What does “our best” mean when it comes to running?
Best time? Best course? Best weather? Best version of ourselves?
To me, sometimes the “best time” out there doesn’t equal the best time on the clock. This spring, I ran two marathons with almost identical finish times- but one was what, at the time, I described as my worst race, and the other was one of the best. How does that happen? Well, it’s all based on how we take away the experience we just had and make it make sense in a way that fulfills us.
The word best means so many different things to so many different people. I fell in love with running as a kid because it was the best way to stay in shape for soccer. Then it became the best way to relieve stress during college. As an adult, it’s the best way that I can feel the most like me. I love to compete and reach my highest potential (don’t many of us?), but this spring I got a healthy dose of reality of what that can mean, and I am a better athlete because of it. In March, I ran the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach and set a goal to run my fastest time yet. I was well trained for it, and I was just coming off a fresh new half marathon PR from February. But 12 miles into the race, something felt off. Physically, I was still putting one foot in front of the other, but mentally I just wasn’t having the “best” time, and that’s a red flag for me and how I show up in running. My time was far off my goal, and I’m proud of not quitting that day. However, I needed to figure out why this day wasn’t the best and how I could change that attitude to make Boston a month later a good one.
But then I took a pause because I slightly lost sight of why I started this journey in the first place. It wasn’t for the times on the clock. It was to soak in all that this beautiful life has to offer and to honor how much this sport has enriched my life. The Boston Marathon is a true testament to that in my journey. I have never attempted a best time at Boston because to me, it is the joy of a hard-fought effort to get there. This really keeps the magic in it for me. It took me 14 marathons to qualify for Boston prior to 2019 so it’s a special one for me.
This April was my 7th Boston Marathon along my journey to run 10 consecutive Bostons- this year marked 6 in a row. Every year brings something new and special. This year was the first year I ran the entire race with a friend, and it made everything better! I might even say it was the best one. We chatted throughout the race, took photos, helped each other at the water stops get cups, and encouraged each other when the later miles got gritty. We even got what I would consider the best weather, which means the best crowd support. I didn’t race my best time in Boston, but I spent every step reminding myself that I get to define what best means.
When you get invested in what you love, it’s hard not to lose sight of your why. I needed a really tough race this spring to help center me and bring me back to the basics. My fastest times are still in me–I wholeheartedly believe that. Having hard days and tough races still contribute to me becoming the best version of myself I can be: as a runner, coach, teacher, a friend, daughter, wife, etc. Mental blocks won’t last forever- we runners set high expectations and goals for ourselves. We should feel so lucky to get to set big goals for ourselves, and when we don’t reach them, to try again or to change the goal. I’ll never take for granted the opportunity to line up for a race, especially one as special to me as the Boston Marathon.
