Hi friends,
We’re getting down to the wire here, and all my reasons are almost listed. This week’s may sound silly, but here it is: for the old me. When I was growing up, I spent most of my time thinking about all the things I couldn’t do, and all the ways I wasn’t good enough. In my head, I wasn’t athletic, I wasn’t pretty, I wasn’t skinny. I’d hear a constant loop about how bad I was at things: “You can’t run. You can’t jump. You can’t throw. You’ll always be picked last. You’re so annoying. Nobody likes you.” Because of that, I spent a lot of time preemptively saying no, particularly to anything to do with sports or athletics. No, I couldn’t try out for the swim team; people would see me in my bathing suit, and plus I’d be terrible at it. No, I couldn’t run a mile in the Presidential Fitness test in gym class; it sounded awful and I knew I couldn’t do it anyway. I protected myself by only allowing myself to even TRY a few very narrow areas of life where I allowed myself to almost feel confident, like schoo and music Even then, I was constantly surprised if I ever excelled; I was convinced I was mediocre even at my best.
As I grew up and gained confidence in a lot of areas as an adult, I was able to branch out and try many new things. However, I was always convinced of my utter and total failure as an athlete. As I’ve said on this site before, I never ran a mile before I was 30; the truth is I probably never really tried before then, either! I remember being amazed the first time I could keep running without stopping for any amount of time. When I was first attempting to run, first I’d walk, for a few minutes then I’d run for a few minutes, then I’d take a break, then I’d run again. Pretty soon I was running a 5k, then 5 miles, without stopping. So to say that I’m genuinely surprised at how far I’ve come with the marathon training is an understatement; because of my background as a “can’t” person, it’s truly one of the things I am most proud of. I’ve learned a very basic fact, pretty late in the game: you won’t know if you can’t do something unless you try. The entire experience has made me more open minded and more confident, and willing to try new things. If I had a time machine, one of the things I would do is go back in time and tell the old me to stop saying no to everything, and just try. I think of that girl a lot when I run; she’ll be with me when I cross the finish line, when I can turn around on her and say “SEE?? Yes you can!” I’m very much looking forward to it. As for the rest of you, ANYONE can run a marathon if I can; never ever sell yourself short! Try saying yes once in a while; amazing things can happen.
This week’s training felt like a walk in the park; it’s amazing how easy 12 miles feels after 20. I’m thoroughly enjoying this whole “taper” thing, and my body is thanking me for letting it heal after so many weeks of pummeling. Next week is only 8 miles, and the following week is the race; sh*t is getting real, folks!!
Fundraising update: honestly, the numbers this week astound me. People have been SO generous to my campaign, and I am currently at 80%, less than $1,500 away from my goal of $7,000. Like my training, the end is in sight! For all those who have given, thank you again; for all those who would like to give, please hit the “Donate” button above if you’d like to make a gift – thank you thank you thank you!!
Until next week,
Meg
We’re getting down to the wire here, and all my reasons are almost listed. This week’s may sound silly, but here it is: for the old me. When I was growing up, I spent most of my time thinking about all the things I couldn’t do, and all the ways I wasn’t good enough. In my head, I wasn’t athletic, I wasn’t pretty, I wasn’t skinny. I’d hear a constant loop about how bad I was at things: “You can’t run. You can’t jump. You can’t throw. You’ll always be picked last. You’re so annoying. Nobody likes you.” Because of that, I spent a lot of time preemptively saying no, particularly to anything to do with sports or athletics. No, I couldn’t try out for the swim team; people would see me in my bathing suit, and plus I’d be terrible at it. No, I couldn’t run a mile in the Presidential Fitness test in gym class; it sounded awful and I knew I couldn’t do it anyway. I protected myself by only allowing myself to even TRY a few very narrow areas of life where I allowed myself to almost feel confident, like schoo and music Even then, I was constantly surprised if I ever excelled; I was convinced I was mediocre even at my best.
As I grew up and gained confidence in a lot of areas as an adult, I was able to branch out and try many new things. However, I was always convinced of my utter and total failure as an athlete. As I’ve said on this site before, I never ran a mile before I was 30; the truth is I probably never really tried before then, either! I remember being amazed the first time I could keep running without stopping for any amount of time. When I was first attempting to run, first I’d walk, for a few minutes then I’d run for a few minutes, then I’d take a break, then I’d run again. Pretty soon I was running a 5k, then 5 miles, without stopping. So to say that I’m genuinely surprised at how far I’ve come with the marathon training is an understatement; because of my background as a “can’t” person, it’s truly one of the things I am most proud of. I’ve learned a very basic fact, pretty late in the game: you won’t know if you can’t do something unless you try. The entire experience has made me more open minded and more confident, and willing to try new things. If I had a time machine, one of the things I would do is go back in time and tell the old me to stop saying no to everything, and just try. I think of that girl a lot when I run; she’ll be with me when I cross the finish line, when I can turn around on her and say “SEE?? Yes you can!” I’m very much looking forward to it. As for the rest of you, ANYONE can run a marathon if I can; never ever sell yourself short! Try saying yes once in a while; amazing things can happen.
This week’s training felt like a walk in the park; it’s amazing how easy 12 miles feels after 20. I’m thoroughly enjoying this whole “taper” thing, and my body is thanking me for letting it heal after so many weeks of pummeling. Next week is only 8 miles, and the following week is the race; sh*t is getting real, folks!!
Fundraising update: honestly, the numbers this week astound me. People have been SO generous to my campaign, and I am currently at 80%, less than $1,500 away from my goal of $7,000. Like my training, the end is in sight! For all those who have given, thank you again; for all those who would like to give, please hit the “Donate” button above if you’d like to make a gift – thank you thank you thank you!!
Until next week,
Meg