11 Life Lessons I Learned From My Year Of Running

I dont consider myself a runner.

Yet when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that his challenge for 2016 was A Year of Running on Jan. 4, I was intrigued and joined the group. A mile a day seemed possible yet daunting.

I had done a handful of 5K races, a few 5-milers, and a couple of 10Ks since my friend Sarah got me into running back in May 2010. But I was never consistent. Id train (haphazardly) for a race and then drop even lacing up the running shoes for months at a time.

But on March 8, the fates decided that 2016 was indeed going to become my Year of Running when I won a lottery spot in the TCS New York City Marathon.

By that date, I had literally only run 4.1 miles TOTAL for the year. Pathetic. I had entered the lottery thinking Id run it my 40th year in 2017 and heard several friends win the lottery on their third tries. I entered it once before, so I figured I might as well get that second try in, never expecting to get drawn this year!

So I started running again. Small distances at first as little as a mile at a time. By March 27, I decided it was time for a longer run and while in Washington D.C. went for a 6-mile jog, delightfully distracted by the beauty of the cherry blossoms and monuments. But the last mile, something didnt feel right. And by the time I stopped, my right knee was in excruciating pain. Later that day, I suffered several sharp pains that made me cry out loud. How the heck was I going to run through the five boroughs of New York City in seven months?

And thats when my path to 26.2 (@PathTo262 ) miles really began. Here are the lessons I learned along the way

1. Its Okay To Ask For Help

I was a little nervous to walk into Fleet Feet in Hoboken, NJ, to buy a proper pair of running shoes. Even though I had been in and out of there a few times before during 5K and 10K prep, I had marveled at the serious runners who knew what gear they needed and asked all the right questions.

But the staff couldnt have been more helpful, guiding this amateur through the process and even welcoming my silly questions. After trying on numerous pairs (over and over again!), they even analyzed my gait, and we worked together to find the perfect match.

With that kind of welcoming start, it helped me realize theres no question too dumb to ask whether it was about proper hydration, bloody chafing cuts, or even what running outfit looked the cutest on! And that extends to any subject in life.

2. Success Is A Team Sport

Even though I chose to train alone because of my crazy schedule and because I cant hold a conversation while running (maybe Ill get over that in 2017!) I realized I was never truly alone. My friend Tam helped me pick the right training plan (and boy does Hal Higdons Novice I work), Meghan educated me on the proper fueling (and I loved her recommendation of Clif Bloks), Mimi checked in with me weekly (and kept better track of my injured toenails than I did!) and the night before the run, Sarah got on the phone and talked me through the run providing just the kind of motivating pep talk I needed.

And all throughout the way, I received doses of encouragement and advice from coworkers in the office to faraway friends around the world via social media. Before you know it, youve culled together your perfect team of players around you to help you achieve any goal.

3. Random Acts Of Kindness Go A Long Way

Throughout my 94 training runs, I always started feeling slow and sluggish but I was reminded in chance encounters that the way you feel isnt always the way it appears on the outside.

Once it was a neighbor who told me I was looking strong when we crossed paths on the waterfront. Another time it was a stranger on the bus who saw me post-long run wearing my fuel belt and said I looked better prepared than she was. And oftentimes, it was just a sweet smile from a little old lady sitting on the sidelines.

Those little bites that were delivered without any judgement were so pure that they gave a huge push. Since then, Ive tried to pay it forward to strangers I come across whether it was sharing macaroons with ferry workers or paying compliments to hard-working cashiers.

4. Talk Out Your Issues

Going into training, I was completely clueless. But that fake it until you make it mentality only goes so far. I knew nothing about what to wear, what to eat, what kind of pains I would face, or how my body would react to the whole process.

Initially, Id be embarrassed to admit how light-headed and sick I felt from a long run. But when I learned to start talking about the problems to other people, thats when I realized none of my issues were just me they were all typical runners dilemmas! (Turns out I wasnt re-hydrating with electrolytes!)

There wasnt any problem that there wasnt a solution to as long as you keep an open mind to solutions. And the more people you talk to about the dramas in your life no matter what theyre about the more perspective you gain.

5. Digital Detox Is Essential

In this age of must-reply-to-every-text and must-check-all-my-social-media-feeds, perhaps the best lesson I learned was how freeing it was to step away from it all. As the long training runs built up to four or five hours toward the end, that was quite a chunk of time during daylight online hours to be otherwise engaged.

Whether I was running through the familiar path I ran every day or through the woods of New Jersey I had never been on, it was such a gift to have that much think time to process the how did I get here and where do I go from here questions in life.

Thanks to being able to step away from it all for such quality time each week, Ive been able to re-prioritize values and re-center my focus in every aspect of my life. And Ive learned to simply put the phone down and live life.

