Sunday, April 12, 2020

Harry's Lightning 100 Race!!

100 MILES!!
Two 100 mile runs within 8 days of each other!!!!
Harry's Lightning Race 100 complete!! 
100 MILES!!! 
It started around 5am, Thursday April 9th.. The full moon was beautiful in the morning. Harry joined me when he woke up too and the fun began.. Harry would be such a fun race director. This was all his idea, and it was awesome. Although, this was a surprise "race" at first because he came up with the idea during our TV interview with Fox17. I was put on the spot. HA HA. Pressure was on...

There WILL be another backyard 100 mile run or something along those lines. It will involve a staircase... Hmmmmm...🤔🤔

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. 

This time I ran on the driveway in the backyard, and I ran inside in the house. (I decided to save my grass, especially because we are fixing up/renovating the backyard. Ha ha.) 50 miles outside. 50 miles inside. 

April 9-10, 2020
Start time: 5am on Thursday 
Finish time: 12:24pm on Friday 
31 hours 24 minutes. 

50 miles outside- 1,550 laps
50 miles inside- 2,500 laps
4,050 laps total!! 

The course: ⬇️
Outside ➡️ 
It is 0.032 miles and 172 feet in perimeter around my driveway. I measured the driveway out with a tape measure and watch. 75 feet long and 11 feet wide, 172 feet in perimeter.. That's 31 laps for a mile, 1,550 laps for 50 miles.. 

Note: To find the perimeter of an object, add the lengths of all the sides. 

(Math problems- 
Perimeter- 75+75+11+11= 172 feet. 5,280 feet in a mile. 5,280÷172=  30.7. Round up to make sure, 31 laps per mile. 31×50= 1,550 laps for 50 miles! 😜)

Inside ➡️ 
It is 0.02 miles and 106 feet in perimeter in my upstairs hallway and spare bedroom.. I measured the distance around the upstairs of my house with a tape measure and watch, hallway x2 and spare bedroom. The hallway is 16 feet long and 3 feet wide. The spare bedroom is 5 feet long and 7 feet wide. Two times up and down the hallway plus an extra width and one time in the spare room equals a perimeter of 106 feet. 50 laps for 1 miles, 2,500 laps for 50 miles. 

(Math problems- 
Perimeter, two times up and down the hallway plus an extra width and the spare bedroom- 3+3+16+16+5+5+7+7+3+3+16+16+3+3= 106 feet. 5,280 feet in a mile. 5,280÷106= 49.8. Round up to makes sure, 50 laps for a mile. 50×50= 2,500 laps for 50 miles! 😜)

Note: My driveway and backyard are extremely flat. Obviously, the inside of my house is extremely flat. FLAT. HA HA. I added 100 flights of stairs on my staircase for some some elevation gain. 

Check out the video of my indoor lap too. It is on my Facebook page. No, I didn't look down while running, it was just to show the lap. I would be dizzy if looked down.. :) My floor doesn't always squeak like that either, or I tuned it out after a few miles. I am not sure, but I didn't even notice the squeak until the video. HA HA. I did have the TV on too. 🤷‍♀️

Nutrition ➡️ ➡️
I drank water, Gatorade, coffee, juice, Coke, and Diet Coke. I ate pop tarts, granola bars, fruit snacks, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, chips, raspberries, cheese, carrots, crackers, Oreo cookies, rice with chicken, pizza, chips & salsa, bananas, ice cream...

The Good Parts ➡️ ➡️
It was so much fun hanging out with Scott and Harry while I ran. (Yes, it is possible to have fun while running. I just love it.) Harry wore his bear suit. AWESOME. Scott made brunch and dinner. It was delicious. Thank you, Scott Northway. Best aid station ever! 😉😉

We played basketball, hop scotch, hangman, Wheel of Fortune, and math games. Harry set up a wheel that told me what to do while I was running too. It was hilarious. Sometimes, Harry would tell me to sprint. That got tough after 30 miles or so. Ha! When we made hop scotch, I did forgot a number on the first hop scotch board. Oops. We made a new hop scotch board though. Harry would have me do hop scotch during my laps... Yikes! That was hard. 

During ths indoor laps, Harry set up different stations. Each card had a different task or said something to do. For example, one card said "run fast" Another card said "10 jumping jacks." Another card said "Stretch." It was a lot of fun. I continued this after he was sleeping too. Good motivation for the later miles. It broke up the monotonous parts too. I got really tired at 1am. I needed the fun cards. Thank you, Harry. Best kid ever!

