Day 52 of 70.

Remember yesterday when I said today was going to be a full-on workout challenge?

Well… I wasn’t kidding.

Today I tested myself with 13.1 miles.

This was only the second time in my life that I’ve completed this distance. The first was just about a month ago, so I went into today knowing exactly what I wanted.

I wanted to finish in under three hours.

I didn’t quite get there.

My final time was 3 hours and 17 minutes.

But here’s the part I’m choosing to focus on:

That’s 20 minutes faster than my first 13.1 miles!

Twenty freaking minutes.

Those Last Three Miles…

Physically, 13.1 miles is hard.

But today reminded me just how much of running is mental.

Those last three-ish miles really tested me. My body was tired, my brain was giving me plenty of reasons to stop, and I had to keep convincing myself to put one foot in front of the other.

That sub-three-hour goal wasn’t happening today.

And I’ll admit, I was disappointed.

But not hitting my goal doesn’t erase what I accomplished.

A month ago, it took me about 20 minutes longer to cover this same distance. Today I proved that I’m getting stronger and faster.

Progress doesn’t stop being progress just because it wasn’t the number I wanted.

Sub-three is still the goal.

I’m just not there yet.

The Messages Meant More Than You Know

A huge thank you to everyone who sent me messages while I was out there.

Especially during those final miles.

Seeing those messages pop up made me smile when I really needed it and gave me another little push to keep going.

It’s amazing how much a simple message can mean when you’re several hours into something and questioning your life choices. 😂

And I have to give a huge shoutout to my husband.

My phone was dying, so this man used his lunch break to bring me a charging brick.

If that isn’t support, I don’t know what is. ❤️

Now We Celebrate

After 13.1 miles, I’m officially done worrying about running for the day.

Because tonight isn’t only about celebrating another challenge day.

It’s my baby girl’s birthday! 🎂🩷

So we’re finishing the day with birthday celebrations and some wings from BSB.

And after 13.1 miles, I have a feeling those wings are going to taste pretty damn good.

Today wasn’t the sub-three-hour half marathon I wanted.

It was something else:

13.1 miles.
20 minutes faster.
A serious test of my mental toughness.
And proof that the work I’m putting in is paying off.

I’ll take that win.

Day 52 complete. 18 days to go. 💪🩷

Real miles. Real mom. No filter.

– Shannon