I quit training for a half marathon.

Joshua Sopko
Jul 25, 2017 · 2 min read

Sometimes it’s okay to quit a goal. Especially if it means the next one is 10x higher. When I started training for a half marathon, it was an impossible task. I’ve never been a runner. In fact, I’m pretty sure the longest I’ve run before training was maybe a mile in high school for the President’s Fitness test. Trust me when I say, I’m not a runner.

I’ll save my reasons for running for another post, but as my training advanced, my mind advanced too. I started to see that what was once impossible, was within reach. The only thing stopping me from running further…was me. I broke strides from my training plan and began to realize that I could run 13.1 miles with relative ease, and in a pace that felt comfortable. But I thoroughly believe that we, as humans, are not meant to be comfortable.

We aren’t meant to live in comfort

Living in comfort means never growing. Never facing challenges and never overcoming fears. The world would look much different if we all lived with such reservations. I don’t want to be comfortable. It was time to quit.

So I had to quit my goal.

I had to set my sights higher, something that my brain was convinced would be impossible. 26.2 miles…that is surely impossible. So I quit one goal and then set another. I began training for a full marathon.

I write this as I recover from a grueling 16 miles training run, just 6 weeks before the I attempt impossible. I have no idea how I’ll get through a full marathon race. I just know that I’ll do it. And then once I do, I’ll surely be looking for the next impossible task to tackle—and conquer.

Joshua Sopko

Written by

Joshua is a father, a husband, and child of Christ. He devours cheeseburgers like candy and loves to take on challenges that make him uncomfortable.

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