*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear monday, WARNING! Boston Marathon overload today!  Today is the 2019 Boston Marathon and since I won't be running it today I decided to post this article (blog post) HERE.  It made me remember so much about it and hoping I will one day be able to run it again.  This is posted ONLY FOR ME.  Just scroll past.

A few memories from last year...

And this one HERE is also really good.

These ↑are the signs I had Wellesley College make for Mitra

Less people are qualifying for Boston, but more people are applying to get in.  Subsequently more runners are being cut from acceptance even though they qualified. 

Here ↓ is MY Boston Marathon video from last year.  I am not sure if I ever saw it.  I think I did, but here it is so I now have it documented. I am crossing the finish line at the end.

Link: https://youtu.be/5oDUCawmJ1A

Today was a really hard day for me.  I knew it might be, but I didn't expect it to be quite as tough as it was.  I think it was the culmination of everything all added together and it all seemed to come to a head.  It didn't help that when I woke up the first thing I heard was a downpour outside, just like last year's morning of the race.  I actually felt a little PTSD when I heard that, but honestly, I would run it again in the exact same conditions again if I could only have that chance! The hardest part for me is knowing that there is a real possibility I will never get the chance to run it again.  To do that would be monumental. It is monumental to qualify even if I hadn't been through what I have been the past four months...but now, it seems like a very hopeless dream.  I'm not getting any younger and with all the strikes against me when it comes to my knee and ankle, I am pretty sad about it all.  

Dave was very kind but I still lost it and had a really good cry before I got out of bed.  I feel so helpless.  I have great determination and that is how I qualified for Boston three times and ran it twice, but determination isn't going to get me back there this time because determination isn't able to heal things.  If it could, I would not be worried.  I have been pretty hopeful and each day I try to keep the faith, but some days, it is really hard.  It is a daily struggle to stay in that place I need to be, in fact, it's more of an hourly struggle.  I KNOW that HF CAN heal my ankle, but I don't KNOW if He WILL.  That is where I struggle.  And that is where the fear enters in.  I have put it on the altar and given it to Him but I am not feeling the peace I did when I did the same about not having to have chemo.  Maybe that means I have not REALLY given it to Him? 

I watched the marathon even though I was struggling with not being there and I'm sure that didn't help things at all, but I couldn't not watch.  Oh man, that was hard to see the start in Hopkinton and to see the runners and to relive those emotions and feelings and how great that was.  I tried to shift my focus to being grateful I was able to do it twice. I mean, HOW MANY PEOPLE get to do that?  Not many!  I have been very blessed!  Only 1/10 of 1% of the population will ever run a marathon and out of them only 10% of marathon runners will ever qualify to run the Boston Marathon. And I am one of those!  That is quite a miracle in and of itself!  TWICE! I never thought that dream would come true for me before it happened and so I need to focus on the fact that dreams DO happen.  IF you work hard enough.  I just wanted to do it again and again because it is such a great experience. Right now, my work is strictly on having the faith it will happen again.  Faith is kind of hard work at times. What am I saying?  It is not kind of hard work, it is VERY hard work!  Keeping those doubts at bay is tough.  I need to do better.  I can do it when I really focus and think about it, but just the daily thoughts going through my brain (the logical part) need to be halted and dismissed so the others can get in.  

I was glued to the computer watching the race from 7 a.m. until I had to go shower for my Sista lunch about 11 a.m.  I got to see the winners and so that was great.  The women's winner was in the lead nearly the entire race and I just knew she would crash and burn either during or on the hills but she kept strong and had over a three minute lead up until the very end.  She was from Kenya (of course) and the men's winner was awesome to watch!  It was between three Kenyan's and any of the three could have won but it got down to two and they literally sprinted to the finish line AFTER running 26.2!  No idea how!  It was exciting!  Jared Ward took 8th. He is from Utah (Kaysville) and my classmate Ed Eyestone is his coach. I got to meet him in 2017 at Boston.  Such a great guy.  

With Jared Ward in 2017

And Riley Cook (the brother of Denver - my nephew in law) came in 28th!  Pretty awesome.  Sarah Sellers who ran for Weber State and took 2nd last year came in 19th.  Pretty amazing too.  It was great to watch!  It pumped me up!  Haha  Here are some photos of this year's 2019 Marathon:

BOSTON BUDDIES book made the NATIONAL news!!!
How cool is that???
AWESOME!

Here is a trip down memory lane.  All of these showed up on my Facebook Memories today.  Some brought tears to my eyes and others big smiles!  I have truly been blessed with so many amazing experiences because of running!

