Hi Again!! We took some time away for the 4th, but we are back in business. If you’ve been around the blog long enough, you know that I, Bryanna, love to run and love to run a lot. Marathon’s are my favorite, but I also have a love/hate relationship with marathons.
Running comes and goes in waves for me. There’s seasons of running full steam ahead, enjoying even the tough workouts, because they build the character and strength I need for race day. There’s the won races, nailed workouts and new PR’s.
Then there’s the seasons lows. The failed attempts, the gut check hills and the missed goals. I ride a wave of victory, and then I crash with the wave of doubts and failures.
Running has ups and downs, both literally and figuratively speaking. Some days it’s easy and it’s something I need. A time to check out from mom life, my professional career, my stress from work, mommying, and a million and one other things. It’s something my body and mind craves.
While other mornings, it something my body begs me not to have to do again. It’s tough to roll out of bed at 4:45 a.m. some mornings. It’s tough to push during workouts by myself on the track, it’s tough to perform well at every race. I go up, but I also come down.
Running bends and breaks you, but it also builds and strengthens you. It’s bittersweet, like my most recent race in Missoula, Montana. A race I have ran 9 total times, in a row (out of the 11 events in Missoula Marathon history). I have raced the half 4 times and the full 5 times. Every year I have come back to the full, with one goal in sight, WIN!!
I have failed over and over again, but I never gave up trying. I rode the downs of failed attempts, but somehow they left me high and up. Bittersweet. This year was the same, but in a new way. The race was bittersweet, but not because it was a failed attempt at one goal, but a failed attempt at B and C goals.
I’ll share more on my race experience and recap in the coming week. I wanted to encourage everyone on this Monday morning, to ride the ups and downs of whatever it is you love doing. There’s ups and downs in every aspect of our lives, but it’s through all of it we grow, we develop character, strength and wisdom. We learn so much more about ourselves and our capabilities.
Failed attempts are always better than no attempts, because regret eats at you and tastes bitter. But failed attempts are bittersweet, they have a bite, but they also have a sweetness to them. They almost taunt us to come back for more, you get a little taste and you can’t help but try again. Much like my failed attempts at Missoula this past weekend, I am happy to say that not all attempts are failed……
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit
So inspiring!!!! You overcame!