26.2

Yesterday I joined the 26.2 mile club by finishing my first marathon. I have been running for years and always found it to be not only a great way to stay fit, but a great meditation as well. When you give the body something hard to focus on sometimes it lets the mind work better. When I run I not only let go of the stress of any challenge I may be having, but I often find the solution.

For runners the marathon is the ultimate ambition and sometimes obsession with many runners competing in marathons multiple times a year. If you are a runner or you know one, then you know that we are special breed. Never was this made more clear for me than when I read some of the signs along the 26.2 mile course (obviously written by runners for runners) – “Chafe now, brag forever!” or my personal favorite – “Who needs toenails?”. Many serial marathoners set specific time goals, but my goal was simple - finish one marathon.

As I took off at the Start line I had tears in my eyes. After all, this day was the culmination of many weeks of training and just getting to that point was a major accomplishment for someone juggling a demanding career, a family and a small farm. For the first 15 miles I felt Fantastic – I could do this, piece of cake! Around mile 18 I started to feel the wear on my body in certain places and slowed my pace a bit. Between miles 20 and 21, I hit the proverbial “wall”. If you are runner, you understand this. At this point my body petulantly exclaimed – “Unless a pack of hungry wolves is chasing you, you are going to stop now.” I took down another “Goo” got some water and pushed on. At mile 22 my body started siding with the wolves and not so gently suggested – “Maybe it’s just your time to go?” Everything hurt – everything. As I grabbed some much needed water, I slowed to a walk and turned to face the wall.

Friends, this is where the real race is lost or won and no amount of training, fancy shoes or “Goo” is going to help you. This is when you learn that the marathon requires so much more of you then your trained and toned body can deliver – it demands that you find something inside, it demands mental toughness. I had a choice to make – I could stop and be proud. After all, 22 miles isn’t anything to sneeze at. Many runners start marathons and never finish. Or I could go the distance, I could become someone that I was not – someone who finished a marathon. I could reinvent myself. As I crumpled up the Dixie cup and tossed it to the curb I forced my legs back into a run and I committed that even if I had to crawl across the Finish line, I would finish this race. I wish I could say that after this transformational moment everything got easier and my determination became like invisible wings, but that didn’t happen. What did happen was the four most difficult miles of my life. As I ran across the finish line and saw my family cheering me on it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I burst into tears, not just a finisher, but transformed in so many ways.

Maybe this is why so many people take on the marathon. It’s not just a physical test but an opportunity to become something more than you were when you started. As any runner will tell you, best practice for marathon training is that you never actually run the full 26.2 miles prior to the race. So to finish, you really have to do something you haven’t done before, you have to reinvent yourself.

Today I will celebrate quietly. I will hang up my medal, place my shot running shoes in a box in my closet (after all, we’ve been through a lot together), give thanks and get back to the business of everyday life. And while I may look the same on the outside, don’t let that fool you – this girl has changed.