“Beyond Limits: A Marathon of Will”

“Beyond Limits: A Marathon of Will”

I honestly don’t know what got into me, but I completed a half marathon in the year 2019. My body is built up of type 2 muscle fibers, meaning that I am a sprinter and distance running isn’t my strong suit. Perhaps that’s where my motivation came from, in proving to myself against my biological makeup that I could complete 13.1 miles without stopping or walking. So, I trained, but I only trained up to 7 miles of distance at a time and nothing more. However, I did know that if I could get past 7 miles, somehow I would complete that half marathon. It wasn’t easy as I’ve had my fair share of lower body injuries, including 2 knee surgeries, 1 of them being ACL reconstruction. Not to mention that on the lateral side of my right knee, there is no meniscus, otherwise known as cartilage, which, when it does bother me, hurts even when I am not moving. I had many training sessions where my mind would battle and challenge me as thoughts would cross my mind such as, “What in the actual fuck are you thinking?” I would hear, but I wouldn’t listen, so I couldn’t comprehend. The night before the race, I didn’t rest well whatsoever and woke up feeling lethargic, like string cheese being separated from itself. The race began, and I did well, but the worst of the demons and voices came during the last and final mile of the half marathon. I reached mile 12 and began to hear these voices trying to convince me to stop, saying things like, “You’ve made it this far, you can go ahead and stop,” or “No one will ever know or even care if you stop now,” but I had made a goal to myself, and even in the darkest of secrecy, I wouldn’t break, and I didn’t. I attribute part of finishing the last mile to a brother/friend of mine whom I grew up with, as he came soaring in, passing me in the last mile. I saw him, and something came over me, a sense of inspiration, if you will, and that kick or extra push served as an extra boost in assisting me to finish what I had set out to do, and I did just that. I completed a half marathon without taking a break. There are no limits in this life, not even the sky; it is like the life we live, infinite and limitless. Ladies and gentlemen, may we finish what we start.