Vol. 26: The Becoming

I used to tell myself “I’m not a runner.”

I’d say “I don’t know why anyone would ever do a 5k.” Much less a 10k, half-marathon, or full. Or shall I even say… an ultra.

I used to tell myself “I’m not a runner.”

But one day I ran.

Then I did it again a few days later.

And again a few days after that.

Like adding one grain of sand to another and to another until you’ve got a heap.

But you don’t know exactly when you crossed that threshold to be considered a “heap.”

You just look up and take a step back at some point and say “Wow, it’s a heap of sand!”

I used to tell myself “I’m not a runner.”

I just did my first half-marathon. In a downpour. My training block didn’t go according to plan - at all. Travel. High stress levels. Low sleep. Large time commitments. Inconsistent long runs. No opportunity to learn proper fueling or hydration strategies.

But I did it. I went on the journey of doing my first half-marathon. And it was still really fun and rewarding.

I didn’t hit my initial race goal. But I ran. I ran 13.1 miles last Sunday, but I ran a lot more times before that to prepare.

I started with one run - one grain of sand. Now I look back, and suddenly I have a heap.

The joy is in the running. In the journey. Not the half-marathon time.

The joy is in the becoming. In the being. Not the end.

Build your heap.

I used to tell myself “I’m not a runner.”

Well - I guess I am a runner now.

See you next Thursday, Steppers.

We will succeed,

Grayson

​graysonstepanek.com​

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Song of the Week:

March Madness Future PREVIEW   ​

If you ever need a song to get you across the finish line in anything, look no further. I played this song three times during that last mile stretch. Very few songs get you hype like this one does.