The Ordinary Impact

I am running a half-marathon coming in less than a week, and I don’t feel fully prepared. The miles haven’t stacked the way I hoped. Some runs felt strong. Others felt rushed, heavy, unfinished. There’s a quiet voice that keeps doing the math, replaying missed workouts and wondering if I should feel more ready by now. But running has taught me something that life keeps reinforcing: so much of this is mental. Belief doesn’t replace preparation. It never has. You can’t skip the work and wish your way through 13.1 miles. But belief does matter. More than we sometimes admit. Belief is what carries you when the plan cracks. Belief is what steadies your breath when doubt gets loud. Belief is what reminds you that imperfect preparation doesn’t equal failure, but it definitely signifies that you’re human. There’s a moment in every long run where your legs negotiate and your mind takes over. Where the question isn’t Can I run this? but What story am I telling myself right now? I’m learning th...

In March 2014, I chose to give up food for Lent . Anything that I could chew and digest I did not consume from Monday to Saturday every week. (On Sunday, I would eat something light with a community of people as an opportunity to connect and refuel for the coming week.) I’m not Catholic, but I value self-discipline and I’m interested in what my body and mind can accomplish when focused on a goal. (I might add that there’s a fine line between being focused and being crazy, and I flirted with that line almost every day. Actually, I’m sure people who know me best think that I flirt with that line with every goal I strive to achieve.) When I set the goal, I was determined to go without eating for the entire period of Lent (March 5-April 17). It should be noted that merely ten days later, I chose to use Sunday as a time to lightly eat - to “ break bread ”, if you will - with friends and family in order to add an element of community to my journey (and to not end up in the hospital...