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Several KMs worth of inspiration


Khalas.
It's done.
I've just completed my 3rd Marathon.
It wasn't pretty, but I made it.

Just over 18 weeks ago, I decided I wanted to give the Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon (Yes, the full 42kms!!!) another shot. I was motivated throughout the summer as I occasionally joined a run club back home and attended a few running workshops provided by expert runners. I thought to myself : "If I was able to complete the marathon twice before without a proper training program, surely if I trained more regularly, I could improve my performance."

So, I came up with the idea of starting a run club. I wanted to turn running into a social experience, while helping people work towards their running goals, but also while assuring I kept on track with my 18-week program. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as I had planned. Participation wasn't too abundant, I faced an ankle injury and I became ill in the weeks leading up to the big day. In addition, as the distances became greater in the program, I became less and less motivated to run. I hated the fact that running was starting to feel like a chore.

Nonetheless, race day arrived, I took a few deep breaths and I reminded myself: “You've already won in showing up this morning.” My run started off really well, even better than I had planned. I felt really strong in my first 30kms, but then...I hit "THE WALL". My feet, my ankles and my back all felt very tight and I struggled to make it through the last 12kms. I sadly needed to walk off the pain and discomfort several times to make it to the end. Luckily though, in the final kms leading up to the finish line, I received lots of encouragement and was able to finish on a high.
Well before I hit "THE WALL"
When I finished the Marathon today, I felt a mixture of emotions. Proud of myself for finishing, happy to finally be done, sad my time wasn't better than my last marathon (2014 Marathon - 5:08:01, 2015 Marathon - 4:24:18, 2017 Marathon - 4:30:33) ...but to be honest, most of all, I felt incredibly greatful and inspired.

Throughout the 18 weeks leading up to the Marathon, I got to spend time with some wonderful people. I got to witness improvement, progress and accomplishment from some of my closest friends and from others I may just of met a few times. Today, I saw people of all shapes and sizes, colors and races, and even some with disabilities, complete a 42 km Marathon. I saw many people fight hard through pain and injury. I saw families and friends supporting their loved ones. I saw complete strangers encouraging participants. I saw participants cheering on other participants. I also (sadly) saw a few of the top elite runners have to drop out of the race, which was for me a reminder that we are ALL human and that sometimes it's just not our time to shine. Unfortunate things happen every so often, and that’s ok. We’re not defined by one particular event, but rather from a series of actions and choices we make throughout our life-long journey.

So, I guess I can say that I am pleased overall with my 3rd Marathon experience. Not necessarily with regards to my time or my performance, but rather with all the inspirational acts I've been so blessed to witness.

*Special thanks to everyone who attended one of my run clinic sessions – You kept me going week after week and I could not of done this without you! You're all STARS! xo

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