The In Between

I will run over three hundred miles, over fifty hours, in training for my next marathon. Every step I take during this race I will have taken about 13 in preparation. Many times in my training I will question my ability to make rational decisions.

I picture my warm cozy bed, as I am half awake up a canyon on my only day to sleep in, lungs burning, legs heavy and spirits low – wondering how clinical I must be. I am putting myself through all this not for a chance at a win but a hope to finish about an hour and a half after the winner?

I still continue to run. I think I do so because I hope to prove to myself I still have it in me. When I run, it's not by thinking, or seeing, but by doing. The greatest part about the marathon is not just the glory of finishing, or knowing the pains I have caused my body for the past four hours (at my pace) will finally stop.

It’s much sweeter, the moment I realize for myself, that I have it in me. Crossing the finishline - those three hundred miles, fifty hours, and early mornings are no longer painful memories for they have served their purpose. They are now a source of strength, for me to draw upon in a time of need. When the next difficult challenge comes along, I’ll be able to go into it knowing, I have the fight to see it through.

What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand. - Confucius