6. Practice Does Make Perfect

When my training plan started, the runs were about three to five miles, which seemed doable. I couldnt even imagine a 10-mile run. But as I learned to trust the plan, I got used to a 10-mile run being not a big deal at all. In fact, I remember thinking at one point todays run is only 14 miles!

If you put the time in and stick to it, training for something thats out of your realm is completely possible. I was never built to be a runner I managed to finish the marathon and still be able to walk around New York City the next day. Early on, I wasnt even able to take a step after a single-digit mile run!

Commitment is key. My stubborn determination led me to not miss a single run. And that goes for anything if you put in the time, you can get to the finish.

7. Its Okay For It To Be About Me

Nothing makes me more uncomfortable about having all eyes on me. But as I worked through the plan week by week, I realized I had to be comfortable talking about myself. One night, I was hanging out with four friends and I kept apologizing that we had been talking about me running the marathon the more I apologized, the more we talked about it. And the more they made me realize it is a big deal and something thats okay to be celebrated.

The weeks before the race, everyone kept telling me I had to put my name on my shirt which I just hated the idea of! I already wanted to be anonymous running, but I kept being told I wouldnt regret it.

And once I started running and heard the first stranger call out my name, I knew what they meant. That feeling of being called out of the crowd was beyond empowerment and no matter how selfish or guilty it made me feel it was okay to turn the spotlight on myself for lifes big moments.

8. Learn To Let Go Literally

When my knee pain started, I thought about quitting. But then thought, what are the chances Ill get drawn in the lottery again? This might be the only time ever so I decided to do it right by going to physical therapy.

My amazing PT Alicia at Finish Line Physical Therapy initially focused on my quads and how I clenched them, causing the knee pain I complained about (so bad I couldnt even take a single step off a curb in Manhattan!). But as the weeks went by and I got to know my PT better and be more honest about everything I felt, we landed on the fact that I hold my breath. Like all the time.

So we shifted our focus on and I basically learned to breathe again. It turns out much of my issues all over! was from never exhaling. We started doing drills with balloons that made it so clear how I couldnt even hold an exhale.

It was the epiphany of a lifetime! I was holding so much in both literally and figuratively. Once I learned to let go, my runs got so much easier and so did my life!

9. Filter Out The Negativity

Theres always going to be people in your life who cant help but hold you back. And if you cant cut them out of your life, its about letting their negative energy roll off your back.

For me, the comments started seemingly jokingly about not being in shape enough to run the last six miles. But then even after crossing the finish line, it was about my poor form.

It didnt matter if I limped, waddled or crawled across the finish. It was the feat of getting there. (And for the record, I clocked in my best pace that final quarter mile and am freakin proud of the form that makes me who I am!).

And as simple as that lesson is, to translate it to work, family or friends is just as essential the negativity thats launched your way is no reflection of who you are, but how you handle it is.

10. Nothing Beats Paying It Forward

The day after the marathon, a friend of my texted and said he was so inspired that he had signed up for a race and I immediately had tears streaming down my face. For so many years, that was me on the other side watching these inspiring runners from all walks of life join together in the New York City marathon. And now I was part of that group, inspiring the next! A few weeks later, another friend told me she had started training for a 10-mile race it continues!

By sharing my path to the finish, I realized it made it feel real and something anyone could do which is exactly true because I am that unlikely marathon runner (still feels so weird to call myself that!).

Since then, the way I shared other aspects of my life must have shifted too. A few weeks after the marathon, I took a trip to Portugal and two people emailed me and said they were so taken with my social media posts that they booked trips too!

And thats what makes this journey of life so very worth it inspiring one another, rooting for one another, and embracing the magic of it with one another.

11. Challenges Are Short Term, But The Effects Are Long-Term

When I first started training, I thought the more I ran, the stronger I would feel. Instead, it often felt the opposite I couldnt believe how weak I was and how much everything hurt! There were actually times I thought Im never going to walk pain-free again! At times, I felt like I was the weakest I had been in my life... glued to a couch and depending on Uber s and Vias to get around town to avoid stairs!

I joked to my friends that I couldnt walk, but I could run. It made no sense, but it was true. And I powered through those pains and stuck to every run on the training plan and of course, the science behind it helped me survive the 26.2 miles with a smile on my face.

Eventually that feeling of being strong did come recently! Now that Ive recovered and migrated back to my normal fitness routine of yoga, Broadway Bodies dance, and occasional spin classes, Im often shocked how much I can do without having to worry about adjustments. And mentally having gone from seeing the marathon as an impossible task to checking it off the to-do list has added to that sense of invincibility.

I set out on this journey to run 365 miles and ended up running 535 miles. Despite my instinct against it, I now can proudly say that I am, indeed, a runner. And that my Year of Running truly turned me into a stronger person both physically and mentally.

For more on my Path to 26.2, check out my Instagram Blog: @PathTo262