My 13.1 Mile Hero | Lisa says | ENTERTAINMENT
My 13.1 Mile Hero
February/09/08 04:18 PM Filed in: Lisa says
My best friend ran her first half marathon last
week. She did it after only running for about 6
weeks, never really training, without benefit of
a running club or running magazines or special
equipment. She completed the entire thing in an
amazing 2 hours and 18 minutes. She did it,
mostly, because she decided she could. And she
was right.
Now, before I go any further, I want you
all to embrace what it means to run 13.1 miles.
How far is the grocery store from your house? The
average American drives 4.7 miles to their grocer
store. My supermarket is about 1.3 miles from my
house.
So the next time you drive to do your shopping, clock the distance. Let’s say it’s two miles. Then run those two miles. Then do it 6 ½ more times. Think it’s amazing yet? Forget about the distance for a moment, and run the time. Put on your sneakers, go out the door, and run for two hours and 18 minutes.
Trust me, it’s amazing.
The biggest part of the half marathon (or marathon), I think, is the mental part. The part where your brain believes you can finish all 13.1 of those miles, even if it’s hot, even if you have to get up at 4am, even if your legs hurt, even if you’re tired.
Some people – like my 8 year old son – have no problem mustering the confidence to believe they can do it. The rest of us have a harder time finding that strength to know we can push our bodies and finish every single one of those very long miles.
Which is why my friends success is even more outstanding. She has heard criticism from others for all 40 years of her life. First, from her mother, who criticized her every day, about everything from her appearance to her demeanor to her friends to her choices.
Then, she heard the same attacks – and some new ones – from a verbally abusive husband for 15 years.
For 40 years she heard that she couldn’t, that she wasn’t good enough, that nothing was quite right, no matter what she did or how she tried. Her self-esteem was trampled daily, and eventually the voices inside her head echoed the voices outside.
She carried around the weight of doubt and self-dislike, questioning herself and never, ever, believing she “could.”
One day, she was caught in a rainstorm on her way home from a walk and she decided to run back. As she did, she found a seedling of self-esteem peeking its way through her consciousness. She allowed herself to believe that maybe she actually could run, at least a little.
The true miracle is that she listened to herself and found the strength to believe in herself. This is no small feat, when you are jousting the demons that have been a part of your life every second of every day. But she did it.
She ran the Komen Race for the Cure 5k. Then she decided to run the IMG Miami half marathon. She decided to run it, she believed she could run it, and she succeeded.
My friend completed the Miami half marathon because she found the incredible inner strength to stand up and say, “I can.” She reminds me that the most important voice we hear needs to be our own.
She reminds me that it’s ok to take on new challenges, to push ourselves a little, and to always, always believe in ourselves. She reminds me that I can.
And for that, more than for the really great half marathon time, she is my 13.1 mile hero.
So the next time you drive to do your shopping, clock the distance. Let’s say it’s two miles. Then run those two miles. Then do it 6 ½ more times. Think it’s amazing yet? Forget about the distance for a moment, and run the time. Put on your sneakers, go out the door, and run for two hours and 18 minutes.
Trust me, it’s amazing.
The biggest part of the half marathon (or marathon), I think, is the mental part. The part where your brain believes you can finish all 13.1 of those miles, even if it’s hot, even if you have to get up at 4am, even if your legs hurt, even if you’re tired.
Some people – like my 8 year old son – have no problem mustering the confidence to believe they can do it. The rest of us have a harder time finding that strength to know we can push our bodies and finish every single one of those very long miles.
Which is why my friends success is even more outstanding. She has heard criticism from others for all 40 years of her life. First, from her mother, who criticized her every day, about everything from her appearance to her demeanor to her friends to her choices.
Then, she heard the same attacks – and some new ones – from a verbally abusive husband for 15 years.
For 40 years she heard that she couldn’t, that she wasn’t good enough, that nothing was quite right, no matter what she did or how she tried. Her self-esteem was trampled daily, and eventually the voices inside her head echoed the voices outside.
She carried around the weight of doubt and self-dislike, questioning herself and never, ever, believing she “could.”
One day, she was caught in a rainstorm on her way home from a walk and she decided to run back. As she did, she found a seedling of self-esteem peeking its way through her consciousness. She allowed herself to believe that maybe she actually could run, at least a little.
The true miracle is that she listened to herself and found the strength to believe in herself. This is no small feat, when you are jousting the demons that have been a part of your life every second of every day. But she did it.
She ran the Komen Race for the Cure 5k. Then she decided to run the IMG Miami half marathon. She decided to run it, she believed she could run it, and she succeeded.
My friend completed the Miami half marathon because she found the incredible inner strength to stand up and say, “I can.” She reminds me that the most important voice we hear needs to be our own.
She reminds me that it’s ok to take on new challenges, to push ourselves a little, and to always, always believe in ourselves. She reminds me that I can.
And for that, more than for the really great half marathon time, she is my 13.1 mile hero.