It has been ten years since I competed in track and field and I wanted to do something I had never would have imagined doing before. I felt this was a pretty big occasion and needed to be celebrated to some degree.
What was the first thing that came to mind? Well, a mini marathon. I was a bit surprised when I realized this is what I wanted to do to celebrate my 10 year retirement anniversary. This coming from someone who 1) hated running with a passion, 2) thought a long distance run was a lap around the track and 3) never ran anything above a 5k race before.
A year later, I ended up at the starting line at the KDF Mini Marathon. I was all prepared and ready to go for the race – even though we were supposed to have some rain (which we did have).
There were several things I learned from the experience of training for this mini marathon race (and competing in it) – some lessons I would have never expected and some I will definitely embrace in my professional career and incorporate into my teaching practices.
- Keep your eyes on the prize. Persistence is key here. You can start out early and hard, but you still have a LONG way to go. I felt the first few miles were good, but it really came down to miles 6-9 for me and these were the toughest. If you push on forward and keep your eyes on the prize, it will all be worth it.
- Know your limits, but know what you can always push yourself harder. This was a lesson for me to definitely embrace. I did train for the past year for this race, but I also experienced my very first knee injury in February (thanks to a treadmill). I wanted to follow through on my goals, but I also was realistic in knowing I couldn’t go 100%.
- Success is made up of many individual victories. We all think winning medals happens over night. No, it certainly doesn’t. It happens on the days you go out every time for your workouts in the rain, snow, and even days you want to take it easy. This is where all of the work is done. I know there were several days when I was on the road for trips and I really didn’t want to work out or do the run scheduled in my training plans. But, the hardest step is getting started, but once you are there, you can accomplish anything.
- Learning a new sport (or skill/industry) gives you a whole new perspective. I have a great deal of respect for distance runners now after going through this process and how much dedication, commitment, and work needs to go to do well. I also felt it allowed me to get a taste of the community as well. I had to learn all about energy gels, running socks, and things to eat/prepare for before the race, which were all COMPLETELY different from what I experienced as a shot putter.
- Share your journey with others. I knew I wanted to share this journey on social media with my friends, colleagues, and even students. Did I tell them I was going to win? Absolutely not. I had very simple goals (finish and not die!), but by sharing this journey and training with my friends and on social media, it allowed me to connect with others and they were able to share their tips, support, and best practices as well. I even had some students who were also running in the race and we would check in on each other during the past semester. I also created a hashtag I used to keep track of my progress and training on IG with my training and workout photos #Thrower2Runner.
At the end, when I crossed the finish line and was able to say “I have completed and finished the mini marathon,” this really meant a lot to me. They gave all of us a medal at the finish line and I will definitely be adding this to my other medals.
The same afternoon I finished the mini, I was on a plane out to California to visit my family, but also go to the event that was the main reason for this mini marathon.
It had been ten years since I broke USC’s shot put record, and this was the first time I had been back to the dual meet. It was a true pleasure to not only be back at a track meet, but to see the USC Trojans compete at a very high level. USC won the women’s shot put and I had a chance to meet the two great competitors from USC (Tera and Tanya).
There’s nothing like this track and field meet – the emotion, competition, and overall atmosphere is nothing like anything you see in college track and field. I was thrilled for both Tera and Tanya (who won!) in the shot put, and I am 100% confident the record will be broken this year or next year. It was an honor to meet these young ladies who represent USC professionally on and off the field. Congrats and Fight On!
Was this worth it? Absolutely. I am really happy I did this and this experience taught me so much. While I am still sore from the race, the lessons and memories created here will be with me for a very long time. However, I am not planning on doing a marathon to celebrate my 20 years of retirement! 🙂
Have a great day!
