Walking the hills

By Anna Boom


Ugh, Argh, Man!

You know these moments, the times when you question yourself, your sanity and capability.

Sometimes, you just need to walk the hill.

On a recent long run with friends, we ran part of the Okinawa marathon course. As we climbed hill number 57 on the course (not really, but it seemed like it), we laughed at a memory from when we actually ran the Okinawa marathon the previous year.

We started the marathon together but soon, I fell behind in the crowd. Because we ran about the same pace, I stayed consistently behind my friends, never gaining, just enough behind them that they were never out of sight. Then as I started to climb that same hill mentioned above (the one that goes between the two Fosters: PX on the right, Macaroni Grill on the left), I saw my friends walking the hill.

In my mind, I tried to come up with something, anything witty that would raise their spirits enough to get them up and over that hill. What came out was, “what are you doing?!”. Not quite the effect I intended as the look they both shot me was, well, what kind of look would you shoot me if it was you? Yup, that was it.

Afterward, we laughed about it and they still thankfully, train with me. One of the many memories we share from running and training together.

On more than one occasion, I have found myself in the same mode and I just have to walk the hill. It is my reset button.

This is not only physical, it is psychological too: it's the moment in the commissary, when your 2 year old melts down at the only time you can make it that week, the car that breaks down while your husband is deployed, the last 6.2 miles of the marathon. Walking the hill gives your brain that moment of doubt to question yourself, can I keep going?

It is the way to keep moving forward without stopping. Even if you feel defeated, enjoy that moment. Don't beat yourself up for not running the whole way, for not being the perfect mom or the perfect wife.  Know that you kept going and did what you could in that moment. That is the best we can do, after all.

Happy running :)