Last October when Clark and I started walking, then started running, then became more serious about running, our dirt road became our running track. We marked different distances along the way to run to then turn around and run home.
I remember marking the first mile then turning around and running/walking home = 2 miles.
I remember going a little further up the road to the next marker making about 2 1/2 miles total.
I remember going even a little further to the 1.5 mile marker = 3 miles total. We (I) struggled with this 3-mile distance for quite a long time.
Sometimes I’d make it, sometimes I wouldn’t.
Sometimes I’d make it to the 1.5 mile mark and run/walk most of the way home.
We stayed at this distance for several weeks.
Until one day we decided to go even further. “Let’s keep going to the pavement”, spontaneously we decided.
When the dirt ends and the pavement begins is 2 miles making our total distance 4 miles.
Again. Sometimes I’d make it, sometimes I wouldn’t.
Even with the struggles, I told Clark that my goal was to make it to the end of the road–almost 4 miles. And even though I said it aloud, I didn’t really think I’d ever make it.
But last Saturday, I was determined to run long; I was focused.
I felt good during the run, had slowed my pace down a pretty good bit and made it to the pavement. Clark runs much faster than me, had doubled back waiting for me and I held my hand up and said ‘keep going’.
And keep going I did.
The longer I ran, the better I felt and I think my adrenaline kept me pushing me. I had ran a 5k before so for goodness sake I should be able to do it again I kept telling myself.
Because Clark had doubled back so many times, he kept asking me “how much farther?”. To which I would reply, “almost”.
He asked me that alot!
When I hit the 3 mile mark I said ‘okay’ and we turned around.
We went 6 miles that morning and I was on a serous endorphin high! The end of the road was only less than a mile away! How crazy!
Fast forward to this morning. Again I was focused.
As we started out, Clark asked me “how far today?”
“All the way” I declared.
“What’s all the way?” he asked again.
“There’s only one all the way,” I answered back.
And he didn’t ask again. He knew how far we were running to today.
Again, I kept my pace slow and I didn’t stop.
My Garmin Forerunner beeped at mile 1, then again at mile 2…the pavement.
Keep going.
It beeped again at mile 3.
Keep going.
I knew the end of the road was less than a mile away.
Keep going.
I could see it ahead of me.
Clark met me as he doubled back and said, ‘it’s tough from here to there’. The Sun was higher now in the sky than we were first left this morning, with zero shade and he was right…it was hot.
Keep going.
When I reached the end of the road, I turned around and Clark asked, “how far”?
3.63 miles.
I had run the entire distance.
I had made it to the end of the road.
I kept running until my Garmin beeped at mile 4.
We walked mile 5, ran mile 6 and stopped for a water break between 6 and 7 and then walked/ran the rest of the way home.
Total distance today: 7.23 miles.
What’s your end of the road?
Don’t stop. Keep going.
Until you get there.