so much more than we ever imagined. From the girl who couldn’t run one mile in high school, to knocking out an easy(ish) 18, I can say this with certainty.

Don’t ever be afraid to challenge yourself. Yes it will take some hard work. Yes it will take some time. And there might be some pain and tears. But it’s so worth it.

Let go and jump in. It’s so amazing here.

 

 

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