Showing Up for 13.1

"If you really want to do something you will find a way.

If you don't, you'll find an excuse."

Jim Rohn

Photo of me at the race in 2010

It was an emotional run for me.   

 Robert's absence stung in ways I didn’t prepare myself for and not seeing my children at the finish line was a true heart breaker.  

But I carried them with me throughout those 13.1 miles.

As I started the race, I became almost overwhelmed with emotion.   

The streets, the beautiful buildings, the fog lifting slowly off of the Rhine and the lack of my family all made me choke up.

The city seemed to shine that morning - the very city I have come to love and now call home, welcomed me mile after mile as I passed her historic streets.  

 As I eased into my pace, and settled in for the miles ahead, I felt overwhelmed with joy.

I didn’t have to do this race.   

Yeah, I already registered and paid the fee, but I could have easily slid under the radar into a quite oblivion. 

No one would have known...except for me.

I had every excuse in the book not to race. 

I had come back from a couple of painful injuries. 

I seriously neglected to train for the run and more importantly, my partner was away on business.   

But I recall with fond recollection a professor once saying, “Most of life is simply showing up.”   

So, on that chilly morning, I woke before the sun, packed my bags, readied the house and the children, kissed them a sweet good-bye and made my way, alone to the start line.

If you aren’t an athlete you may not understand the need to race and so this post might just be lost on you.   

But for those of you who are athletes at heart, there is something so incredible about participating in an event that requires you to dig deep and teaches you what it means to truly persevere.   

There is a comradery that is shared between fellow athletes that is inspiring and the sheer fact that my body is capable of going the distance is nothing short of a miracle!

So, when asked why, the answer is almost always, "Because I can!"

And when you are in the mist of a race, something magical happens.

 You transcend to that place where your body flows freely, and your mind forgets to process all the bullshit that typically floods in on a daily basis. 

It is flippin’ euphoric - downright incredible to feel that way.

No chemically induced high could ever feel so good! 

Finishing the race in 2010

The middle of my run was just that  - heavenly!   

With the Lumineers playing Hey Ho on my iThing, I was elated with my decision to suck it up and run.   

Though I hit the wall hard when my music machine died – nope it didn’t run out of juice or battery, just straight up kicked the old bucket 4K’s before the finish.   

Now, do you want to talk about having to dig deeper than deep?   

My body ached, I missed my family and I didn’t even have songs of inspiration to carry me home.  Oh, but there was some kind of cosmic lesson to be gained from all this…right?! 

With nothing left to do but soak up the scenery and hum a little tune to myself, I crossed that finish line!

 

So, here’s to showing up, for going the distance and for reaching outside your comfort zone. 

Here is to saying "Yes I Can!" and "Yes I Will!"

Here is to moving your body the way your body was intended to move and here is to another race that was finished in honor of my father because he used to love all of my sporting events.

From tennis, to swimming, to tri's, to runs, he and my mother showed up, participated, cheered and made me feel that anything was possible!

With a humble heart and sore legs, I thank you!