Post Marathon Thoughts

Wow, what an intense experience. I'm a bit fuddled so won't write for long but that was a day I shan't forget. The first 13 miles whizzed by, unfurling on a wave of high fives, cheers and euphoria. The second half was a lot harder and I walked a bit and had some loo stops but I wasn't going to let myself regret not pushing on so finished in 3.56. It was a unique experience being involved in mass, united humanity - and being part of a collective striving.

I want to write more about motivation later on but running that marathon was both an atonement of sorts in terms of how I have treated my body, and a move towards an engaged, full life - a life I am lucky enough to live. As I ran I thought about people who cannot run, or those who are too poor to expend thousands of calories on "leisure" time.

The training, more than the race itself, has proven to me that I possess grit and determination and stickability.

The explorer George Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. He responded with "Because it's there." Someone with the need to discover what lies beyond the next bend, and what is inside them, understands this answer. That question, and answer has been inside me since I was little and I hope it is a seed in my own children.