On the 4th of this month, I crossed the finish line of my first marathon with a time of 3:53:46.
I wouldn't have done it without the confidence gained from that pivotal 30km run last year.
In 2023, my stretch goal as a runner was to conquer the 30km distance for the first time.
For an entire year, I had been stuck, unable to surpass the 24km mark.
On Dec 30th, I mustered up the courage to give it a shot.
It was an arduous journey, one that took me a grueling four hours to complete.
That day, I wrote two lessons on journal.
I had fallen into the trap of fixating on results – obsessing over a 4-hour marathon, deeming a 5-hour endeavor an unacceptable outcome. This mindset crippled me, deterring me from even attempting the challenge.
At that 15km mark of the 30km run, a thought sparked within me – "When will I acknowledge I had trained enough and am ready to run a full marathon?"
It was then that the truth dawned upon me: by embracing the present moment, by cherishing the process and the sheer act of completing the marathon itself, the notion of time became inconsequential. Why agonize over the relentless march of the clock when engaging fully in the journey at hand is the utmost imperative?
As I neared the end, the desire to give up became overwhelming. Each step felt heavier than the last. I found myself questioning whether it would be my mind or my body that would quit first.
At times, it felt as though my aching feet and gasping lungs were signaling my body's surrender. Eventually, I realized that when the mind succumbs, everything else follows suit.
Shed the doubts, when the mind leads, and the body follows.