Going Back to What you Haven’t Experienced Yet

New York City Marathon announced a new opportunity in 2018…virtual racing.
Sign up and pay to run 26.2 miles wherever you want. No pomp. No circumstance. The regular buzz of a World Major Marathon would not be in attendance.
What could one possibly find of worth within a non-marathon marathon experience?

Much like a pen hovering over a blank piece of paper, I found space to write another chapter of my life’s story.

On Friday, November 2nd 2018, I ran my 20th marathon through my childhood...I stepped out the front door of my childhood home, and ran the route I walked to Evergreen Elementary to run around the football field where I failed to complete the mile run in gym class. On I went to the parks where I played, along the Mississippi River where the school bus would bounce along as it took me to Jackson Middle and Champlin Park High School. I ran to the tennis courts at both schools where I found my confidence and love for team and tribe. Then, continued to replay my younger years as I waddled to Maple Grove Senior High where I coached tennis and directed theatre.
With no crowds or spectators, no water stations or finish lines...I found the perfect atmosphere to reaffirm and tap the nourishment within the stories and souls that wove together my life’s story.
As I ran past my high school, a minivan honked at me and rolled down their window. The mother of a friend from years past recognized me, we chatted for a few minutes and went on our ways…
Running my past taught me that like any good story, there is always something to learn, to experience, to be filled by within the ripples that are waiting for your return.

And so,
Perhaps there is a story to tell within the stories you’ve told.
Perhaps your world class stage and opportunity are within the places you know, the places you’ve been, the places that have shaped you…
that continue to shape you.