Chasing Weekly Wins

Hello! I’m Grayson, a senior at the 美国北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校 in MEJO 577 “Branding of Me." MEJO 577 is a unique course in which students carefully curate their personal brands on the internet with the guidance of Professor Gary Kayye?? CTS . This week, we have been tasked with writing our first blog post of the semester about anything that makes us happy and inspires us. While this topic is broad, it allows us to talk about something we are truly passionate about. So, for this blog, I have chosen to share a recent accomplishment that is very important to me.?

Last Thursday, I woke up at 5:45 a.m., as I have been doing once a week for the past 12 weeks, to set out on yet another long run. However, this run was more nerve-wracking than previous long runs because this would be my first time running 20 miles. Despite believing in my ability to achieve this feat, running always leaves room for uncertainty. There are many unknown factors, so you never quite know how a run might unfold. Additionally, with Labor Day Weekend being the weekend prior, my training schedule had been thrown off, so I felt less prepared than usual.?

Nonetheless, when my alarm went off at 5:45 on Thursday morning, most of my nerves had been replaced with excitement. These weekly long runs have become a source of joy for me because each week, I have the opportunity to push myself further than I ever have to achieve something brand new. As usual, I drove to the American Tobacco Trail, which is my favorite place to complete my long runs. I started my run by 6:35 a.m.

The first three miles were, as usual, a bit of a struggle. By mile 4, I had settled in and found my groove. By mile 8, all my nerves had been replaced with excitement because it was at this point that I became fully confident that I would be able to complete the daunting 20-mile challenge. When I arrived at the halfway point, mile 10, I knew the end was still far off, but it felt within reach. As I approached the half marathon distance, I happened to look down at my watch, and I was thrilled to see that I had set a new personal record. I had improved my time by three minutes, even though I was running much farther than 13.1 miles.?

The high of setting a new personal record had worn off by about mile 16; this is when the pain started to set in. Prior to this run, my distance record was 17 miles, so I would be running 3 more miles than I had ever run before. Those last four miles were tough, but the excitement and determination of running 20 miles pushed me to the end. When I finished, I was on top of the world, filled completely with joy over the achievement.?

These long runs have become more than just a weekly activity for me; they have given me the opportunity to push myself further than I ever have and to succeed on a weekly basis. When I began running last January, I could barely run 2 miles and I would have never imagined that I would be just two months away from running my first marathon. Marathon training has allowed me to improve myself not just every week, but every day. These weekly wins bring me closer to the ultimate distance of 26.2. Now, as I am over halfway through my marathon training cycle and have achieved the significant milestone of the 20-mile run, I am more confident than ever in my ability to not only complete the marathon, but to conquer it.?