 My name is on there somewhere ↑

 A few more memories from 2017:

This was my good luck wish to the runners in 2016

This was my good luck wish to the runners this year:

A few other memories:

I met the Sistas at the Union Grill. We had a good turnout.  Six of us.  

I took Unicorn popcorn cones in honor of the marathon today.  Linda Love showed up for the first time in years. She is a hoot. We had a lot of fun and laughed so hard.  I was a little slow getting a joke and they loved that.  It was pretty funny though.  While we were eating the TV showed Notre Dame caught on fire in Paris. So sad.  I am glad I got to see it in person when I was in college.  We laughed so hard and I am sure some people were wishing we would leave.  Haha  But, it was a blast.  

 We giggled over this because I didn't "get it" until after we discussed it thoroughly. haha
Sorry for the duplicates on some of these but I stole this off of Dawn's blog because she had some pix I didn't.  Thanks Dawn!

I had to take this shot. Too funny!  Actually, everyone was looking for dates for our next lunch.  We really don't spend time on our phones when we get together.  Why would we?  We have way too much fun together!

 Sweet and supportive Dawn wore her Boston Marathon Sole Sista's shirt for me because today was the  marathon!  She is THEE MOST thoughtful soul on the planet!  She always thinks of the best ideas and things.  She is a very special friend who I love dearly!

I ran to Costco after.  That was tough just on my legs.  I also hit Ross.  It was tough on the poor old legs standing on them that long.  I came home and practiced the harp. I haven't been very good at practicing this week and my lesson is tomorrow.  

More musings from Tony.  I like to apply his wisdom to life, not just running.

Tony Garcia

Page 97.

As we draw ever closer.

Dear Friend,

Rest easy this night.

Find comfort in knowing this one simple, immutable truth: you created this opportunity.

It was not born of luck or happenstance. Nor made merely of wishes, hopes or daydreams.

Every time you decided to get back up, you created this opportunity.

Every time you chose discipline over excuse, you created this opportunity.

Every time you pushed yourself to the extra mile, you created this opportunity.

Every time you ignored the doubts and fears, you created this opportunity.

Every time you overcame the urge to call it quits, you created this opportunity.

Every time you did not bow before the difficult, you created this opportunity.

Every time you refused to accept impossible as a truth, you created this opportunity.

Every time you found the courage to believe in yourself, you created this opportunity.

Every time you braved the raging storm, you created this opportunity.

Rest easy my friend. You were created for this.

Love,Me

#💙💛

As you can see today was a bit rough for me.  I have the greatest friends though. I received so many messages and texts and calls from people who was thinking of me and somehow knew today was going to be a struggle.  Here are a few of those:

dear tuesday, today I had my harp lesson but it wasn't until 11 and so I practiced for a while this morning.  I felt much better about things and it felt like some things were coming back. My lesson went well and she was pretty pleased as well.  We have a group lesson next week. It was pouring rain all day!  I had to find some gifts today and so I hit several stores.  My legs were not happy with me.  I was in search of unicorns (for Mitra) and so I had to do some looking around.  I am pretty sure my legs are not ready for shopping just yet.  Luckily, I found some.  I headed back home and hurried and put Robin's bday gift together and ran over to her house to deliver it.  I stayed for about a half hour. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of us.  Oh, we do have fun!

Grant came home and said he was surprised to see me out among the living. Hah  Robin gave me some yummy "crack" (the stuff we make at Christmas) and then I headed to PT.  My appt was really late today and I was the only one there at the end.  Even Cindy left.  I didn't get out of there until about 6:45.  Poor Rob stays that late every night I think.  He must put in 60 hours a week minimum.  He is such a great guy. My extension was a 3 bordering on a 2.5!  Yay!  Good news!  I got my flexion back to 147 too.  I thought both were going to be bad because of the rain.  We chatted about maybe getting a second opinion on my ankle because I feel like I should be doing something for it.  We shall see.  I came home and Dave was here.  I was real beat tonight.  We chatted for a bit and then he headed to his meetings and I headed upstairs.  I was so exhausted but stayed up way too late. 

dear wednesday, today it was a sunny day after many rainy ones. I love the rain and so I don't complain about it.  I could live in Seattle, no problem.  I had a dentist appt this morning.  Everyone was so nice and happy to see me out and about. I joked with Dr. MaCarthur about it all. He is such a funny guy.  He was talking about his friend who was also an athlete who got some weird heart condition and can't be an athlete anymore.  Life is interesting for sure.  I headed to Walmart to get the rest of the Easter stuff and I ran into a lot of peeps (Bailey, Tawney, and Bonnie) and they were all so nice and concerned.  I had a good and long talk with Bonnie but I love talking to her.  She is so uplifting.  But I was on my legs way too long.  They were hating me.  I came home and put together all the Easter baskets and filled the eggs for Karen's party.  It was fun. 

