Lessons learned from a half marathon
It's been about one month since I finished my very first half marathon on Angel Island in San Francisco. I'm still not sure why I did it. I was challenged to do it by my coach and I didn't totally understand why she was asking me to join her. I was super relieved when my daughter, Connor, decided to sign up with me. She's in wonderful shape and was excited about a weekend in San Francisco (good incentive - whew!)
I really had no idea what I was leaning into. But what I do know is I'm so glad I did it! (Thank you Dr. Kellee Rutley🩷) Here is what I learned...
I can do things that seem impossible - If you had asked me any time in the last 59 years if I could finish a half marathon, I would have told you NO WAY IN HELL! I have never been an athlete and have trouble with endurance. In my mind it was never a possibility. I told myself I could never do something like that.
I am stronger than I ever realized - My body rose to the challenge. I worked with a running coach to see if I could even do it, and to be clear, I did NOT run this. She assured me I could and gave me a training plan for about 8 weeks. I followed it with relative ease as I had already been walking, and I worked on hill training as the trail was over 1200 feet in elevation.
Achieving things that seem impossible changes your mindset - My brain has been totally rewired! Finishing something that seemed totally impossible made me realize that I can do really hard things as long as I put my mind to it and work hard at it. And it applies to all areas of my life!
It has made me look forward and lean into new challenges - I'm excited about setting new goals for my body, my health, my business and my life. I'm not afraid to try new things and work towards meeting these new dreams and ambitions.
I'm only sorry I waited almost 60 years to achieve this milestone, I probably would have made more progress in my life if I had had the courage to do something like this earlier. What a life lesson! I encourage you to put a big challenge out in front of you and go for it. Be sure you have a daily plan, the encouragement from a mentor, and a community of people around you that care about you. Stick to it, and you will be amazed what you can achieve.
I believe in you! 🩷🩷🩷