I ran 7 miles today.

I am not really a runner.  I’m not fast.  I am not even quick.  I’m like Nike, I “just do it”. 

I am pretty sure that I have the title of Slowest Competitive Runner.  Most people that run on my level, keep it simple:  at the gym, around the neighborhood.  They don’t enter races and broadcast it to the world. 

In fact, my first race was only two miles.  I had to walk some of it and to make matters worse, two speed-walkers finished before me. 

Was I deterred? No way.  I even came home with hardware, since I was the only one in my age division.

Since that race over four years ago, I have done two five milers, a 10k, and two half-marathons, and added a third child.  I have gotten better with each one.

I am not telling you this to make you think I’m bragging. Believe me, if you know anything about running and check my times, you’ll laugh. 

I am telling you this because I want you to know that if I can do this, anyone can.

In fact, my last half-marathon was in 2009 when my babe was seven-months-old.  I managed to recruit three friends, all of whom had never run a half-marathon, and two had never ran a race before. 

There were eight kids between the four of us. There were also two full-time jobs, two part-time jobs, a master’s degree, and a military wife with a deployed husband.  Believe me, we had a lot of reasons not to train for this race.

We didn’t look like runners, and still don’t. One parent told my friend, “I thought runners were skinny.” Well, yeah, the good ones. All the rest of us just do it to prove a point to ourselves. 

What’s your goal? Have you challenged yourself personally lately? 

Maybe it’s not a half-marathon. Perhaps it’s a phone call you know you need to make. Or maybe it’s enrolling and finishing that degree. 

Whatever it is, what are you waiting for?  Don’t let the speedwalkers leave you in the dust.