Dig

Since I won’t have my full race recap up till Wednesday, and since I’m currently watching Antiques Roadshow in my hotel room with my mom and Don while waiting for Rob, Chris and crew to get ready so we can tear up Las Vegas (hurry, guys!), I figured I’d post another marathon tidbit.

I uploaded my Garmin splits today and was kind of blown away to find that mile 26 — the very last mile — was my fastest by far at 9:00 flat.

And then I ran the last little bit to the finish line at 8:33 pace.

I was hurting at mile 26. I was tired. My legs hurt like hell, and they had been since mile 16 or so. The water stations were completely out of water and my bottles had run dry. I had left the pacer behind a few miles back and no longer had a rabbit to chase.

I’ve realized that when I’m afraid of or intimidated by something in life, it’s not the activity itself that scares me. It’s the fact that I’m not sure I have what it takes to do it.

Dig. It’s there. All you have to do is peel back the layers of self-doubt and perceived limitations until you find the strength, the determination or the pure batshit craziness you need to push through.

You may wind up flat on your back in a parking lot wrapped up like a burrito while eating a banana that you’ll shortly recycle into the nearest garbage can, but you won’t regret it.