Last weekend I ran a Halloween themed 10k in the pouring rain. Despite the cold and the wet, the turn out for the race was rather impressive. Everyone was dressed up in costumes and ready to get their weekend running in. Themed races are always an interesting experience because they attract a unique crowd. There are the intense runners who are trying to win and hit speedy paces, and then there are the runners who were just looking for a reason to dress up as an additional Halloween activity. I fell somewhere in the middle, only a week out from my most recent marathon, I wouldn’t be hitting any land speed records that day, I was dressed up as a crayon, but put little effort into my costume. Looking at the people gathered, the community that was surrounding a fun and silly event, and I realized that no matter your intentions for that race, we were all doing the same thing. Everyone was running 6.2 miles, no matter if you ran a 5 minute pace or a 25 minute pace. Just because someone is running faster, doesn’t mean they are any different, they are going the same distance as everybody else.
This is something I have to remind myself about everyday things. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in your own world and catch the “woe is me” syndrome every so often. Removing yourself from your current situation and realizing we all have the same end goal (to be happy/successful/proud, you know, the general stuff) puts your life into perspective. Though each person’s journey looks a bit different, we all want similar things. The “hardness” of your journey is relative to what you have been through. And that feeling is unique to each individual. Having that perspective is really helpful when you start to compare yourself to other people who you feel are on the same journey as you. It’s ok to be getting to the finish line in whatever way works for you! The only thing that matters is that you are putting in effort to the end goal, moving forward to that finish line.
In the end I guess this is a long way of saying that it’s important to acknowledge that everyone out here is trying their hardest to be happy and successful. Support the hustle. Support your friends and your peers. It’s a tough road ahead, but it’s worth the journey.
❤ Nikki
Nikki Celi 