Post Marathon Reflection

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” - Dr. Maya Angelou

On Sunday, May 3, 2015, I set out to achieve one of the loftiest goals I have ever set for myself.  I stood at the starting of the Cox Sports Providence Marathon after months of training harder than I have ever trained, and my heart was set on running a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon in 2016.  For me, a 38 year-old female, the qualifying time is 3:40.  I clearly remember the very first time I ever looked that up, just out of curiosity, and laughed at the thought of ever running that fast for so many miles.  Yet there I stood, about to attempt a feat I’d thought impossible just a year ago.  I am very grateful, after a long conversation with my coach the day before, that I was mentally prepared to handle whatever my result was, because when all was said and done, I finished with a time of 3:44.

Just before the race

Crushing, right?  Well, at first yes.  Even now, as I type this, I am getting emotional.  It was very hard to see my husband and kids close to the finish, knowing my qualifying time had just passed, and to approach the finish line with a smile, seeing that I had come so very close, but fell just short of my goal.  At first it was hard, but when I look back at the entire experience, it was full of so much positive, enough positive to put the initial disappointment into perspective.

Life Lessons

Mile 25.5

One of the biggest driving forces behind my passion for running is the desire to be a positive example for my children.  My journey into marathoning has been a demonstration of finding something you love, setting goals to be your best at it, and working hard to achieve your goals.  They know how hard I’ve trained, most days before they have even gotten up for the day.  They’ve seen me learn how to balance my pursuit of my goals with everything else in my life, something I had figure out along the way.  As I become a better runner, they are learning that it is never too late in life to find a passion and incorporate it into your life, and that it is okay to have individual pursuits that make you happy.  In fact, those pursuits can actually make you better in every area of your life if you do it the right way.

Post-race celebration

In falling short of my time goal, they had the chance to see me fail, that you are not always going to succeed the first time, not always going to win.  They were able to see my disappointment as I shed a few tears in revealing my finishing time to them, and in turn learned that it is okay to be disappointed when you fall short.  However, they were also witness to the way I was able to quickly get over that initial disappointment and acknowledge the positive.  I improved my marathon personal record by 35 minutes, out of 1100 finishers, I was #266 overall, and even when I knew my goal was slipping away, I never gave up.  My finish line photo will show that!

What they get to see next is a mom who doesn’t call it quits just because she didn’t succeed the first time.  Giving up now would be the worst possible lesson to teach them, and it would negate everything I’d demonstrated up to now.  

I know in my heart I can qualify for Boston.  I’m taking an entirely different approach to training, moving forward with great confidence in my coach.  I’ve got my next race picked

Mile 16 cheering section

out, and I’ll try one more time to get into the 2016 Boston Marathon.

Will I be able to shave off those few minutes and earn a spot at the starting line in Hopkinton?  Only time will tell.  One thing is for sure…this runner is getting up with her head held high, dusting off, and moving forward, stronger than ever!