Harry drew me some pictures, gave me a old 100 poster, and he made me another medal, which was turned into a wooden medal again. It is amazing. I love doing these "races," even if they are unofficial. Harry is such an awesome kid and would be a great race director. Thank you again, Kim Levinsky. We are so excited for this medal. 😁😁

Thank you, Heather Story Durian, for chatting with me throughout this 100. It was great talking with you throughout the day and night. It really kept me going. You rock. ❤

Shout out to the race directors of the Hungerford Marathon!!!!! Thank you so much for all of your words of encouragement!!! Thank you for constantly cheering me on!! You guys are the best. I appreciate all the support!! 🙂🙂🙂

Running a 100 miles at your own house is very convenient. Access to food and drinks at all times, a bathroom is always nearby, and you have your clothes nearby too. There's a bed and couch too. LOL

More good! ➡️➡️
I am extremely proud that my story was shared on TV. SO PROUD. I am so proud of Harry too. The experience of being interviewed was absolutely amazing. I love to show people that they can do anything, and I was so happy to share this with the world. I was so happy to share good news. I truly believe in other people that they can do anything. You CAN accomplish anything!!!! 
Also, because Harry suggested that I run another 100 miler during our TV interview, I had to accept the challenge. HA! It was awesome!! I was so proud to run another 100 miler for my son. I honored my son. 

The Hard Parts ➡️ ➡️
I got a hole in my sock while running inside. I had to take my shoes off because my feet hurt. Ha! Yes, I wore Halloween socks too, and I don't know why. No idea. Wow! Ha ha.

My feet tend to be the worst during 100 milers. Obviously they get the most sore. So, after mile 50, I ran in socks. I've done similar things at races too.. At Mo Bell 100 and Dream Chaser 100, I wore sandals for 60 miles or something along those line. It works. Sometimes you just have to do strange things. 

I am tired too. It is very challenging to run two 100 mile runs within a week!!!! Well, 8 days apart!!! WOW!!!! First 100 mile run on April 1st-2nd.. Second 100 mile run on April 9th-10th.. (First time doing back to back 100s. Wow... In 2018, I ran a 100 miler and 50 miler within 8 days of each other. In 2019, I ran a 100 miler and marathon within 8 days of each other. Yes, I have proof and can verify this information. Ask me. Now in 2020, I ran two 100 milers with 8 days of each other. Trust me, it IS POSSIBLE, but exhausting.) My legs are definitely tired though. Ha! I went a bit slower, but then again I don't care about speed though. Sometimes I make time goals. Other times, just get it done. Sometimes my 100 mile runs are within 22-24 hours. Other times I am lucky if I break 30 hours, or it takes even longer. It happens. Sometimes you are just tired. It depends on the course and elevation too. 

If you are going to mock me or make fun of me, please stop. Completely unnecessary and unacceptable. 

The Weather ➡️ ➡️
Temperatures ranged from 38-45°F with a windchill of 30°F at one point. It was extremely windy too!! Yuck!! Running in 40 mph gusts of wind is insane. Ha! Regular winds were about 20 mph.. Very strange weather. There was a bit of everything: sunshine, cloudy, rain, snow, sleet, hail, and wind. It would go from sunny to cloudy with snow in a matter of minutes. Then back to sunny. Then back to cloudy. At one point it was sunny AND snowing at the same time!!!🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ It was a bit tough to dress for this type of weather too.. I was constantly going between feeling warm and feeling cold. 
Yes, all of these pictures were taken on the same day. WEIRD. Very strange weather. 

The Ugly ➡️ ➡️
I am seeing so much negativity on social media lately, and it's just awful. It is bit discouraging at times. Think before you speak. Too much hate and negativity lately. If you are going to put someone down and criticize someone, stop and think! Should you really be saying these things??!! EVERYONE is fighting a battle that you know nothing about, so BE KIND!!!!!! The world does not need more bullies. Lift people up instead of tearing them down. Again, no need for hate and negativity. 

