This picture perfectly represents how I felt at the end of the Monumental Marathon.
That race was a tough one. The 25-50 mph winds were a force to fight through. At one point, I found myself yelling out loud, “STOP!” as the wind kept blowing my hat off. And my headspace became a major challenge in the last five miles.
My friend, Majel, was waiting at the finish line for me. I hugged her, started crying and said, “I’m never doing this again.”
And yet, less than 48 hours later, I was looking up marathons for 2023.
The day after the race, I turned 47. Something I was asked by a few people is what is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my life so far.
That photo and the aftermath represents that lesson — which is that pain, both physical and mental, is always temporary.
I read a quote the other day that said, “I’m not telling you that it will be easy. I’m telling you it will be worth it.” … Whether it’s running, ending a marriage that no longer worked for me, moving to Indiana, shedding 40 pounds of physical (and emotional) weight, taking a chance on myself with respect to work, saying “no” … those things were not easy, and they were painful.
But the pain was temporary. … And it was worth it. I was worth it.