About a month ago I ran my first ever half marathon in Disneyland, which is literally INSANE! If you would have asked me even a year ago to run a half marathon, I would say no, I’m not a runner. I couldn’t even run a 5k without struggling, let alone a half marathon. The idea seemed impossible, and even now I’m surprised we made it happen.
Time for a little backstory. Last summer, my aunt mentioned the upcoming half marathon in Disneyland and asked if me and my dad would want to do it with her. It sounded impossible and a very crazy idea, but me, my dad, my cousin, and my aunt committed to it and started training in the upcoming months. Looking back, I can confidently say I only committed to it because it would be a free Disney trip. LOL. I genuinely had no idea the amount of training that was up ahead but I committed blindly and can say it was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, society has a lot of labels and stereotypes for certain groups of people. It can feel daunting to try something new because you might not fit that “label”. For example, many people will never sing or make art because they are scared at being bad at it and making mistakes along the way. Others will never bake or learn to dance because they may fail or look silly while doing so. I felt this a lot with running. I didn’t feel like a “runner”. My body type wasn’t the same as the girls online and I didn’t have all of the fancy outfits or watches. My pace was slower than most and I had to take many walk breaks at first. Not to mention trying to juggle school and life along with doing long runs on the weekends was difficult. All of this to say, running was embarrassing at first. I had no idea what I was doing or where to start, but what mattered is that I kept up with it. I was consistent when I felt like quitting and I relied on the encouragement of family and friends when it was hard (if your reading this and you encouraged me along the way thank you, I love you. Your texts and encouragement are one of the reasons I kept going). I had the end goal in mind and reminded myself that it would all be worth it once I crossed the finish line.
Running also taught me that self confidence and mental clarity would be key to finishing the race. You can not run long distances if you tell yourself you can’t. The way I talked to myself mattered. Slowly over time I felt so much confidence in myself and my running abilities. It felt like if I could run 10 miles on a random Saturday, I could do anything else. Other tasks felt easier in comparison and daily life became more manageable. Showing up for yourself and doing the hard things makes a difference in everyday life!
I say all of this to encourage anyone reading that you can do literally anything that you set your mind to. You don’t have to have all of the equipment or a certain look or a certain amount of followers or the skills to do something. You just have to be YOU and continue with your goal. Go draw a picture just for fun, or create a song, or bake a new recipe. Take pictures and write poems that may not make sense. Get out of your comfort zone! Try something new! You do not have to be perfect at something when you learn or do something new. Mistakes are a part of the process but it can only go up from there. We will not accomplish anything if we are too afraid to try in fear of embarrassment or mistakes. They are apart of the process!
I’m not sure what’s in store for me when it comes to running. Maybe I’ll do another half marathon, maybe I keep running as a hobby, or maybe I reach for new distances. I’m not sure yet! Regardless, I am ready and excited for whatever that is 🙂
Thank you for reading!
Have a great day!
