In the Long Run- The Road to 26.2

Life without running would be like life without food... And vice versa.

I am a runner.  A cyclist.  A marathoner.  An athlete.  A college student.  Lover of food...  And frequent visitor of Netflix...  And when my friends ask, after discussing how my weekend involved 100 mile bike rides and 15 mile runs, if endurance athletes aren't a little masochistic, I don't disagree.

But, only an athlete can understand that there is a point where being sore is good.  When you walk inside after a long run, dripping sweat, snag a popsicle from the freezer and put your feet up feeling accomplished, and like you will literally never walk again, it's the best feeling... And the next day you're compelled to do it again.

Millions of people- from high school cross country runners to Olympic athletes to working types who jog before work each day- know both the joys of running and the struggles that come with it.

Three months ago, I ran my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, in Washington D.C.  I like to say that it was the best three hours, thirty one minutes and forty nine seconds of my life.  That's partly because it felt like a much more successful day than blowing through a book for my history class or doing a few loads of laundry.  But, at the same time, it's because of all the people along the way who made the journey so great, as well as every challenge that made me stronger along the way.

From the Marines who cheered me on, saying, "Keep it up, Semper Fi!" to my fellow runners who befriended me and gave me tips that would help me survive the day and from the moment when my neon pink shoes first found their way across the start line to the stitches at mile 4, the friendships formed at miles 6, 10 and 21, the gatorade splashed in my eye at mile 9, the energy gels and sports beans that fueled me forward, to the tears in my eyes, just minutes before I crossed the finish line as a Boston qualifier 3:31:49 after my journey began, I never once regretted the decision I had made to sign up for an endeavor so grueling that I basically entered zombie mode for a week afterwards.

Lots of people tell me that they would never run a marathon.  And to be completely honest, as I prepare my race calendar for next year, and think about the next one, I am scared too.  I'm not completely prepared to enter back into 30 mile weeks, early runs, risks of injuries, bad weather, etcetera... A lot can go wrong in twenty six point two miles.

But, the thing is, I have never doubted that it is worth running another one.  It is my nature to aim high, fight hard, finish no matter what happens, and when it's all over, go back to the beginning and start again.  I hope you will join me in my journey to another 26.2, wipe away the slate of excuses, and learn to love a sport that I used to call "cross training".