Running the Newport Marathon was a Healthy and Positive Experience for my Body and Soul.

The run felt very successful for me. I tried to run the entire thing, but wasn’t quite able to. I ran 22 miles, then walked ~3 miles, then ran the last 1 mile. I am proud of this distance, my previous longest run was 21.2 miles. Making it this far feels like a great next step in my progression. I was able to cut about 26 minutes off of my Personal Record from 2 years ago when I did this race (my only other time doing a marathon).

I went at a bit of a faster pace than I had planned. Which did make it more difficult than it needed to be. I think I underestimated how much the crowd can amp me up. In the future I’ll have to focus, and remind myself to keep my pace under control when people are cheering. Overall I feel like I did a good job backing off of the pace after noticing I was overdoing it.

I understood My Limits. I understood when my body had done all it could. I understood when my body had Reached the Limits of What I had Trained For. I knew when to walk. I wanted to keep running, and get a better time. But more than that, I wanted to do what was Safe for my body's current abilities. I feel that my training calibrated me well to know what that feels like.

I remembered that I was not obligated to reach any certain times. That I was here to try my best, and that includes doing my best at taking care of myself.

I remembered to run my own race. Not to try to judge where I should be in the pack.

I found peace in the difficult moments, by reminding myself of those I inspire. 

I found inspiration in the people around me, reaching for their goals.

I left it all on the road, without hurting myself. 

I took 2 days after the race to go on walks instead of runs, and then I was back to running. My body feels amazing. No strain in the joints. No strains in the ligaments. No strains in the muscles. Just sore muscles. The kind of sore like I just got the best workout of my life, and I’m ready to keep training.

Because of my healthy running form and process, The Newport Marathon was an experience that helped build me up, not break me down. I cherish the experience, and my body and soul thank me for my approach to Success in Running.