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Humility doesn’t mean being down on yourself. It means knowing who you are, and accepting it. –Jed Brewer

At the Labor Day marathon, I got my rear-end handed to me, finishing in five hours and thirty-six minutes. The crazy thing is, as I stumbled deliriously across that line, I felt more accomplished than I ever have. In fact, it’s been close to two weeks, and I still can’t stop smiling while thinking, “I ran two marathons this year!”

I’ll admit that I was expecting to do just a little bit better (I ran the first half in 2:15!), but is it even possible to express the fact that I’m genuinely okay with my finish? Maybe that’s why I’ve waited so long to write this up. How can I articulate what happened that day? Oh, sure. I could write about the weather or what I ate. I could say how I should have done this, or should have done that, but I don’t want to write those things! I just want to say, I showed up, I did it, and I had a BLAST.

It turns out that besides being quite painful (I wouldn’t recommend it!), a little five-hour jaunt can be good for your perspective. Let me explain. It was right around this time, when I was looking at my watch and wishing I could give up, that an older lady jogged past. As she went, she cheerfully remarked, “Look at us! Even with all of our troubles, we’re still out here, enjoying this beautiful day!” She was right, and I sincerely felt more grateful for my health. Next, an eighty-year-old man smoked me to the finish line. As hilarious as it is, I was pretty awestruck. You see, as he flew past me, I read his shirt: “50 States Marathon Club.” Below the caption, someone had written in sharpie, “x2.” No way! Now, there’s a guy that runs because he loves it. I bet he doesn’t even HAVE a Facebook, Twitter account, or blog, and yet there he is—running in his eighties. Ah, I just love it. And, I love running. I forgot about that for a while because I was so focused on running longer, faster, blah, blah, blah.

Expectations are good, and it’s fun to challenge yourself and meet goals, but maybe you don’t always have to have a goal to feel accomplished. Maybe, you can feel good because you’re doing something you love? Or because you’re healthy enough to do something you love? Maybe, you can feel good about yourself because you know who you are: where you’ve been, where you are now, and what you’d like to try next!

I do have some ideas about what I’d like to try next, but I’m also ready to take some time off. I’ll probably continue to run when I feel like it, but I’m going to do my best to not sign up for any races until I’m feeling rested. The closure I feel now that I’ve finished the ADT is nice, and I don’t want to spoil it! Thankfully, I’m blessed to live in Colorado, and our state’s fall and winter seasons offer any number of adventures to enjoy without running. Until next time, I hope you find a way to enjoy something that you love! Take care, my friends.

There is no respect for others without humility in one's self. 

–Henri Frederic Amiel