In life there are the day-to-day moments that collectively make up our lives and every so often we have one of those big moments of singular significance that help define who we are. Training for and running my first marathon was one of the later. Running, while always something I've enjoyed, became theraputic and somewhat spiritual post-hurricane. One pretty big tree through the roof derailed my hopes of doing a half-ironman triathalon in November, so I decided to take that training and all the stress and frustration of post hurricane living and put that into running with my sights set on finally training for that marathon that's been on the "to-do" list for numerous years. Last week, I competed and completed in my first marathon. It was every bit as mentally and physically tough as I expected it to be, thus every bit as rewarding to cross the finish line. It was quite possibly the hardest thing I've done in my life thus far. Running alone for 26.2 miles, half of which your brain and body are saying "stop running - you're not going to make it" - the other half of which your brain and body are saying "you're going to make it - don't quit running", is quite an adventure, one that is a true test of strength and determination. It was a long, and often painful journey but worth every step. Will I do another??? All signs point to YES.