I tried to catch up on this a bit and read some about the Boston Marathon's runner's posts.  So fun.  The weather wasn't as perfect as it appeared and a lot of them struggled due to the heat and humidity.  That makes me feel grateful I didn't run it this year because I do not do well in the heat (the year I ran in 2017 was the hottest in over a decade) and so I am sure even though it wasn't as hot, that the humidity wouldn't have been fun.  Either way, that made me feel a bit better.  Hah

dear thursday, I was supposed to go to lunch with the sister in-laws today but it got cancelled and I was honestly so grateful.  Heading into O town another day this week was a bit much for me, and so I was so happy I got to just stay home.  My leg isn't quite up to what I have been putting it through lately.  Three times in four days was probably overdoing it.  We rescheduled for next week. I spent a lot of time in the scriptures and my gratitude journal.  I listened to several podcasts and then did my PT.  Dave came home for lunch and I worked on a bunch of computer stuff.  He had to get back to work and so I made corn chowder and mug cakes for his parents along with some hot rolls. He delivered it when he got home.  I haven't been back to cooking or baking much and there's a reason for that.  If I can sit, it's no problem, but standing that long gets pretty painful after about 5-10 minutes.  Sometimes I wonder if I will ever feel normal again?  It will come. Patience.... On a good note, this is usually where you find my cane now.  I rarely use it anymore!  YIPPEE! 

I had gone upstairs to finish my PT and Carson came bopping in my room.  They stopped by to grab some stuff for their camping trip to Moab.  It was almost 10 pm.  They weren't here very long.  I pray they will be safe.  

My sweet ministering sister Bailey dropped this treat by. So yum!

dear friday, today I had PT early.  Even though I don't necessarily enjoy the PT, I do enjoy the people.  Everyone there is just so pleasant and nice.  I've gotten to know several of them very well over this past three months.  Today, I had great news!  My extension was a 7-8 cold and a 2 warm!  I'll take it!  I still have a ways to go, but I can actually touch the back of my knee on the table when I force it down now.  Rob manipulated it a bit (not fun) but I know he has to and I did the fun station for possibly the last time!  Yippee!  

I ran and did a few errands and then met Jen at Old Grist.  We had a great discussion.  I got a bit emotional with the whole faith and doubting thing, but I am grateful to have a friend I can talk to about it all who gets it.  I just love our talks.  We have been good friends for so long and I am so sad that she is moving to Mantua. I have forced myself to not think about it.  But, I will miss her terribly.  Glad she is going to be pretty close by.  I tend to swing from full and complete faith, to full and complete doubt within an hour.  It's frustrating me because I don't usually swing that far.  I am usually pretty sturdy on the faith path, but this is so HUGE that I guess it plays into it. I just need faith sufficient and I know I have that, but is it REALLY enough?  I pray and hope it is.  I need this miracle. It's not about the running anymore, it's about my future and my life.  At least the quality of my life.  Mainly so I can enjoy my future grandkids.  Speaking of that, I hit Shopko (the shelves are bare and what's left still isn't a killer deal) on my way home.  I am going to miss that place.  

Haylie brought the kiddos over.  She told me every single day when Brinlee wakes up she asks if she can go to Jodi's.  Ahh....  That is the sweetest.  I just adore those kids!  I worked on my insurance red tape for the PT appeal and then they came over.  Bryce was still at work. I was happy she felt she could come without him.  

Brinlee and I delivered some daffodils out of our yard to Julie because Dave had surgery.  We had to leave them on the porch because she wasn't home.

We played outside in the sand and just hung out.  They were both so adorable.  Dave made it home and he came out and pruned the prickly blackberry bushes.  Bryce made it home and then we decided to have a bonfire.  We had pizza and just chilled...I mean warmed around the fire.  It was fun.  

These kids absolutely adore him.  When he got home, they both took off running into his arms.  It was the sweetest thing!  Brinlee was yelling, "Brycie! Brycie!"  She says Bryce is her favorite dad. Soooo cute!

