The Anticipation of Starting Again

Getting to the Line

Just standing there, my heart rate was already at 140 bpm. “What in the world am I doing here?” A long series of choices led to me standing there in the streets of downtown Louisville. The national anthem had been sung, the gun had been fired, and the mass of people slowly began inching its way forward. The anticipation was building and building. Then it happened. I crossed the starting line.

The Road to the Starting Line

The Louisville Marathon starting line was just one line. One line in a long series of starting lines that led me to the beginning of this race. There was still 26.2 miles of work to be done, but arriving to the start took many, many starts. About eighteen months before I crossed this particular starting line, I started thinking about getting in shape. Then I started running. Then I began training for a 5K and a few months later, I hit the starting line of my first race, the IU 5K in Bloomington. Shortly after, I started thinking about a half marathon. I started training and soon crossed that starting line at the Indy 500 Mini-Marathon. The natural progression was then to consider a full marathon. I started training, and after starting many runs and workouts, there I was, once again, at the starting line. This line was to the Louisville Marathon.

The Finish Line Requires a Lot of Starts

The finish line typically gets all the glory. We think about the finish line a lot. But the long line of small, humble starts are what make those finish lines possible. How was the glory of crossing that first 5K finish possible? By getting up and getting out the door to run. Day after day after day. By showing up consistently over time. By starting. In fact, we cross a new starting line every step toward a goal. No doubt, the finish lines are great. They are a time to look back and reflect. Finish lines allow us to take a moment to celebrate the small wins and gains in our lives. But the line is not the finish. It’s a beginning. The finish marks the new beginning. The finish is a moment to pause, enjoy, celebrate, and step up to the next starting line.

Welcome to the Line

So here we are, standing at today’s starting line. What are we going to do with it? Today, I'm celebrating the finish lines that brought me to where I am today. And I’m celebrating that I have started working toward my next twenty-eight day experiment. Each of those days behind me began with its own starting line as will each day that lies ahead. I cross the finish line and am greeted with my next start. How awesome is that! I can already feel the anticipation rising.

Enjoy the day.

Enjoy the start.