#Rungiving - Reflect

Today's Oiselle Rungiving challenge is about reflection. The prompt is: Write about something you did to make yourself proud. 


While I have experienced many proud moments in my life, this is mostly a running blog so I figured I would pick a proud moment pertaining to running. It should come as no surprise that one of my proudest running moments was finishing a marathon. While I have gone on to complete a second marathon and have signed up for a third, I will never forget my first marathon and how I felt after I completed such a huge accomplishment.

Previously I wrote about several things I learned about myself and tackling a marathon, but lessons aside, I can honestly say that completing my first marathon was the proudest moment of my life, surpassing even my graduate school commencement. As extreme as that may sound, training and running a marathon was probably the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. It is also something that only I could do. I could not depend on anyone else to carry me through training or the race. If I felt like skipping a run on a day I was tired after work I knew that I was only hurting myself. I put in miles on really hot summer days and long runs on weekends that physically exhausted me for work on Monday. I spent more time hitting the pavement on weekends than with my husband. To some this may sound miserable, but it was all worth it in the end.

Despite all the training I did, I still struggled during the marathon. I think most marathoners due to some extent whether mentally, physically, or both. Unlike my second marathon where I felt challenged mentally, my first marathon was more of a physical breakdown. I was cold and tired, and felt pain in my knees unlike anything I had ever experienced. Around mile 20 I saw a single person standing at the side of the path and realized it was my husband. I allowed myself for a moment to admit to how I was feeling to him, but the support I felt was enough to help me push on.

My husband jumping in to run with me at mile 20

At one point I was with a small group of people who were all in pain. We were walking and struggling and knew there were painful miles ahead. My body hurt but that is when I first heard the voice inside of me that said, I want this. I started repeating it to myself, and started to run again. Granted it was probably a shuffle and I was likely running a 13 min per mile pace at that point, but I passed the group of people, then some others in front, and I heard someone yell, You're Awesome! At the risk of sounding cheesy, I felt something burning in me that I had never felt. I mentally rose above the pain I felt in my body and continued repeating my mantra over and over and felt stronger with each passing mile.

Pushing to the finish

I let myself fully enjoy crossing the finish line and what it meant. I joined the post race party, where most runners had been enjoying a beer for several hours at that point, but I was on top of the world. I let myself enjoy that feeling for days afterwards. Not only had I finished a distance race that most people would never dare to run, but I overcame something that seemed impossible. I had the guts to sign up, the will to train, and the perseverance to finish the race. I never gave up. More than that, I found something in myself I did not know I had. That voice I heard now appears in all my races. It reminds me that I have been through difficult situations before and have the strength to make it to the end.

Medal, beer, and pride that will last forever

So that is why finishing my first marathon is one of my proudest life moments. It is not just because I finished a marathon. It is because of what I learned about myself and how it changed me and made me a better person afterwards. It is always something I will celebrate and remember no matter how many races I run. During this time of thanks, I am thankful for the experience. Even if it had been my one and only marathon, the pride I have for this day would be enough for a lifetime.