A 16-year run

#60 - Apr.2023

16 years ago and without any running experience I thought for the first time: "Would I be able to run a Marathon?". At that time, I couldn't imagine how someone could bare such a physical and mental challenge. This Sunday I completed the 42 km of Madrid's Marathon and had the chance to experience it myself.

From all the reflections from such an experience, I realized that we usually ignore all the small steps we give toward our goals. Each stone, big or small, lay out the road toward an outcome. These steps are precisely what make the journey enjoyable.

Is during the journey that you trial & error. Where you look for ways to improve. It is gathering knowledge. Is training, learning, and course-correcting. Is sometimes walking away and coming back with renewed motivation.

I trained 443 km and spent +42 hrs preparing for this run. This is 10X the actual race. It was the upfront investment to get to the finish line. But thinking deeper, this race started much before. Was through the first 5K races, the 10K, and the half marathons during all these years. I now understand it was not only a 42km run...it was a race that I started 16 years ago.

Enjoy the small steps. Enjoy the journey.