philly journey.

 

as many of you know, i signed up for the philly marathon at the end of july. it had always been a dream of mine to run 26.2 miles and I had finally gotten the courage to do it. i filled out the online registration, typed in my credit card, and with one click, my journey began.

not quite sure of what i was getting into, i began to follow a program.
for several months, i would plan my week according to the long runs, usually trying to wake up before everyone so that i didn't miss out on anything.
my alarm would go off, i would change into my running skirt, caleb would lace up his rollerblades, grab the headlamp, and we were off. two to three hours later, a mix of emotions would ring in my ears: "i can do this. 10 more miles." "stop. no more." "why did I sign up for this again?" "just do it."
"del ray donuts are waiting for you, go."

during my training, i made it up to 20 miles. caleb && i celebrated with cinnamon roll pancakes and i felt like i had truly accomplished something. my longest run ever (!!) little did i know this run would end my marathon training.  466 miles logged from the end of july to this point.

 

throughout the following week something was going on with my knee- shooting pains. i knew something was wrong. i went to the doctor, physical therapist & chiropractor. mentally i was there, physically not so much anymore

my knee continued to be in pain & i was lucky to finish five miles without walking.
at this point, i was pretty sure my dream was over.

one week ago, i cancelled my philly hotel and thought i would toss this one in the bag. it's too hard. i tried (right?)

however, a little voice in my head was again telling me, "don't give up. you can't not try this"
i immediately called my parents & caleb, and informed them- i am doing this. even if i have to walk it.
my mom & dad got on the phone, and helped me look for a hotel, anything that was open last minute. thankfully, we landed one in nj only 15 minutes away from the city.

i am so thankful i listened to the voice to persevere, and fight for my dream.

i felt so many of your prayers today and was able to finish 13.1 miles. not my original goal, yet an accomplishment that i will never take for granted. it was a miracle that i was able to finish and my knee held up. i am incredibly thankful for my dear friend Allison. she came to philly with me && even ran it by my side. i am forever grateful for her and everyone's support.

this journey has been an incredible emotional rollercoaster. however, i have learned so much through it. God never gives up on us & neither should we.

cheers to dreams and the perseverance to fight for them
(even if they may look different than the original dream)