Pushing through

I did something remarkable over this holiday weekend. A day after returning from a business trip, I decided to do something kind of crazy. I had signed up for a half marathon early in the year and in the last month or two I had decided I wasn’t fit enough to run in the race. But I had dropped some money into the race and decided I would at least walk it. I have been feeling pretty good and why not run a little and walk a lot.

Well… I guess I’m feeling better than I thought because I ended up running a heck of a lot more than a little. It was super hot out and the course was super hilly. But I did it. I pushed through. I finished the race in two hours and 35 minutes. That’s under 12 minute miles for 13.1 miles. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I’m super proud. And apparently when I decide to do something, it can be done.

I know a little kid named Jordan who is incredibly good at that. She pushes through and figures out so many amazing and yet simple things. Like over the weekend, she proved she’s an amazing lightning bug catcher. She’s learning how to use a hula hoop. She even made the big leap and actually went down the big slide at the pool and swam to the side every time. I know she was scared… but she did it any way. (Apparently she’s a little scared each summer. She has to warm back up to that slide at the start of the swim season.) I’m so proud of her strength and I’m so lucky to have her as inspiration. She and so many other kids are able to do everything they want because they push through. But for most of them, pushing through is just a normal part of life. I’m lucky enough to hang out with a lot of those kids. I have learned so much from these kids!! And I’m learning I can do what seemed impossible just a couple of years ago when I found out I had torn my ACL. How incredible to be able to recover, push through and not only run my first half marathon but also plan for my next this July? Wow.