Little do some know, I have anxiety, and I am very hard on myself. I am super critical of myself, but I am extremely proud of myself and how far I have come... I like to show others that they can do anything because you can. You may think my ideas are "crazy" or may think I'm "too motivated" or whatever. That's fine. You are entitled to your opinion. Shame on you if you are judging someone though, not cool. Just know, my motivation and my running goals are helping me cope with the situation right now. We are all struggling right now, and we are all trying the best we can. We are all doing different things to help ourselves cope. That is OKAY. Motivated or not, it's okay. Let's celebrate the good things we are all doing instead of putting people down... We all deal with stressful situations and trauma differently. Again, BE KIND. 

I am very proud of myself!!! No one can steal my joy, no one. 

Things I learned ➡️ ➡️
I have a very fast power walk!! I also run much faster on flat surfaces and pavement than I do on trails. (Also, this is not uncommon.) Ha ha! I am much slower on trails, probably because I get nervous about tripping or falling. I learned that I would love to be faster on trails. (Again, not uncommon.) True story. You don't really have that issue of tripping with flat pavement. I learned that I do like flat courses more than I thought too. Then again, I still really, really love hills and trails. I added my staircase into this 100 too. Lastly, I learned that I like "boring" courses. Some runners may find flat and small loops boring, however I love it. I do love boring. There is absolutely nothing wrong that!!!!! Every runner is different, and that's okay! 

Over the last 8 days, I have learned that it is extremely exhausting to keep track of all your loops!!! WOW. Your mind must be paying attention at all times because you must be counting and thinking. It keeps you awake though. Ha! After these two backyard 100s, my mind was much more exhausted than my body. My brain is tired. Ha!

Once again... If you are going to mock me or make fun of me for any reason, please just go ahead and unfriend me on Facebook.. You have no business on my Facebook, you have no business in my life.  There's no reason to be so mean or be rude... Leave me alone if you are going to be rude to me. 

Calculations ➡️➡️
Same as the last backyard 100 mile! Same info as before! ⬇️
I kept my watch GPS on to measure mileage, not mile splits though. (It is not a fancy watch, but it gets the job done. Also, I didn't track my mile times/pace because it is not accurate on small loops. It messes up the pace.) Then, I tracked my footsteps/step count/stride length. I normally average about 222,000 steps per 100 milers, so it's about 2,200 steps per mile for me. I kept track of my step count, and it was accurate throughout the day. I did take slightly bigger strides again though, so it averaged out to be about 221,000 steps. Bigger strides are key to power walking faster. 

Same information as the last backyard 100! Same as before! ⬇️
For outside laps... Harry and I both made a tally when I would run a lap too. I kept track in a notebook. When he was hanging out with me, he also counted my laps. When I was alone, I counted my laps. I knew that every 4 turns was a lap, so 124 turns equaled a mile. I counted to 124. Every time I got to 124, I would stop and start over again. I have a math brain and love numbers. 

For inside laps... Harry and I both made a tally when I would run a lap too. I kept track in a notebook. When he was hanging out with me, he also counted my laps. When I was alone, I counted my laps. After Scott and Harry went to sleep, I counted my laps by myself. Harry had 6 pieces of paper on the ground for my inside lap. Those papers had the tasks with fun things to do on them. I knew every time I passed all 6 papers it was a lap. So, I started counting them. 50 laps is 1 mile, so I would count the papers 300 times each mile. Every time I got to 300, I would stop and start over again. Sometimes I counted by 6s too, just to change it up. 

(I had a lot of ways to make sure that this was error proof. HA!! I measured everything 5 different ways and had 5 ways to track my mileage. I wanted several ways to measure the distance to make sure things were correct. 101 miles tracked with lap counting and tallies. 101 miles tracked on Fitbit.)

I will say this again... Over the last 8 days, I have learned that it is extremely exhausting to keep track of all your loops!!! WOW. Your mind must be paying attention at all times because you must be counting and thinking. It keeps you awake though. Ha! 1am is a challenge for me. After these two backyard 100s, my mind was much more exhausted than my body.

Why did I do this again??
Well, same reasons as the last backyard 100 miler, and my son challenged me to it... Simple. Here they are again. ⬇️
Why did I do this??

1. I did it to save my sanity. Ha! Seriously though, it was a great mental break. For one day again, I forgot about what was going in the world, and I truly enjoyed the moments running 100 miles and hanging out with my family. I ran carefree and happy. I was less stressed and less anxious. It was wonderful. It was a great break. I did hit some very, very low points though. Currently still beating myself up over the lows, but I'll get over it. Again, I'm very hard on myself. 
(I HIGHLY recommend you doing something to save your sanity. You deserve a mental break whether it's running, watching TV, sleeping more, coloring, etc. Do something that makes you happy. Take a mental break.)
Pandemic goals:
Week #1: 5 marathons 
Week #2: 7 marathons in 7 days 
Week #3: 100 mile run at home
Week #4: 100 mile run at home
Week #5: ???

