This is Col. Sew Fab and I before the marathon (he ran the half marathon).....
It was also a bit overwhelming at first.....so much excitement and energy in the air....so many people around cheering on the runners....so many funny signs....so much to take in and soak up!
But somewhere around Mile 8 when I was really starting to "hit the wall" my arch nemesis appeared.....yup.....SHE just couldn't leave me alone. Maybe you know her too....SHE is the voice inside my head who likes to tell me things like.....
"You can't do this."
"Everyone else is so much better at this than you."
"What makes you think YOU can do this."
"You're not going to succeed."
And finally I decided that I'd had it with her! Enough is enough!!!
So, I told her "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!! I am trying to run a marathon here and it's really, really, REALLY tough and I don't have time for your negativity and shenanigans right now. I need to focus! I'm done with you! Buh bye!!!"
And I left her in the dust and kept on running. And I haven't heard a heck of a lot from her since that day.
So much of the rest of the run is a foggy blur in my mind.....but I distinctly remember that at Mile 20 each mile became twice as hard as the previous mile. But all of the wonderful people that stuck around and kept cheering on the slow poke, stragglers at the end of the race really motivated me to keep pushing forward one step at a time and to keep giving 100%.
Wouldn't it be great if every day there were crowds of people that you'd never met cheering you on and telling you you're awesome???!!!
And finally......I saw the finish line.....and started to cry. Mostly because I was so overwhelmed and proud of what I'd accomplished.....but also because I was so darn happy that I was about to be DONE and didn't have to run anymore!
And Col. Sew Fab stuck around for HOURS after he finished the half marathon so he could be there to see me finish the marathon in 363rd place! How sweet!!!
Soooo.....if you're wondering.....
Yes, I'm sooo glad I did it.
Yes, I'll do more marathons in the future.....but I'll probably do a few half marathons first!
Yes......I was incredibly sore and exhausted for several days. I knew it would be hard on my body.....but I was pretty surprised by how mentally draining it was too!
And I guess the moral of the story is.....
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -Henry Ford
Hugs,
Jenny
