DO HARD THINGS!

I'M IN. I AM ALL IN.

I've been running for over 25 years, but I don't call myself a runner. I've never felt that runner's high while running. I don't have a graceful gait. My running pictures traditionally display the agony side of running. But I do run.

In two weeks, I will run the New York City Marathon for the second time. This will be my sixth, and last, marathon. My husband Shawn, aka Sherpa, laughs when I say this. I've said this before. But I really mean it this time. ??

Knowing I had my last long run coming up, knowing I hadn't run a race in over 3 years, and knowing I hadn't trained as much as I should have, Shawn encouraged me to run a local marathon this past weekend. He wanted me to prepare, mentally and physically for what NYC would require for a finish. I knew he was right. I also know from doing this before, this would be hard and it would hurt. I signed up.?For me this meant I was all in. I was determined. I would finish, all 26.2 miles.

"I'm in. I'm all in!"

Luke Danes

THE RACE

After a 3a.m. wakeup and a 3-hour drive, I stood at the start of a race. As the National Anthem played, I got a little teary eyed. Was it the cold air hitting my face? Nope, it was fear. I grabbed Shawn's hand and admitted to myself, I was scared. I was scared of failing, not finishing.?

The race started and I found a pace I was comfortable with and just stayed there.??I listened to the beat of my heart. I could feel the blood pumping in my veins. I had earphones but decided not to play music. Instead, I paid attention to my body.

For the first 8 miles, I enjoyed running in a small pack, but by the halfway point it was just me. Some runners had fallen back and some were ahead of me. I was ok with that. I’m not fast, but I was determined to finish.?It was around mile 14-15, I started to feel the pain. It was setting in everywhere. I tried to remind myself, pain is temporary.??But let's be real, pain is pain. But was it real pain, or my brain sending questioning my body, "why are you doing this to me"?

I pushed the pain aside and focused on counting my steps and monitoring my breathing. Thankfully, Shawn met me at mile 16. His quick kiss and encouraging words inspired me to keep moving.?

"If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."

Martin Luther King Jr

THE FINISH

This was a small race, and most of the runners ran the 1/2, so by the time I hit mile 20, most of the spectators were gone. I was struggling. I was still running, but barely. Shawn sent me a text saying he was heading to the finish line. Then he sent another one, "finish it up baby". I love that man. I needed that.

Shawn kept the texts coming, and this kept me moving. For the last four mile, I sent him a picture at each mile marker. I told myself it was to keep him from worry, but it was really because I needed to see the miles pass by. I needed to know I was doing it.

At mile marker 26, Shawn met me and ran the last .2 with me. I finished. I was happy, I think I was smiling.?My body wasn't happy, that wasn't easy, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but I finished.?

“Winning does not always mean coming in first…real victory is in arriving at the finish line with no regrets because you know you've gone all out.” Apolo Ohno

THE WHY

For me, running isn't easy. I don’t run because I love it and there are certainly other ways to stay healthy.?Even though I don't experience the runner's high while I run, I’ve come to realize I run because of the runners high that happens immediately after a run and in the long-term.??It comes from the confidence that crossing the finish lines gives me that carries over into my life. There is no greater sense of satisfaction than what you get from setting a personal goal and conquering it.

When you do hard things, you realize that you have the strength to not let anything get you down. You have to dig down and find the grit and be relentless and relentlessly consistent. You have to embrace the parts of it that are difficult and recognize the privilege and beauty of being able to choose to do something that challenges you and finish.

Do hard things! You will never regret it!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did."? Mark Twain

?Genevieve ?