Total marathons and ultras completed since I started in October 2015- 133!!!! Yeah!! Some are unofficial, but that's okay. I count the total for ME, no one else, not Marathon Maniacs. However, I do know my official total too. 

2. I did it to show others that they CAN do anything. You can get creative with your goals and still achieve your goals, even during a pandemic. You can still live your life to the fullest during a pandemic. You might need to get a little creative, but you CAN live life and enjoy it. It might be a little different than expected for a while though.

3. I did it to hopefully inspire others to dream bigger and achieve their goals. It IS possible. Pandemic or not, you can do anything. Race or no race, you CAN run. Running is not cancelled. You can do anything. 

4. I did it because I was once again inspired by another ultra runner who did a similar thing. This ultra runner ran 200 miles on his treadmill at his apartment! EPICALLY AWESOME. Wow!! Congrats again, Michael Ortiz!!!! You are amazing. Glad to be your friend!!! 🙂

5. I did it to cope. This pandemic situation has been very stressful. I did it to take my mind off things. It was awesome until I hit the low parts. 

6. I did it to show others that it is okay. It is okay to not be okay right now. It is okay to feel off. Running an ultra marathon is funny like that because even in your weakest moments, you are strong. Even in the darkness, there is light. Remember this. Keep moving forward. 

Last reason: ⬇️
7. I did it because I really, really love 100 mile runs, unofficial or official, and I wanted to explain stuff... (NOTHING WRONG with enjoying something!!!) I've run two unofficial 100s over the last year prior to this pandemic. (North Country Trail Hike 100 Challenge and Wild Things 100 were unofficial.) However, I am excited for races again and excited to run an official 100 again because I do think it's fun and love the buckles. Ha! (NOTHING WRONG with finding joy in something.) See, when I ran the Wild Things 100 miler in January, it was an unofficial 100 mile race, so I was really looking forward to Pistol 100 this year. The reason why is explained below. 
There is a true explanation and witnesses. ⬇️

Wild Things info: ⬇️
Before you start a rumor about me again... I honestly did not think this would be an issue, but here we are. 🤷‍♀️ Myself along with some other runners got permission to run an unofficial 100 mile race at Wild Things in January, so we did. The race director gave us permission to do this, only condition--> it would be an unofficial race because there was no official 100 mile race there, so no race result for 100 miles. Duh! Understandable. That was fine with us because we really wanted to run 100 miles, unofficial or official. The race director can verify that along with a handful of other volunteers and several friends. There's at least 8 witnesses. If you want their contact information to ask them and to verify that I am telling the truth, I can absolutely provide that to you. I have proof and can verify this information because it is true. Again, I can give you their contact information. Just ask. I signed up for a random distance to get the medal and support the race. I went on to run an unofficial 100 mile race afterwards, after the official distance in the race. Kind quirky and cool. 

(The unofficial 100 mile race was a personal accomplishment for me. I would never take anyone's accomplishments away from them.)

(The race director KNEW we were running 100 miles and going out on our own adventure too because she gave us permission to do so... Again, the 100 miles just wouldn't count as an official race because there wasn't an official 100 mile race there. It would be unofficial. The park was open, and I had permission. Again... That was totally fine with us. I really wanted to run 100 miles. We really wanted to run 100 miles. We got the permission we needed to run an unofficial 100 mile race, so we did. I ran with my friend Pearlette for all 22 hours and all 100 miles too. Also, we previously signed up for a random distance for the race, so we could get the medal upon completion and to support the race/race director. Our 100 mile run was an unofficial race, so no race result. I believe there is a random race result for another distance too, I never looked though. Marathon maybe? I didn't think it was a problem. I am not concerned with my race results most of the time, and I don't have time to really look.. I have no intentions of taking away someone's accomplishments. Again, the 100 mile race was unofficial though.)

And yes, I used an unofficial 100 mile race as a training run. LOL. It was a personal accomplishment. I would NEVER diminish or discredit anyone's accomplishments, EVER. That is not me. If you think I do this, you don't know me. My accomplishments are for me, it is personal.. My PRs are personal, for me. I am proud of myself and what I do. 

