Bucket lists were never really my thing, but at 18 I did have a few goals, one being that I would run a full marathon, all 26.2 grueling miles, before I turned 21.
I was living in Jamaica at the time, and started training for a half marathon that I was planning to run a few weeks after I moved back to the States. It wasn't safe to run the roads in the community I was living in, so instead I ran laps on the drive. From the top of the drive down to the gate and back up again was 1/5 of a mile. I was following a training schedule, and one of my last late-night runs, after the kids were all in bed, was eight miles. Looking back now, I don't know how I was mentally able to run 40 laps on the driveway.
But then I accidentally double booked that race weekend. Instead of canceling my registration, I gave my spot to my friend, Amanda. It was her first half marathon, and considering how little time she had to train, she did great! Since then she has ran in race after race, and qualified for Boston, which she is training for right now!
My goal of a full marathon by 21 never happened. In that span from 18 - 21, I met a man, fell in love, got married, got pregnant, and a few weeks after my 22nd birthday had a baby. I certainly don't feel like I got the bad end of the deal, and I know that someday I will complete that marathon goal, even if it means that it doesn't happen until I'm 31. But in the mean time, I will keep running, and keep breaking my personal records.
Which is exactly what happened today!
I met up with Amanda, and she pushed me through it. It's really nice to have a friend to run with, especially for distances that far. After I completed my 16 miles, she went on for a couple more. I would have loved to keep going, but felt like I couldn't. After I took my sneakers off and saw this blister, I knew why I needed to stop. Ouch.
I feel tired and sore, but it's a good kind of tired and a good kind of soreness. (Well, the blister that I got from where my old pair of sneakers isn't exactly good...) There is something so rewarding about pushing yourself hard and crossing the finish line.
Here is to 16 miles, a new record for me!
Happy weekend, folks!