Erin Go Run

or so I thought during miles 10, 11, and 12. In mile 10, there was this little boy cheering for people. As I ran by him, he screamed, “great job all of you. It doesn’t matter what position you finish in, you are all doing great I am so proud of all of you.”

This stuck with me for the remainder of the race, but particularly in these next few miles, they replayed in my head over and over again. As a runner, you sometimes have to step back for a moment. Not literally, because when you run, you run forward to avoid some nasty collisions, but mentally, your mind is moving much faster than your body. Am I keeping my arms relaxed; Am I lifting my knees high enough; I wonder what so and so is doing;etc.

When this little boy screamed these words, I stopped thinking about the steps I was taking, the fatigue I was starting to feel, and I thought about what these steps meant for me. I planned this trip on my own. I got on a plane to enter into a whole new world- away from my parents, from my home, from comfort. I was taking a step in another direction. Miles 10 through 12 were not only aproaching the halfway point and the point where I began to struggle…. they might have been the most powerful miles of the race and of my life. I knew at this point that I was not finishing as the same girl that started this race……