Here's why I ran an unofficial 100 mile race, I was trying to test out nutrition and gear for a big 100 mile PR in the future.. Wild Things and Pistol would have similar weather, so I was testing out several ways to make a big PR happen at Pistol... I was practicing to try and get a huge PR, but I wanted a trial run first in case things did not work. (I am trying to work towards a 20 hour 100 miler.) Plus, I was learning to run a faster 100. There's no race result for 100 miles because it was an unofficial 100 mile race. Duh! (There's a random race result for me for something else, I believe.) Just reach out and ask me if you are unsure, and I will gladly explain. There is absolutely  no reason to start a rumor. There is nothing wrong with running an unofficial marathon or ultra. I have plenty of official marathon and ultra marathon finishes too. Like I said, I run both. I work EXTREMELY HARD for my goals too, official and unofficial. They are personal accomplishments and achievements. I put in A LOT of time and effort to achieve my goals. You can, too. I put a tremendous amount of hard work into this 100 miler. You have no idea. How dare you accuse me of not running it because it was unofficial!!!!!! I did not do an unofficial race to take away anyone's accomplishments. I simply ran 100 miles to try and get a PR. 

So, I got my 100 mile PR at an unofficial 100 mile race in January. My PR was 22 hours 4 minutes. I was super excited and proud. I ran a faster 100!!!! My "practice" 100 worked! My trial run worked!! I got a PR. This was the point of the unofficial race. Yay!!!! I was soooooooo ready to do it at an official 100 mile race now.. See, now I was ready, prepared, and I would like my 100 mile PR to be at an official race. This is why I was really, really looking forward to the Pistol 100 miler in March, to try and get a huge PR, but it was cancelled due to the pandemic. My unofficial 100 mile race at Wild Things was practice/a trial run for that.... That was the goal at Pistol. (Pistol is great race to PR too, and I wanted to win my age group, maybe more. This was going to be a big personal accomplishment for me.) Maybe next year at Pistol now??!! Can't wait! 

So I made my own 100 milers instead during the pandemic, with the help of my son... HA! I'll get my official 100 PR at some point. It will happen. I know it. 🙂 

Until then, I will enjoy unofficial 100s. Yes, I find them fun!!! I WILL run another one!!!!! Many even two or three... ??

I will say it once again, if you want the contact information so you can verify I did what I said I did, I can absolutely provide it to you. There's at least 8 witnesses, including the race director who gave me permission to run an unofficial 100 mile race!!!! She even watched the entire thing happen and was there the entire time. (It was a loop course, and the loops were small. The race director saw me run for 22 hours. She even gave me a foot massage around mile 75. HA HA. My friend Mark brought me coffee at 10pm during the unofficial 100 miler too. Another friend Mark made me a grilled cheese sandwich at 2am. Bill mixed up my Tailwind for me around 3am when I needed a refill. I could go on about the volunteers and friends. Seriously, there's at least 8 witnesses that saw me run an unofficial 100 mile race..)

But why unofficial events?? ⬇️
But why do I run unofficial marathons and ultras?! Because I LOVE to run them and I can. I LOVE to creative my own adventures. I LOVE adventures!!! It shouldn't matter. 🤷‍♀️ I RUN EXACTLY WHAT I SAY I RUN TOO. If you know me and you are a true friend, you know I run unofficial marathons and ultras. If you have run with me at races, you know I am a true runner. 

I love running unofficial marathons and ultra marathons. I have anxiety at times though, and I get nervous about running around other people. Running unofficial marathons and ultras help me deal with that. I also use my unofficial marathons and ultras as a way to get faster and a way to help with anxiety. (I am trying to become a faster runner, like back in my high school days.) See, I was bullied relentlessly about my feet because they stick out, so sometimes I get anxious around other runners. I don't want runners pointing out my feet. My feet seriously look very strange when I run. I can't help it.  (Yes, I have tried exercises to correct it. However, I can't change the way my feet stick out. I was born this way. My feet are crooked, because once again I was born this way. My feet had to be taped together as a baby because they were so crooked, but it did not fix the problem. I learned how to walk and run, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to continue to do so..) 

There are tons of other runners who run unofficial marathons and ultras! They also like to run them. Nothing wrong with that!