I have to do push down's on my knee every hour on the hour as part of my PT whenever my phone beeps and Brinlee wanted to do them with me.  Too cute!

Cute Liam. He cracks me up!

dear saturday, today I ran some errands and then came home and cleaned.  The vacuum was upstairs and so I swept the entire downstairs and then mopped.  It felt so good to actually be able to mop my floors!  They haven't had a really good mop (besides the daily spot mop) since the accident.  I also cleaned my baseboards. It's amazing the feeling a clean floor and baseboards will give you. I cleaned the playroom and the mudroom as well.  I love it when I actually have the energy to do that.  It only shows up once in a while right now.  Hah  Dave and I headed to an afternoon reception for Ayako's son.  

It wasn't very crowded and we were right in and out and then came home and finished checking off the list. I colored eggs.....all by myself.  I should have done it last night when the littles were here.  

Sky and crew are in Moab still and so no Carson this year.  

I then made cute Rice Krispy Treat nests.  They turned out pretty cute. I told Karen I was going to do a pretty Easter cake, but it would take more stamina than I had.  I'm not quite ready to jump back into that yet.  At least I know my limits.  Usually, anyway.  The RK treats were a bit more labor intensive than I planned.  One day I will look back and think how pathetic.  But it is what it is.  

And I made a pretty pasta salad for tomorrow.  I love the colors in it!  So Springy!

I had a rather humorous experience this morning with a Box Elder bug. I told Dave the story and he told me to not put it on my blog or everyone will think I'm loony. But, I am going to anyway.  Hah  He never reads this so he won't know. LOL  But to preface, it really is a bit crazy even if I do say so myself.  BUT, it was also a testimony builder for me.  So, take it with a grain of salt.  Hah

While I was taking a shower there was an annoying Box Elder bug in there with me.  He got wet and was basically drowning when I turned on the water and he was really struggling.  I felt bad for the little guy because I knew how he was feeling.  LOL  Now, I usually do NOT save the lives of BE bugs because they are a real nuisance around here and we have so many of them.  I don't believe in killing things just to kill them, but these things are a huge pain.  I frequently will vacuum them up by the hundreds at times or grab a few with a Kleenex and throw them in the toilet or flush them down the drain of the tub.  But for some reason today, I took sympathy on this particular one.  Weird. I. Know.  But stay with me.  I decided to kick him out of the target of the water so he could have a chance of survival.  He landed by the shower door and just laid there lifeless.  I was positive he was a goner.  And then in my head (and I know this did not come from me) I had the thought, "That poor thing reminds me of myself struggling with life right now and just hanging on for dear life hoping that my ankle will heal so I can live a normal life again".  Even though I put some effort in trying to save him, I felt bad that he had died and I was the reason for it.  I thought to myself how cool it would be if he could actually survive after all he's been through.  I compared it to my ankle and thought if he could live through that, what's so hard about getting my ankle to heal?  For him to actually survive would be even a bigger miracle. Then I thought I saw one of his legs move.  But I convinced myself that would have been impossible because he was totally dead.  However, when I got out of the shower, I had the feeling to pick him up and put him on a Kleenex and just see what happens.  I did.  He was totally lifeless and dead!  I forgot about him and did my hair and makeup and when I went back past him, he was now right side up! He had turned himself over.  But he was still just not moving and stiff and lifeless!  Pretty bizarre.  But, he had somehow managed to get himself turned over.  So I moved him over closer by me.  Nothing. He didn't move at all.  He was as dead as they come.  I left and went about my business pretty sure he had no hope of ever living.  There are times I will see one just being active and then suddenly just die on the spot.  This guy wasn't even close to that.  So I really didn't give him much hope, but I was intrigued!  An hour or two later when I went up in my bathroom, he was GONE!  He had obviously crawled away and so that meant he actually LIVED!  He survived an impossible situation that looked completely dire with absolutely no possible way.  I knew HF used this little parable, if you will, to try and teach me to HAVE FAITH!  Miracles happen all the time!  Even impossible situations can become possible!  He is all powerful and can do anything.  I have really been struggling with my faith lately when it comes to this ankle and He knew this would strengthen it.  I am calling it the parable of the Box Elder bug.  Hehe  Go ahead and tell me in the comments that you think I am a bit loony. I won't even argue!  LOL

Sky and crew arrived late last night.  They had a great time in Moab.  I decided to get up early and play the Easter Bunny role.  McKay brought home steaks from Maddox.  

dear sunday, HAPPY EASTER! 

