And yet I think back to my childhood dreams, back to a time when what I thought I could achieve was not taken seriously. It wasn't until years later, learning about the feats of other amazing women who--through their determination—overcame insurmountable odds, that I found my own strength and started to believe all over again that with hard work I could achieve anything. That strength gave me the courage to train for my first marathon. Twenty-six point-two miles and one amazing finish line later, I was convinced that if I could run that far there wasn't much in life I couldn't accomplish. I have many female role models to thank in part for making me believe again that anything is possible.
I have running to thank for my confidence as an adult. It wasn't until I started running marathons that I really truly believed I could do anything. It's part of why I keep doing them. When I feel insecure or doubt myself it reminds me that the impossible is possible and to keep working hard. When someone like Shalane does something that days earlier many were saying there was no way she could do—it helps me tune out the haters even when sometimes that "hater" is myself.After the race Shalane said she had dreamed about a moment like this since she was a little girl. I wonder if Shalane shared that dream with others when she was young? Did her mother, an amazing runner in her own right, encourage her? I'd imagine so. While all of us aren't lucky enough to have a mother who shares the same passions as us, we can look to women like Shalane to inspire us on our journeys, be they in running or life in general.
Her finish on that Sunday proved that big dreams are possible. That those childhood goals don't have to make sense to anyone but ourselves. That it doesn't matter if something is viewed as overly ambitious. Ambition makes everything possible.
Over the weekend, Shalane posted a picture of her training plan from August. At the top of the page, she wrote down her intention: "Win NYC." It is a goal so large, so looming, experts in running might've rolled their eyes. But it's a lesson to all of us. At mile zero of your next training cycle, write down your goal. Look at the weeks ahead on the calendar and fill them with small mile amounts that gradually get bigger. Ban self-doubt. Each patient hour on the road is part of the process of turning a seemingly impossible goal into sure thing.
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