Bucketlist: finish a marathon ✅
A few years ago I read 'When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing' by Daniel Pink & stumbled upon this passage:
"Across the entire life span, the age at which people were most likely to run their first marathon was twenty-nine."
It was more of a fun trivia fact vs a proper proclamation to myself. Then, THREE WEEKS AGO, I signed up for the Georgina Marathon. Yes, leave it to me to attribute an athletic achievement to a book.
I'm no athlete, but I discovered a loophole of sorts - people are allowed to WALK a marathon. The issue: many marathons only give folks 6 hours, and as I discovered in my research, "it takes incredible walking speed and determination to walk a marathon in 6 hours." This was one of the most physically and mentally strenuous things I've ever done. The pain and exhaustion were significant, but I was also host to a variety of unexpected emotions:
The embarrassment of walking across the starting line while everyone else ran past me.
The loneliness of staring out onto an empty track, every emotion + ache magnified by the knowledge that You Are In Last Place And Everyone Else Is Waiting For You To Finish So They Can Go Home.
The sheepish smile I would offer passerby... Which somehow morphed into a genuine grin throughout the day.
At the finish line, someone yelled out "run across the end! Do it for the camera!" In my breathless, exhausted state, I looked them in the eye and said "No." I told myself I would walk the entire marathon, and I walked the entire marathon.
Not everyone attempts a marathon, and not everyone finishes one. But after 6hrs and 42km of determined speed walking, I can say with conviction that I will never do it again because I am in SO much pain 😅
But hell yeah, it was worth it.
Two more months til I turn 30. Bring it on.
