I ran a full marathon just for the hell of it.
Period. That’s it. I ran a full marathon- 26.2 miles- just for the hell of it.
I wanted to run a longer race as I had competed in cross country throughout high school and really enjoyed it. Everyone told me to try running a half marathon first. But I had already added a full one to my bucket list.
I cannot tell you the number of times I said “if I start with a half and hate it, then I will never run a full and that will never come off my bucket list”. I whole heartedly believe that to be true and why I went with the whole marathon.
Funny enough I absolutely loved the race… I loved the soreness, the difficulty, the mental challenge, the whole thing. The ability to say that I finished entire marathon is incredible. At some point through the race the mental challenge became so much more than the physical challenge.
The next year I ran my second. Marathon number TWO.
Much like the first it was extremely difficult. I fell somewhere around mile 14 or so and was so sore from it the remainder of the race. My time was slower than anticipated by almost 2 hours… If anything this race was much more defeating than the first and a bigger mental battle.
I proceeded to take three years off after that second marathon to grieve, find me, and find a purpose. I was at a very stuck point in life and needed to grow before attempting anything new. You can read about that journey here.
At the end of the three years I ran a half marathon just to prove I could. And I could! I failed to train for altitude and added almost an hour to my overall time. But I finished and I wasn’t last! I also got to run with one of the greats in Colorado’s half marathon world- Ross Westley. (Ross has run every possible half marathon in Colorado!)
3 months after running the half marathon, I embarked on the 75 Hard Challenge and finished it successfully on the first attempt. See more on this adventure here.
I don’t share all this to gloat or because “I’m a marathoner” and we are some of the most proud people out there. I share all this with you to express my gratitude for every trying, difficult, and testing time I have gone through to say that I am still here and still kicking.
No matter what life throws at you, challenging or not, you are strong enough to get through it! Even if the challenges are involuntary or completely by choice, you can do it!
Hallie Dantzler 