Mind Over Matter: Lessons from My 1st Marathon

It’s fitting that I share the story of finishing my first marathon (yes 26.2 hilly Nashville miles) on both the day that is the one year anniversary of when I registered for the race and the day that we celebrate global running.

On April 30, 2016 my willpower overcame my physical obstacles and I am proud of that. However I have to be honest with myself, the journey was not easy and more importantly it was a test of my balanced not busy lifestyle.

I am the type of person that makes a decision, creates a plan and accomplishes the tasks that are needed to reach my goal. Why would training for a marathon be any different?

Well, life happened. A few weeks after I registered for the race I moved from New Orleans to Atlanta, I started a new job, I needed/wanted to get back in the groove of living in Atlanta: connect with friends, re-join organizations, etc…

Before I knew it, I looked at my calendar and it was January 2016 and my plan to begin training in November 2015 to properly prepare for the race was no longer a reality.

Most know that to survive 26.2 miles, ideally you should have a preparation plan, also known as a training plan. It’s logical.

The training plan & my time management did NOT jive.  I tried several apps, I asked friends that have run marathons for tips, I even signed up to be a run “coach” to help other people train for a race in hopes that I would also be motivated to train. People told me to just run the half marathon and give up on my dream of conquering a marathon. People told me there was NO way that I would finish without training. People were not supportive.

I may have been unable to find my perfect balance to commit to a training plan but the power of my mind was able to influence my body. Mind over matter.

Thankful for my Nashville sister-friend Lisa for the encouragement!

I prayed at the starting line. I queued up my favorite playlist. I soaked in the support from my sister friend, Lisa. I high-fived strangers on the course. I speed walked the hills. I focused on finishing. I enjoyed the race. I embraced Travis at the finish line and celebrated my accomplishments with a plate of Nashville hot chicken!

I am a MARATHON finisher!

I may not have done everything the right, proper & traditional way leading up to the race but somehow and someway I managed to shift my mindset, focus on what was important to me and find my balance.