Running a race IS like having a baby!!!

I know great heading. I was thinking of this as I ran today in my half marathon. Struggling!! You prepare for it for months. You get your mind and body ready for whatever that day brings. You don't know what it will be like that day...rain or shine but you do it anyway. You endure ups and downs. You think you are doing a great job at times and have everything under control. Then you run out of whatever brain power you had going. But you keep pushing along because you can't just stop. You have to keep going! All these people (women) have done this before you, more than one time...you can do it too. You tell yourself while it is going on..."I am not doing this again. I am not going to prepare for all these months and put my body through this much again." You make it across the finish line. Sometimes it is faster than you thought, sometimes it takes longer than you thought. Sometimes is just the way you planned it. People cheer you on. You are glad that you could be part of the bigger picture of life. You are exhausted! You want to rest! You try to rest! You take a break for a bit. None of that stuff EVER again! I am going to stay away!!! You forget about the pain. You forget about the hard work it takes. The discipline. You sign yourself up for another race, because it just feels good to be part of a bigger picture. It feels good to say, "Yeah. I did that!" and know that it all was worth in the end. :-)