“Life brings you to your knees. It brings you lower than you think you can go. But if you stand back up and move forward, if you go a little farther, you will always find love.” – Shelby Houlihan

I woke up this morning with an ache in my heart. As I stood on the start line of Grandmas Marathon, I told myself that no matter how bad it hurt, I could endure it. By 10k into the race, I knew it wasn’t going to be my day. While I could still hit the intended pace, it felt far from relaxed. I was hot and drinking/dumping water on my head at every water stop, yet still couldn’t seem to get enough fluids in me. By halfway, I knew the Olympic Trials standard wasn’t in the cards, but I thought I could still manage a PR. I didn’t- I missed it by 9 seconds. When racing a marathon, the stars have to align to achieve a big goal, and unfortunately, yesterday just wasn’t my day. Before the race, my friend told me to define myself not by the outcome of the race, but instead by how I raced. When I crossed the line after 2 hours, 50 minutes and 46 seconds, I knew I gave it everything I had on the day. All I can do is learn from this experience the best I can and come back stronger. I will live to fight another day. For now, I am focusing on how lucky I am to be surrounded by such unconditional love and support. I am alive, I am healthy, and I will be back.

“It’s okay to struggle, but it’s not okay to give up on yourself.” – @bravelikegabe