When I was a kid growing up in Massachusetts the words "athletic" and "sporty" were not probably used to describe me. I did play sports like soccer and volleyball but activities like that were not really where I shined. I remember always wanting to get a trophy or a medal. That symbolized to young me some sort of achievement of excellence that recognized you for doing a superb job.
Fast forward to today and I took up running a few years ago. I was attracted to running because I was just competing against myself and I didn't need a lot of expertise to do it. As my distance and speed started to increase then I started to do more races like 5K's. I set my sites on the running the Brooklyn Half Marathon. I wanted to run a race in my home borough. In 2018, I registered for the Brooklyn Half and was a few weeks into training when an injury sidelined me from the race. I was greatly disappointed but determined to run it the following year. I worked on my training and took precautionary measures to prevent injuries.
I finished the Brooklyn Half on May 18th. I ran a half marathon! What an accomplishment. The race is the largest half marathon in the country and had 27,000 runners that day. It starts in Prospect Park and then down Ocean Parkway and ending on the boardwalk in Coney Island. All along the course are spectators who you'd only find in Brooklyn -- diverse, quirky, and with some funny signs. I got a little teary eyed as I approached the finish line. As I crossed the line I took in everything about that moment. I felt triumphant as the medal was placed around my neck.
I feel that we don't set many personal goals for ourselves as adults. Goals come more easily in school when it's structured for getting good grades or in the workplace where you move up the ladder. The race made me realize that it's important to not lose sight of my goals in life and continue to aim to achieve things. There's no better feeling than feeling proud of oneself.