I grew up watching my dad go out for a run every single day. Literally every day, and I desperately wanted to be able to run like him. I was in 5th grade when I finally got to go with him. We were in Los Angeles for one of my softball tournaments, and I convinced him that I'd be able to keep up. Spoiler alert: I did not. My dad was actually extremely patient that day, and the lesson he taught me that day stuck... "If you have to stop running, that's fine, but you don't get to stop moving. You have to walk forward. When you feel like you can run again you have to walk back to where you stopped and go from there. You committed to running the miles. So you have to run the miles."

I continued to run on occasion, but didn't fall in love with running until I was in 7th grade. After spending half of the prior year in a back brace due to some fractured vertebrae, running became my thing. I always followed my dad's advice, and I ran whatever mileage or minutes I had committed to (plus whatever I had to walk). Running got me back in shape after six months of hardly any movement due to my back injury. It got me back in shape after having each of my kids. It is when I do my best thinking (even if my mind does wander to some extremely random places). Running is my outlet. The only time I did not enjoy running was when I tried track & field in high school. For me, running is not meant to be competitive. I find it relaxing, and the competition took all of the joy out of it.
That being said, in the back of my mind I always had the desire to run a half marathon. Why? Honestly, I'm not really sure. It just seemed like a goal I should have. Why not a full?? Because it's meant to be relaxing and enjoyable, not torturous! In 2017 I actually signed up for a half marathon in Panama City Beach. I paid. I put it on my calendar. I made a running schedule because at this point I was only running 2-3 miles max, and running anything more with a hangover or dehydrated really wasn't my jam (enjoyable, remember?). I didn't tell anyone that I had signed up for it, and I followed my schedule for maybe a week. The 1/2 came and went, and I told myself I wasn't disappointed in myself for not following through.
Fast forward to spring 2021. My husband randomly suggested, "let's do a half marathon" [half jokingly] but I excitedly agreed. As much as he didn't actually want to do it, he saw that it was important to me. He found a random 10 week training calendar, and he became my running partner and my coach. He stuck it out rain or shine. He pushed me when I wasn't feeling it. He committed 100% to helping me achieve my goal even if it was far from being one of his. Up until this point, the most I had ever run was 6 miles, and it had been 6+ years since I had run anything over 4. Because of my husband, I was able to stay motivated even when the miles got high and it got really hard.

On June 9th, we traveled to San Diego, CA to attend my youngest brother's wedding. Sticking with our training miles when we got in was hard...we were tired, and it was hot and dry, but we did it. Then on Friday, June 11th we spent the day celebrating my brother and his amazing new wife. Their ceremony and reception was beautiful, and we ate way too much. The pizza and cookies were SO good! San Diego friends, check out Crumbl (or don't - you'll probably gain 10lbs). The next morning, Saturday, June 12th we woke up a little tired and slightly regretful of the extra cookies. We ate a small snack and drank our coffee while we mapped out our miles. Finally, we got our nerd packs on, and walked out the door to crush a goal. It wasn't a sanctioned race. It was just for us. My husband's advice right before we started: Whatever you do don't walk. Even if it's the slowest pace imaginable, keep running.
Y'all...it was HARD. Some miles I felt incredible - That runner's high kicked in and I felt like I could run forever. Some miles I felt like hell - My feet hurt and I felt like I could barely move my legs. Two things kept me moving. The first was the advice from both my dad and my husband - I had to RUN the miles no matter what, so I might as well not stop. The second was reminding myself that I was capable of achieving any goal I set my mind to and this was one of them.

Travis was SO awesome. He arranged for our kids to come out to meet us for the last tenth of a mile. They ran with me, cheering me on and encouraging me right along with Travis. It would have been really hard to finish without Travis and my cheer squad!
13.1 miles. 2 hours 10 minutes and 2 seconds.
The miles weren't the true accomplishment. The true win was the overcoming. The commitment. The mindset. The accomplishment came from setting a goal and following through on the commitment I made. Goals require commitment and follow through, and being able to see this through was an accomplishment in itself. This was one step further in my journey.
So, what's next? I want to get into better physical shape. Running the miles needed to train for a 1/2 didn't allow for much else in the exercise department, and I'd love to lean back out and build up my strength again. I'll set a physical goal for my health and well-being and map out the commitments I need to make to get there. Will it be easy? Probably not, but the right mindset is going to get me there.
No matter what goals you are trying to achieve, just remember - run the miles. No matter how long it takes you and no matter how many times you may falter, keep going after it. You can achieve it.
I believe in you.
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