A lot has happened since I last wrote in this blog. On March 2, 2013, I completed my first ultra-marathon--the Old Pueblo 50-miler. OP is a tough ultra-marathon that winds through the southeastern part of the Santa Rita Mountains in southern Arizona. As a new trail runner, I was initially afraid that I wouldn't complete the run by the 15 hour cut-off time, but I did! I limped/ran across the finish line at 14:25--thanks in large part to my husband, Mauricio, and my friend, Cindy, who ran the last 12 miles with me.
Pacing me was no small feat given that the last 12 miles was mostly an uphill switchback and pitch black. Also, by that time, I was already pretty worn down with an aching knee (I forgot my Ibuprofen!) and dead-tired legs. While I felt like I was moving quickly, my Garmin said otherwise. I was barely moving, but I was moving. Shuffling…one step at a time. In fact, my mantra at that point was, "One step in front of the other, one step in front of the other…gets you where you have to go."
Crossing the finish line after months of intense training and 14+ hours of running/shuffling was one of the greatest moments of my life. I was so overcome with relief, joy, and excitement that I burst into tears as I raced across the finish line into my coach's open arms. I did it! I couldn't believe it. Conquering that trail signified a lot more than simply finishing a race. It was much larger than that for me. For me, it was a metaphor for life. Just keep going, one step at a time, and eventually you'll get where you need to be. Just keep moving, even when you're hardly moving at all.
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