It was slow going (and still is even after much improvement), but to think that I went from being sure running was impossible for me to running a half marathon—a full 13 miles without stopping—is truly amazing to me. It made crossing that finish line, and every step along the way, mean more than it probably does to most other half finishers.

After running some 5K races in 2022, I ran a 10K in January, and although it’s always nearly impossible to imagine only being halfway done when you finish a race like that, the thought did occur to me that I could probably train up to do a half marathon.

One thing I do have my sights set on is running, as one of my 2022 goals had been to run a race. I ended up running 3 of them in 2022, all 5Ks, and when I’d set out as a new runner early in the pandemic, being able to run a 5K was really my only eventual goal. Having met it, and really having enjoyed the process, I found myself gradually increasing the distance of my runs. To the point that I knew I wanted to tackle a 10K in 2023.