It was exactly two years ago this Thanksgiving that I went out for a run in DC and ran 4.6 miles - the farthest I had ever run. At that time I had been running 2-3 miles a few days a week for two months. I was still a brand new runner. For whatever reason Thanksgiving Day seemed like the perfect time to try and break the 3 mile barrier. I remember feeling challenged, but even more so I remember feeling liberated. Like I was breaking through my own body's expectations. Going outside the box. Pushing my body and mind and enjoying the hell out of every second of it. A part of me felt like I could run forever.
Very few runs have left a smile on my face that big and on that day a very tiny seed was planted. A seed that a few days later lead me online looking for half marathons in the spring. Before that I had never had any desire to race or run any longer distances. I guess you could say that November 25, 2010 was the day the crazy started.
Last year a few days before Thanksgiving I ran my first marathon in Philly. This year, I entered the same holiday having just completed a 50 mile race. Lately its been easy for me to lose sight of the meaning a single mile can have. My perception has changed. The mileage bar has been increasing. But regardless of whether you're breaking through your 3 mile wall or your 50 mile wall, the overwhelming feeling of pride and satisfaction is the same. You did this. You succeeded. You finished.
I've got some big plans for 2013 and I look forward to this time next year when I can look back and remember where it all started.
Run long and be merry my friends!
Very few runs have left a smile on my face that big and on that day a very tiny seed was planted. A seed that a few days later lead me online looking for half marathons in the spring. Before that I had never had any desire to race or run any longer distances. I guess you could say that November 25, 2010 was the day the crazy started.
Last year a few days before Thanksgiving I ran my first marathon in Philly. This year, I entered the same holiday having just completed a 50 mile race. Lately its been easy for me to lose sight of the meaning a single mile can have. My perception has changed. The mileage bar has been increasing. But regardless of whether you're breaking through your 3 mile wall or your 50 mile wall, the overwhelming feeling of pride and satisfaction is the same. You did this. You succeeded. You finished.
I've got some big plans for 2013 and I look forward to this time next year when I can look back and remember where it all started.
Run long and be merry my friends!
Great post! It's nice to stop and remember how far we've come.
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