Finishing the Run

A couple of months ago, I signed up for a half marathon. I wasn't a runner but needed something in life to distract me from the uncertainties that were in front of me. My sister gave me a running schedule to help me transition from a walker to a runner. Through the past two months, I have made some great improvements despite meeting a few obstacles. For example, at the end of May, I became sick for a week. This sickness made it difficult to jump back into my running schedule. I wanted to quit. I wanted to give up. I felt like my body was rejecting running.

Yesterday my sister imparted great words of running wisdom. She reminded me that the half marathon was not a race. It was a run. The goal was not to finish first. The goal was to finish. During a half marathon, people need to stop and stretch their muscles, drink to replenish nutrients lost, take a bathroom break, and so forth. Each runner has different needs and how I run and what I need during a run will be different than the person next to me.

As I reflected on those words last night, I found myself running with more consistency and with less grumbling. I started focusing on the goal of finishing the run and stopped worrying about the time it was taking. When I wanted to stop and walk, I realized I could give myself a moment's rest (I walked only half a block) then continued forward.

With this new mental attitude and focus, I ran 3 miles. I have never done that. I have always given up or just walked or let my body tell me what to do or some other lame excuse. This week my running schedule has me pushing myself even more. I can do this. I can finish this half marathon. Why? Because it isn't about finishing first or finishing with an amazing time or finishing with glory, laud, and honor. It is only about finishing and I can do that.

Many times in life, we act like we are running a race. We compare ourselves to our neighbors and friends and question why we aren't more like them. We criticize ourselves when we don't measure up to the expectations we placed on us. We allow negative thoughts to creep in our minds and metaphorically believe we can't finish the race so give up. The truth we need to train our minds is this: life isn't a race. It is a run. Each of us can finish. We finish with different paces. We finish with different needs along the way. We finish after taking time to nourish and replenish our souls. But we all can finish.