Whether you think you can or cannot, either way, you're right

I was really nervous before this race. More nervous than I let anybody know. I wasn't sure I could really do it.

The week before, I seriously considered not running it and could think of a hundred reasons why I'd be justified in doing it. Here are a few:

-My IT band has hurt the entire time I've been training. It was HORRIBLE after my 14 mile run

-The longest I'd ever run was 14 miles

-My sideaches had come back

-My RIGHT IT band started hurting and right achilles

-Due to my new shoes, I had a bad pressure point on top of my left foot that would hurt real bad after 5 miles or so

-I'd been sick THREE times in the last couple months, including a bad cough and fever/tooth ache

-I hurt my hip while packing and moving boxes less than a week before

All of these things and more prevented me from training as much as I'd liked to. Whenever I'd tell runners/physical therapists I had any of these problems and ESPECIALLY when I told them my longest run was only 14 miles, they'd give me this horrible look of "and you really think YOU are going to finish a MARATHON? You must be crazy."

And I don't blame them. I would probably think the same thing if someone told me all that! However, as I was debating whether or not to run, I thought of the reason I decided to run this race in the first place: for Grandpa Huckvale. He isn't able to change his goal and decide "learning to walk and talk is just too hard- I'll just give up on it" and I can't either. And I've worked SO HARD and for SO LONG training for this day. How can I not even TRY??

And why wouldn't I try? I kept thinking "What if I can't make it? What if something happens and I get hurt and I can't finish?" Then I realized.... So what? I realized I was worrying about how OTHERS would view me and how I'd feel embarrassed to tell people I didn't make it. And WHY? Why does anyone else's opinion matter?? I'm doing this for ME. And heck, maybe I'll be there two hours after they close the race but I don't care, I'm going to give myself the CHANCE.

I learned a very empowering lesson:

People limit themselves much too often.

When I was running, I kept thinking "I can't believe I almost didn't give myself this opportunity." This is true for many aspects of life. Sometimes people won't apply for a job they'd really love because they are scared they won't get it. Or like how Jonathon waited until his very last semester to take statistics because he was scared he would do poorly. And guess what? He did better in this class than he's EVER done in school before! ALL BECAUSE HE GAVE HIMSELF THE CHANCE!

If you can know this, you know you can do WHATEVER YOU WANT in life, if you want it and are committed enough. What an amazing thought! If you want to be a doctor, you can be a doctor. If you want to learn a new language, you learn it.

And if you want to run a marathon, you can run a marathon.

"Whether you think you can or you cannot, either way, you're right."