In the running, triathlon and athletic event community, “Medal Monday” is the day for athletes to share their weekend race story. A way to humble brag, if you will.

I’ve always enjoyed seeing what events people completed over the weekend and enjoyed sharing in their joy for accomplishing such a feat. But perhaps more than anything else, I love reaching about their trials and tribulations leading up to and during the event. No, I don’t like to hear of people experiencing pain or difficulties – quite the opposite…I truly love hearing how they overcame those moments of difficulty and darkness. Being such a proponent for mental toughness and the development of the skills needed to overcome challenges, I am also always researching what works best for people.

Well, this weekend one of my best friends and I ran the Marine Corps Marathon and we both experienced our own stressors and moments of negativity and darkness, yet we both dug deep and finished our respective races strong.

The morning of the race did not go as planned for either of us. We missed the subway train we wanted to take to get to the start location and ended up having to wait another 20 minutes for the next train, condensing our morning routines much more than comfortable. Once at the race’s starting location, we rushed through final preparations – porta john visits, dropping our morning bags and getting to the right corral. My friend fell during the process, cutting his hand open, with no time for a trip to medical. And we both barely made it into the corral before the Howitzer fired.

This meant no warmups or dynamic stretching routines or mindfulness activities. During the race, my friend struggled physically with taking hydration and fuel due to his cuts (everything stung or burned the wounds) and I struggled mightily with energy issues (something I’ve struggles with for a few weeks due to other personal stresses). We both had our doubts about our goals given the start we had. Around mile 8, I recall looking up at all the beautiful fall colors and told myself to focus on the scenery and historic sites within and around D.C. and quit focusing on how tired I felt. We both drew in our experiences in racing, focused on our sold months of training and immersed ourselves in the celebration of the US Marines and the memory of those who sacrificed their lives.

We both powered through our respective challenges and had quite amazing races. The crowds were spectacular, the course was fantastic with something around every corner, and the US Marines were out in force, cheering us through every mile. I love that we were both able to use our mental toughness to turn a very rough start into a great race. What a fantastic experience – oorah!