Getting through mile 16

Last Saturday I ran a full marathon in Bear Lake, Utah! I trained for over six months, preparing for every contingency. But the one thing I hadn’t planned on, happened. Due to some permit issues, the course was reconfigured and we’d be required to run a mile on a dirt road. Mile 16.

I’d kept on pace quite well until mile 16. But my body was tiring and hurting, and the moment my feet left paved road and pounded on those uneven rocks and ruts in this road, I knew I’d have to change strategies and fast. I could already feel my feet bruising, and I wasn’t steady enough to run the whole length without injury. So I alternated between running as long as I could and walking at a brisk pace. I looked at the beautiful sky and the shadows of the birds behind me to keep my mind distracted. I had to keep going!

What a relief when I finally hit the asphalt against and didn’t have to contend with loose rocks and uneven road!

What’s your Mile 16? Are you building a business and getting clients is slower going than you thought? Are you searching for a life partner or trying to keep the one you’ve got, and found that this road is uneven and painful? Are finances looking more than a little rocky and unstable? How are you handling your mile 16?

This is the time when you get to step into your personal power and gut through this path. Even if you have to change strategies, or slow down, or distract yourself so it’s not so painful. This is where you do whatever it takes to get through this stretch and out the other end.

Don’t sit down and stare at your mile 16. Put your foot on that path and trust that you have the strength and stamina to do what needs to be done, and that the ideas will come as they’re needed. You CAN do this mile! You CAN come out the other side of it stronger than when you went into it–and you CAN find beautiful things inside that mile to delight you and feel gratitude for.

Don’t stop now. This is the mile where you see how powerful you truly are. And it will astound you!