a miracle 13

running 13 miles is something i never thought i’d be able to do. completely unfathomable.

i was never the most athletic kid. i hated most sports i tried and never really had the push to keep going - within myself or from the people around me. when i was 23, i had graduated college and was living at home, looking for a job. my health took the biggest toll it ever had and really deteriorated. i was depressed, longely and eating emotionally, without giving my body any movement outside of walking around the house. when i finally got a job about six months later, something triggered in me that i wanted to get my health in check. that year i set a goal to be in shape enough to run a half marathon. the goal in itself didn’t give me a timeline or set me up to run one, just to be in shape enough to do it.

when the pandemic hit in early 2020, i had just started to work towards this goal. i was going to the gym regularly the year prior and felt i was ready to start working towards running. right before the shutdown, i made it to three miles on a treadmill, which was a huge moment for me at the time. then i couldn’t go to the gym anymore, and i felt stuck again. i soon started running outside, working my way slowly. once i had hit the same mileage point, three miles, i felt i was ready to push myself further. in august of that year, i ran a half marathon alone, without any formal race scheduled.

earlier this month i ran another half. i call this “a miracle 13” because it was during chanukah; felt fitting. after this year overcoming injury, and rehabilitation i didn’t think i’d get there again. i didn’t feel i had overcome the mental struggle’s i was facing. i also knew that once i had accomplished 13 again i was going to be moving into territory i’ve never experienced, and that in itself was a horrifying thought. while i didn’t think i’d accomplish that again, i feel immensely proud i did. it was exhausting but reminded me i’m capable or more than i often believe at the start.