20,000 steps to life.

I jogged along the road, passing a neighbor/acquaintance of mine who was walking his dog.

“How are you?”

“Tired.” I replied, eager to tell of my feat.

“I imagine.” He chuckled.

“I’m on my… twelfth mile?”

“Holy c***.” He exclaimed.

I laughed. Nah, I’m actually feeling pretty good. The soreness of the run was setting in, but so was the addictive pain.

Somewhere over 20,000 steps, approximately 23,000 heartbeats, and a little under 2 and a half hours after beginning, I had completed my first half marathon (that’s 13.1 mi. or 21.1 km.).

Despite having trained for a month, tapered for two weeks, and eaten well the night before, I was just not feeling the flow when I set out from our house. I pushed to 8 miles and the last 5 suddenly felt in view—and fell into place.

My runs are wonderful, but I write beyond them.

Truth is, every single step I took on that run contributed to my completion.

13.1 miles minus 1 stride isn’t a half marathon.

Even the smallest stride I took on that run made a difference.

And, when life feels more like taking micro-strides in the direction of your biggest ambitions, be encouraged. If a solitary pen-stroke, word, or line of code moves you toward your goal, you have all you need to reach that desired achievement.

Sometimes it takes 20,000 little steps to get to your goal—like it did mine.

​

Indy.