#MyChicagoMarathon No. 4

This October, I am running the Chicago Marathon!

Why do I want to run 26.2 miles?

The simple answer is because it's something that I've never done before.

However, it's not a simple answer. There was a time, before I learned about mindsets and making intentional efforts to adopt a growth mindset, when I didn't think that I could (either physically or mentally) run 26.2 miles.

This thinking traces back to my experiences participating in track as a high school student. Despite, being on the track team, I was not too keen on running at the time (my participation was for social purposes and/or an effort to remain in shape for the sport that I really cared about, football). In fact, I distinctly remember ruling out the idea of running anything more than four miles. So when these distances were assigned for practices, a group of friends and I would start the route before finding a hiding spot to wait until the timing was reasonable for us to return.

Fast forward six years, and I was running the Bix. This was my first encounter with Davenport's iconic, seven-mile road race. My most distinct memory of that day is thinking, upon crossing the finish line, that I had just participated in the Bix for my first and last time. Then I ran it again, the following summer.

Five years after running my first Bix, I ran my first half-marathon. This was something that I never thought I'd do until I did it. Twelve half-marathons later, running 13.1 miles doesn't take the same amount of mental and/or physical preparation that it once did.

Goals evolve over time - they aren't (or at least they shouldn't be) static. Once you accomplish something, raise the bar. Keep raising the bar. Change a variable. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

But more than any other reason, I want to run 26.2 miles because I am a parent. My actions are what my children will remember much longer than what I've said. What we do matters. How can I expect my children to be brave and try new things, hard things if I am not willing to intentionally model those things for them to witness? I'm a leader, and that same rationale applies to those that I lead. I'm also an educator, and this also applies to the students that I serve.

Coming-up, I plan to dedicate my next post to why the timing is right to run my first marathon in 2019; later, I'll share why I'm running for charity, and why I chose Action for Healthy Kids. In the mean time, check-out my page My Chicago Marathon for Action for Healthy Kids. Thanks!