This is easily one of the hardest physical things I have ever done in my life.
For the past 6 years, PE class was my only physical activity I had, which is nothing. I committed myself to a marathon so unprepared that, at the time, I didn't believe that I could finish it.
I had thought of giving up so many times. Classes were getting harder, my research was ramping up, injuries from not taking care of myself well enough, stress in general...
But luckily, I have an amazing group of people supporting me #TeamTank! And also SEED FLO or Seek Discomfort First year Leadership Organization that got me into this thing. (Yeah, we do a lot of crazy stuff here in this organization)
Each training session got longer and longer and I wasn't ready for how fast things ramped up, especially when I wasn't being consistent with my training.
3 weeks before the marathon, I got an injury that made it so hard for me to even walk. I didn't want to give up when the goal is right in front of me. And I didn't really want to worry anyone, so I didn't tell anybody how bad it really was.
After around 4 months of training (Nov. 8th 2021 - Feb. 26th 2022), the day finally came. Sunday February 27th 2022 ~7:00AM, I started running. I'm telling you, I could not stop smiling for the first 3 miles.
I was so happy despite the injury that started to hurt more and more each step I took. I tried to push myself as hard as possible because I wanted to see I far I could run with a decent speed. First half of the marathon, I was running at 8:02 pace(mins per mile).
And I felt great. However, things took a turn on me and every step I took was so painful that I had to slow down. The last 10 miles was a nightmare...
I am amazed by how supportive every runner was. They cheered me on saying "you got this man!" or "you are doing so great!" while they were catching up and I was walking. Moreover, there were people standing on sidewalks waiting for their dads, moms, friends, sons, or daughters to run pass by.
It made me smile even wider and I only wish that my parents could also be there... to see how much I have grown...
It was raining. It was cold. It was windy. It was painful. It was exhausting. But it was REALLY fun and satisfying!
I finished the marathon in around 5 hours. I may not be the fastest, but I am so proud of what I have achieved (I freaking finished a marathon!!!).
And most importantly, I could not be happier to look back and see how much I have grown...by doing things outside of my comfort-zone like this marathon!
Thank you for making this happen and changing my life @seedgt
And I really appreciate all the people who were there!