For an example, a group of us ran a half marathon before the WTF half marathon race started in February. We finished the day with a marathon. The race director knew we were out there previewing the course and running a half marathon before the race. It was okay with the race director. We wanted to get a marathon distance in, so we did. NOTHING WRONG with that. We did not take away anyone's accomplishments by running an unofficial marathon either. 

A little explanation: ⬇️
However... I am sad to say this. I am heartbroken. It is disappointing because I am a kind, caring, honest, compassionate, friendly, genuine, authentic, and all around nice person. I'm very hard on myself, but I know I am a good person. Another person sadly has become fixated on the concept that I cheat just because I do unofficial marathons and ultras. I am sad this happened. Also, I am unsure why they care so much about what I do considering they hardly know me. They did not even ask me either, sadly made up a rumor. Well, the rumor started and the mocking started. It is very sad. I was extremely hurt because I truly did not do anything. Before spreading rumors about me, have the guts and ASK ME if you are unsure of something. I can and will explain, and I have evidence. PLEASE, do not mock me or make fun of me. This is wrong. PLEASE, do not make any assumptions about me based on someone else's opinion and rumor. If you unsure of something too, please reach out and ask. If you are unsure of a race result, ASK THE PERSON. I am sure they can explain. There is absolutely no reason to start a rumor. ASK THE PERSON. Instead of mocking someone and shaming someone, please reach out to the person and ask them! Please don't believe someone else's opinion or rumor without reaching out to the person. This goes for anyone too. STOP BULLYING OTHER PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

To be clear... I will say... I am not fake. I am not a liar, and I am not a cheater. I have never cheated at a race, and I would never do that. There's NO EVIDENCE of me cheating at any race because that has NEVER HAPPENED. Again, I AM NOT A CHEATER OR A LIAR. I DO NOT LIE. 

I am REAL. I AM A REAL RUNNER. 

Lastly... BE KIND. JUST BE KIND. Think before you speak!! Also, if you really have a problem with something you think another runner or person did, kindly address the situation in private! Ask the person. Don't assume anything, until you ask. Don't accuse someone of anything, until you ask. I am sure that runner or person can explain too. Publicly shaming someone when you don't even know the other side of the story is just wrong. Making assumptions without knowing what happened is wrong. Making assumptions without truly knowing a person is wrong. Accusing someone of something when you don't know what happened is wrong. Making up lies about a person is wrong. Spreading rumors about a person is wrong. Judging someone without knowing what happened is wrong. Ask the person... Name calling is wrong. Mocking someone is wrong. Bullying someone is wrong. Poking fun at someone is wrong. That shows what kind of person you are, not them... Anyways, BE KIND!!!!!!! Be nice. Be respectful. End of story.

If you want to post/publish your running data, that is great. If you don't want to post/publish your running data, that's fine too. If you don't want others to know your running location, that's fine. It doesn't matter. If you wear a watch, that's great. If you don't wear a watch, that's fine too. You are still a runner without a watch. You don't need to prove yourself. If you like to keep track of your mile times/pace, that's awesome. If you don't like to keep track, that's fine too. It doesn't matter. If you want to run a training/unofficial marathon or ultra marathon, that's awesome. If you want to run unofficial 100 mile runs, that's fantastic. More power to you! You can run unofficial marathons and ultras!! If you don't want to do that, that's fine too. It doesn't matter. If you only want to run official marathons, that's great. If you want to run both official and training/unofficial marathons, that's great too. If you only want to run official races, that is fine too. If you like long distances, that is awesome. If you only want to run short distances, that is great. If you win a race, you are amazing. If you get a course record, you are amazing. If you come in last place at a race, you are still amazing. If you get a PR, that is awesome. If you like running on trails, awesome. If you like running on roads, awesome. If you like the treadmill, awesome. If you like to run in circles/loops, awesome... If you are a fast runner, you are amazing. If you like to run slowly, you are still amazing. If you like to walk, you are amazing. It doesn't matter. You are a runner regardless of what you do and how you do it. That is what makes this sport so special and unique. That is what makes runners so special too. Be your own unique, awesome runner. I think every runner is amazing! True story, I do. I love to encourage all runners and cheer them on... I love to see all runners succeed and achieve goals. It brings me joy. Also, you don't need to prove yourself to anyone at all. If someone thinks you do, you don't need them. YOU ARE AWESOME. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH. Do NOT forget this. 

YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!