Going the distance!

Chandi Schwab

I know that there are some of you that have done many different races, some that are training for your first one, and also those of you that think you have no desire to run at all. There are so many different races out there and so much opportunity to achieve goals that you have always had. I have always wanted to do a marathon. My dad had done one and I have always looked at it as a personal physical challenge that I would like to tackle. I even wrote it down in a paper that I wrote in college about the top 50 things I want to accomplish in life.

This past month I finally made a step toward this goal by running a half marathon. I was pretty nervous, hoping that I would at least be able to trot through it. I always set time goals when I run, so my goal was to finish under 2 hrs. Everyone told me to not worry about my time and to just do it, so I had that in mind... but still wanted to reach my goal.

The race went great! The weather was Beautiful, and I was able to pace myself. I would choose a person up ahead of me and try to catch up to them, and when I did I would choose another person. This helped me to pass the time and to pick up my pace. It was so nice to finish. I finished a few minutes before my goal, andiIt got me excited to start training for a marathon. There is something about setting personal goals and achieving them that is so fulfilling.

I would like to challenge you all to choose something physically challenging that is appealing to you, some sort of race, or sport, and set goals with it that are attainable, yet will take hard work to get there. Push yourself and when you have achieved it you will feel so good and so much stronger as a person. Plus you will be in better shape. I especially encourage those that think they don't like to run. Give it an honest effort, and you will never go back. GOOD LUCK!