February 11, 2007 10:47 AM
A Test- Physical and Mental
What's the reason to keep going, to challenge ourselves, to dig deeper than we've ever done before? To accomplish. To win. To survive. Reaching a goal is the most satisfying thing to me; without standards or challenges, life would not be complete. I love a challenge, I strive to work harder than I ever had to before, so I descided last summer to register for the Harrisburg Marathon. I started running last year as a freshman and earned varsity letters in cross country and track and over the summer I chose to reach even higher, to run a marathon. I wanted to see how strong I was, I craved the challenge, the thrill, and even the pain I had coming for me, so I could cross that finish line. I put in the work, the 20 mile runs, the 70 mile weeks, the day in and day out training, and I saviored it. Each week I was that much stronger, physically and mentally, and finally, November 12 came...Race day. I had a successful season of cross country that fall (the marathon training didn't hurt) and I was well rested and excited coming into the race. My mom came up from NC and we drove to Harrisburg the day before. Race day was not the most friendly, with steady wind, rain, and chilly temperatures, but it didn't slow me down. I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of the months of preparation I endured. The first 20 miles went by great, I was on pace and I felt good. Then came mile 22...aka, hell. My legs were stiff and cold for running for about two and a half hours, but I kept on going. Mile 24...even more pain, but I didn't stop. The Harrisburg Marathon finishes on a little island, City Island, in the middle of the Susqehanna River, and I could see it from where I was. I ground out those last miles and finished in 3:22. 26.2 miles! Nothing was better than that feeling after the race...no, not my aching legs and back or my cold, numb hands-- it was the feeling of finishing, of accomplishment, the joy of reaching that destination. I look back on my experience from my marathon, the training, the race, the enduring of those last, cold, rotten miles, and I'm overtaken with pride. Everything I learned from all those relentless hours of training and that race have proved to be life long lessons- to never quit and to push aside self doubt. I find that I don't stress out as much over work and I can hone in on my focus. I'm not here saying to go out and run a marathon or climb Kilimanjaro, but to go out there and put in all you have into something you love that challenges you. You'll find there's a lot to gain when the work is done!
Posted by Mark at February 11, 2007 10:47 AM