Written by Turquoise Fellow Flower, Kimberly Wilderspin, Cedarville, MI
I never imagined I would run a marathon. Then again, I never imagined I would get a divorce. In my case, the timing of these two events were synchronous with each other. I had started running 3 years ago (2012), running my first 5K with a group of co-workers—incredible women—I was instantly hooked.
Learning About Myself and Committing to 26.2
I didn’t venture too much out of my comfort zone that year, mainly sticking with 5K races. The following season, in 2013, I decided to branch out a little. I pushed myself a little further, learned about myself in the process of self-determination and inner strength. It was that year I accomplished my first 10K and first half marathon. Still, running a marathon seemed unattainable to me. How any one person could run 26.2 miles in a single trek was beyond me. That was until a friend of mine, a fellow runner, planted the seed in my mind of us running the Detroit Marathon in 2014.
Fear and doubt has a way of creeping in and keeping oneself from accomplishing goals. I pushed those emotions aside as I hopped online at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, officially registering for my first marathon. I knew as soon as I registered, I knew what color flower I would be proudly displaying in my hair that October day—Turquoise—Believe. In that moment, I truly believed in me.