 

I am so grateful for the love and sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ who lives today and who provides each one of us with the hope that we will one day be made whole just as He is. Because of Him, one day we will all triumph over fear, sadness, despair, sickness, all of our sorrows, and even death. Without Him, there would be no hope. He knows each of our names. He loves each one of us. He died for us so that we could overcome all the hard things of this life and one day live with Him again. What a gift we have each been given! 
I wish you all a very Happy Easter! Take a minute to watch this powerful message.
#BECAUSEofHIM #Easter #Helives

On the flip side...the Easter Bunny came!

 No, that is not a mess.  That is how the Easter Bunny leaves his treats at our house.  A tradition passed on from Dave's family.

 These cuties found lots of treats!

We did the egg hunt (inside) at 8 a.m. when Dave got home and everyone was actually ready for church.  

Taylor wasn't here because he had to work at the fire station all night, but he was here when we got home from church.  It was fun.  So crazy my boys are all grown up now.  They found all the eggs and then we headed to church.  Elder Hess from Malad was visiting.  He gave a great talk. I really like him.  He is taking the place of Elder Larsen.  Bro. Lunt spoke on the resurrection and I really loved his talk.  He talked about how we will be made whole again after that day.  I was kind of discouraged a bit because I don't want to wait until that day. I talked to Janet after and she just cried. I think that was hard for her to hear as well.  I had to teach Primary today and I used the Resurrection egg kit I had and it worked really well.  They are all so cute. I had so many hugs today.  Jen posted about my ankle on the RS email and so many people stopped and asked me how I was doing.  We have such a great ward. 

I don't think very many people were aware of it.  She came up and hugged me tight after church and told me she brought it up in ward council and how everyone was very sad and concerned and when I said I feel bad because it's not life or death, but she said it IS my life.  My life will never be the same if I lose that ankle bone.  I try to avoid thinking about that and so I had to hold back the tears.  I am going to miss her. They attend only one more week before they move. I am not happy about that.  It won't be the same without them.  I am not a fan of change. But I am excited for them.  I brought Chayden and Carson home and they were full of energy (or sugar! hah).  

Some bunny loves this guy!

Gorgeous fam!

Dave was gone all day but no one knew where he was.  If I did that, all the forces would be out in search of me.  Hah  When he finally surfaced, we had some photos taken of the two of us.

 I'm not really a fan of any of them..

Carson has a girl named Lyla that is in love with him.  She wrote him these ↑ love notes. It cracks me up. He says he is in love with her too, but whispers it to me and says to not tell anyone. LOL

We headed to Karen's house for the Easter party.  We started with the Easter Egg hunt and it was basically for the adult grandkids since the only littles were Carson, Chayden, Liam and Brinlee.  Also Tanae's Brinley.  There was over $100 to be found in the eggs but most people got around $5-6.  It was fun!

Haylie made this adorable cake.  It's only her second cake and it turned out so cute!  It was yummy too!

There was TONS of good food!

I LOVE these pictures!  These kiddos are so fun and cute!  Carson was busy with Chayden today.  I am so happy he gets to spend time with him!  He sure loves his bro!

He had fun with Brinlee too!

Then it just poured!!!  So fun! Taylor, Chayden and Brinlee were having the best time in the rain.

A fun time was had by all!

I got snuggles!  So fun!

Taylor was the FUN Uncle today!

Cute Carson and his bunny game!

When we got home there was quite the excitement!  A boy had to be rescued from the mountain by a helicopter on our mountain.  It was quite the scene!

dear random, 

I finally got my gospel tool app to work. This is what's on ours.

This popped up on my memories.
Geeze!

This also popped up on my memories.  FUN FUN times!  

As did this!

This is definitely one of my favorite photos and one of my happiest days when I got that boy home from Russia!

And this also popped up of me and Jenniece with Sister Sheri Dew at our AMI banquet.

Some fun Sky and crew had Sarah and McKay posted on IG.

A great future April Fool's joke. Actually, someone should play this one on me!  I would FREAK!

THIS ↓  :)

(Came in the mail as a wedding invite)

Grateful THESE DAYS are over!!!

dear quotes,

 Expectations are like children. We raise them and then we have a hard time letting them go.  

Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow. - Catherynne M. Valentine

You get peace of mind not by thinking about it or imagining it, but by quieting and relaxing the restless mind. - Remez Sasson

Life will usually go on if things don't go according to plan.  It's helpful to keep reminding yourself and repeating the sentence, "Life isn't an emergency." - Richard Carlson

You carry in yourself all the obstacles necessary to make your realization perfect.  If you discover a very black hole, a thick shadow, be sure there is somewhere in you a great light.  It is up to you to know how to use the one to realize the other.
- Sri Auribindo

Stress is caused by being "here" but wanting to be "there" or being in the present but wanting to be in the future. - Eckhart Tolle

‎Tony Garcia‎ to Boston Marathon Training

Consider this.

7.53 billion people currently inhabit the earth.

Consider this.

So far this year, only 107,888 of them have completed a marathon.

Consider this.

That is 0.000014 percent of the human population.

Consider this.

That means only 1 out of every 6,979,460 people on the planet have completed a marathon in 2019.

Consider this.

You are one of them.

Consider this.

You defied overwhelming odds.

Consider this.

You are kind of a big deal.

Consider this.

The end of the story. ~G

#truth
#💙💛

This was an article by Dean Karnazes on Runner's World that basically sums up running a marathon...  in case I never get to do another one again, I am posting it in it's entirety here:

The Marathon

There is no luck involved in finishing the Marathon.

By DEAN KARNAZES

MAY 1, 2014

The Marathon is not about running, it is about salvation. We spend so much of our lives doubting ourselves, thinking that we’re not good enough, not strong enough, not made of the right stuff. The Marathon is an opportunity for redemption. Opportunity, because the outcome is uncertain. Opportunity, because it is up to you, and only you, to make it happen.

There is no luck involved in finishing the Marathon, the ingredients required to tackle this formidable challenge are straightforward: commitment, sacrifice, grit, and raw determination. Plain and simple.

So you set about your training to prepare your body for the rigors of running 26.2 miles. You refuse to compromise, dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to the contest ahead, pouring everything you’ve got into it. But you know the Marathon will ask for more. In the dark recesses of your mind, a gloomy voice is saying, you can’t. You do your best to ignore this self-doubt, but the voice won’t go away.

The Marathon rattles you to the core. It deconstructs your very essence, stripping away all your protective barriers and exposing your inner soul. When you are at your most vulnerable, the Marathon shows no pity. The Marathon tells you that it will hurt you, that it will leave you demoralized and defeated, crushed in a lifeless heap alongside the roadside. The Marathon tells you can’t do it. “Ha!” it torments you, “In your dreams…”

You fight back, however, and stand courageously at that starting line, nervously awaiting that gun to go off. When it does, you put your head down and charge into the abyss, knowing honestly in your heart of hearts that you either paid your dues or that you skimped along the way. There is no lying to yourself here, the Marathon sees right through excuses, shortcuts, and self-transgressions.

All goes well for the first half. But slowly, step-by-step, the pain mounts and the intensity of the endeavor amplifies. You remain steadfast, knowing that you did not skimp, that you did not take shortcuts, that every footstep was earned through months of rigorous preparation and hard work. Still, with each draining thrust forward, that little nagging inclination of self-doubt in the back of your mind progressively advances into your awareness.

Then, at mile 20, the voice looms louder than ever. It hurts so bad you want to stop. You must stop. But you don’t stop. This time, you ignore the voice, you tune out the naysayers who tell you that you’re not good enough, and you listen only to the passion within your heart. This burning desire tells you to keep moving forward, to continue putting one foot in front of the other no matter the consequences.

Courage comes in many forms. Today you will have the courage to keep trying and not give up regardless of how dire things become. And indeed dire they do become. At the 26-mile mark you can barely see the course any longer, your vision is faltering as you teeter precariously on the edge of consciousness.

And then, suddenly, the finish line looms before you. Tears stream down your face as you realize you might make it. Now, finally, after years of torment you can answer back to that nagging voice of uncertainty in your head with a resounding: Oh yes I can!

You burst across the finish line and are liberated from the prison of self-doubt and limitations that have held you captive. You have learned more about yourself in the past 26.2-miles than you have known in a previous lifetime. You have forever freed yourself from those chains that had previously held you captive. Even if you can’t move for a week, never have you been so free.

As they carry you away from the finish line, wrapped in a flimsy Mylar blanket, barely able to keep your head raised, you are at peace. That daunting adversary that has haunted you an entire lifetime is now your liberator, your fondest ally. You have done what few will ever do—you have done what you thought you could never do—and it is the most glorious, unforgettable awakening ever.

You are, above all, a Marathoner, and you will wear this distinction not on the medal they place around your neck, but deep inside your heart, for the rest of your God given years. Nothing can ever take that away from you. You are a Marathoner.