Mile 26
It is currently three days post-marathon and my legs still hurt. After 26 miles of wind and rain, with just 0.2 miles to go, I almost cried when I saw the finish line; not because I was so proud of myself for finishing, but because I was just so happy I could stop running. That last 0.2 mile stretch was brutal. My right knee hurt terribly but I forced myself to pick up my pace. Most of the pictures taken of me near the finish line my eyes are closed because I am using all my energy to will myself to push past the pain and limp over that finish line.
Being at the Finish line is an interesting experience. On the one hand, you just did something that only 0.01% of the world-wide population has done. This makes you feel strong, powerful, and satisfied knowing you pushed yourself to the max. On the other hand, you have never felt weaker in your life. The second you stop running all the pain in your legs you have been ignoring for the last 10 miles sets in. Sometimes cramps come, immediately making it impossible to walk. You stumble along until someone hands you your medal, and if you're lucky a wrap to keep you warm. You find the food table where they are handing out bananas, chips and bagels and then you rip off the piece of your race bib that qualifies you for one free beer; after just burning over 2,000 calories your body needs carbs and needs it fast.
For the minutes, hours, and sometimes days after running, it feels like you were hit by a truck. You start to complain about the pain but then quickly remember that you did this to yourself. Anyone who saw you in such a state, without knowing how far you had just run, would probably think you were not in good shape; onlookers could make assumptions about what you are capable of, and they would be wrong.
I remember a long time ago, I was in the car with someone who pointed to a runner and said "what mile do you think they are on?" I don't know why, but that question stuck with me. They were running at a very fast pace, and so it would have been easy to make a snap judgement that they were a good runner. It would also be easy to do the opposite; to see someone running slow and assume they were a poor runner. But what if the fast person was on mile 1, and the slow person was on mile 26? What then?
We never know what mile someone is on and yet we see a small snapshot of their existence and make assumptions about what they should do or be. The next time you feel that urge to judge someone - maybe you're in a car and someone cuts you off, or someone in customer service doesn't give you the service you think you deserve - remember life is a marathon that we are running over and over and over again. We have good days when our legs are fresh and we have extra patience and energy; and we have bad days, when we're on mile 26 and we're just doing everything we can to make it to the point where we can rest.
Whatever mile you are on this week, I hope you are surrounded with people that give you the love, support, and encouragement of mile 26. And if they don't…. remember, they might be on mile 26 too. Sometimes we're all just doing the best we can.
