- Photo my Alejandro Montoya
The rush was more amazing than I could have ever imagined! Running a Marathon will scare the crap out of you, get your blood pumping, hurt like hell and get the motivation out of you. Yes, it sounds crazy but this Marathon did this and so much more for me. First of all, it thought me a great lesson- to believe in myself!
I thought I was going to do horrible and didn’t believe I could get through it without walking. I didn’t want to walk and I didn’t- well except when I had to make a quick pit stop.
There are times in our lives we forget about our own strength and this may prevent us from doing amazing things. I started that race expecting the worse but at some point I snapped out of it, felt comfortable and pushed myself to do more. Before the race I kept telling myself to not expect much and to just finish. I never really convince myself to do this and I’m glad I didn’t.
What’s the big deal you may ask? I finished the race in much less time than I could’ve ever expected and I didn’t walk. This is a big deal for me! I kept telling myself I couldn’t do it but my body and mind proved me otherwise! I’ve never been so happy to be proved wrong.
My favorite part of it all- everyone who came out and supported the Houston Marathon runners! If you ever cheered anyone on, THANK YOU! You have no idea how much of a difference that really makes. I’m so thankful for those familiar faces I got a chance to see throughout the course- Ken, Christina, Ale and Francisco- you guy’s rock! And thankful for the complete strangers who read my name off my bib and cheered me on.
And gracias to Gustavo, a runner from Mexico who joined me for the last 6 miles, shared his snacks and kept saying, “ya casi!” Almost there! Those last 6 miles were by far the hardest and having him on my side was the push I needed to finish- that wall is no joke!
And thank you to my tia Bel and Mely for waiting for me at the finish line because I really didn’t expect it. Thank you to all who sent me a good luck message. Thank you Carlitos for always checking up on me.
And a BIG thanks to my dear Joe for pushing me so hard during training, waking me up for 6am runs, and believing I could do it before I believed it myself!
Never stop believing in yourself. It is amazing what human beings are capable of. I was amazed to see so many people pushing so hard to reach the same goal. It was refreshing to be surrounded by such strength and determination. If self-doubt ever creeps on you challenge it and prove it wrong- make it run on the other direction!
A few more photos from the race!
Frida's cafe 
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