Mile 8 out of 13. One of the toughest miles of a half marathon (at least I think so). At this point in the race, I am more than halfway done but, I still have five more miles to go. I am feeling more and more fatigued and I don't know how much longer I can do this. I know people are finishing the race and can relax but, I am not there yet. I am feeling slightly weaker but, I know that the end is closer than the beginning. The only thing I can do is to keep on going. That is where we are right now, we are on mile 8 of this pandemic.
We have been running this long race for 10 months now. We have been cautious but, it appears people are getting tired. It is getting hard. Looking back, we can see how we persevered since March but, there are still some ways to go. We see the promise of the ending. We see the vaccine, we see other countries doing better and having a sense of "normalcy". Despite people being ahead of us, it feels like we are still trudging along. This pandemic is like a race but, the main competition is yourself. The goal is just to finish, to cross the finish line. Winning is crossing the finish line. No matter when we arrive at the finish line of the pandemic we will win. We should be cheering on the other countries that are closer to their finish line because, in the end, it is an accomplishment to be proud of. Looking at this pandemic like a long race has put things in perspective for me.
When I was getting more and more annoyed that we are still living in our current state I began to feel hopeless. I wasn't looking at the course I have been running. Instead, I was focusing on the amount of time it has been, and all of the pain I felt. I looked at how difficult it was but, once I paused and related it to the feeling of running a half marathon I realized that there is plenty to be proud about. I am proud that I made it this far. I am proud that I have been finding ways to keep going day after day knowing that I am one day closer to the finish line.
Mile 8 is notoriously a challenge for me and it is always hard. Mile 8 frankly sucks. That being said, mile 8 only lasts for so long and before I know it, I will be on mile 9 then 10, 11, 12, and then 13. Then the race is over. Once I finish mile 8, I will focus on mile 9 and work my way towards the ending. Once we cross the finish line, we all deserve the participation medal for completing this race. I can do this. We can do this. Let's keep on our heads high, feet moving, and make our way to the finish line. 8 miles down, 5 to go.
*My first Half Marathon in Sydney, Australia (May 2019).