My Life On The Run

News flash! The fastest marathon on record is 2 hours 2 minutes and 57 seconds. This last weekend in Italy, Nike took 3 of the top marathoners in the world and raced them on a staged course in attempt to break 2 hours in the marathon. Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya finished in a staggering time of 2 hours and 24 seconds. That’s a 4:36 mile for 26.2 miles straight!!! Not only was this feat incredibly inspirational to watch, the commenters were inspirational as well. Shalane Flanagan, one of my all time running heroes, quoted Kipchoge with, “The world is only 25 seconds away from breaking 2 hours. What’s your version of sub 2?”

Ok, so marathons are long, people who run them are crazy, in fact all runners are crazy- But how does this apply to you?

“What’s your version of sub 2?”

What I love most about running is how it’s a metaphor for life. Running teaches you how to have the endurance, patience, and work ethic for every obstacle life throws at you. Lately I’ve been struggling with my own breaking 2: an ironic event we’ll call “breaking tibia.” A couple months into my track season I started having a lot of lower leg pain, calf tightness and some sneaky shin splints. I blew it all off as the normal pains of running. Running’s supposed to hurt, right? If it doesn’t you’re probably subhuman or something. I decided to just deal with the pain and continued running 60-70 miles a week to train for the 10k in the LSC Championships. I definitely learned my lesson April 7^th on the West Texas track when 2 laps into my 5k race all the sudden my right leg popped. Like my shin actually popped. I tried to subdue my panic. I was pretty concerned but being the stubborn person I am, I didn’t pull out of the race and ran the last 10 laps on what I know now was a broken leg. Lesson learned, running is supposed to be uncomfortable but if it’s painful DO NOT RUN until your leg breaks, take the time to heal. As consequence for not taking care of myself I am now in a boot for a month and forced to go to the gym to rehab and lift weights while all my teammates continue to run. Am I a little salty about it? Absolutely.

I think everyone has their own version of a sub 2 marathon. Maybe it's a financial sub 2 you just can't seem to get over. As a broke college student I can relate! Maybe it's a temporary physical sub 2, my fractured leg for example. Maybe you have this goal that you just can't seem to reach no matter how hard you try. Maybe you struggle emotionally and can't break the tape on that sub 2 course. A lot of the time we get too focused on the end goal to appreciate the journey. All I saw was the finish line; I didn't fully take for granted the workouts that made me strong, the sleep and food that built up my sore muscles, or even the fact that running in college itself is an amazing opportunity. I beat myself up when I didn't produce the results. My goal of being the fastest long distance runner at age 19 that I could ever be during THIS 2017 track season clouded my judgment. I forgot to be patient with myself and in the end I learned a not so very fun lesson. I think it's important with any sub 2 that you remain patient with yourself and take a step back from your goals to assess the journey. It's all about the journey; what did you do to get where you are now? How has that shaped your life? I bet when Eliud Kipchoge hit mile 20 during the marathon he thought about all the training he did to get to that moment and used his journey to push him through those last excruciating miles. He never lost faith in himself or what he did to prepare. This is what's most important , it's not necessarily the results that matter most, it's all about the process you take to get there. Because in the end, there's really no finish line.

It all started when I was an 8 year old little girl. Pony tail tied back, bright blue anxious eyes, a baggy t-shirt and some generic sneakers on the starting line of my first race. I had no clue that those first steps towards the finish line was the beginning of a journey I have yet to finish 12 years later. Let me introduce myself, my name is Emily Lewis and I am completely in love with running. Not a fitness hobby kind of love, more like a "leaving-your-family-and-boyfriend-and-moving- across- the -country- to- run" kind of love. I've been running competitively for almost 12 years now and throughout the thousands upon thousands of miles I've logged, its taken me on some pretty fantastic adventures.
So back to the beginning, I ran my first race when I was 8 years old. My best friend's older sister would time us as we ran around the block, 4 times equaled a mile. I remember running as fast as my little legs would let me because I wanted to win and I liked the feeling in between my feet hitting the pavement. That flying feeling. When I was 12 years old I joined my first cross country team and set a course record at our home meet, beating all the boys. When I was 13 I trained for and won my first half-marathon. At age 14 I joined my local high school and track team and quickly found out that I was not as great of a runner as I thought.
What a relief!
I continued to run all throughout my freshman to senior year for the cross country and track team. By the end of my freshman track season after the state championships I began to think to myself, "Maybe I could do something with this. Maybe I could take running with me after high school." I would pour myself into YouTube races, watching incredible women run championship races that I couldn't even dare to dream of running in. When I was 17 I got very sick and almost missed out on my junior cross country season. However, by the grace of God, my incredible coach or who knows what, I managed to run my way to the state championships and later race for nationals in the West Regional Footlocker Championships down in California.
After that race I really started to believe in myself as an athlete. I started considering colleges to run for and by senior year was contacting many college coaches. Fast forward to November 2015 when I flew down to New Mexico to tour Eastern New Mexico University and meet the coach. It was all too surreal, my biggest dreams all the sudden were a reality. I was fast enough that someone wanted me to run for them. Not just someone, a college coach. I was over the moon! I excitedly accepted my scholarship contract without a doubt and signed as a two sport athlete to ENMU. Cross country and track. Upon graduating high school I packed my suitcases, said goodbye to my family, my darling boyfriend, the PNW, and everything else I knew and moved down to New Mexico to very literally chase my dreams.
I had absolutely no clue what I was in for.
Eastern New Mexico University is located in Portales, New Mexico, if you havent heard of it, that's ok, neither had I. Imagine a dusty western town complete with sagebrush and upset dehydrated grass right on the border between Texas and Mexico. For someone coming from Washington it was a culture shock!
Needless to say my freshman year running collegiately has been an emotional, fast paced, incredible experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. Running for ENMU has taken me to New Mexico,
Colorado, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and many other places. I discovered more about myself as an athlete than I ever had before. I grew to really love my team but the longer I stayed in Portales, the more I realized I needed to come home. As the school year comes to an end and I pack my suitcases full of running gear to fly back home, I am proud to announce that I am following my heart and transferring to Central Washington University to run cross country and track. I can't wait to see where this next journey will take me. There is no finish line!