The bridge

Fatigue is a blurry lens that makes dreams seem farther away.

The sign taped to the traffic light pole said, “The bridge is your b*%$^.”  I was at mile 20. My aching legs had carried me to the Potomac River. I was about to learn what a b%$^ the bridge could be.

The sun had come out and it was getting warmer. Much warmer. I just  had passed the Smithsonian Museums and my legs were starting to cramp. Little did I know, dehydration was starting to mercilessly take over my body. The pavement started to incline.  This was when the Marine Corps Marathon got real. Real hard.

My training had carried me to that point.  I had run a 22-mile run on Highland Colony Parkway.  My will  (and Delta) had gotten me to D.C.  My heart had raised $13,000 to help fight melanoma.  I was there for a very important purpose. But now I was in uncharted territory. Fatigue was on my back telling me it wasn’t worth it. The next 6.2 miles found me screaming at it, ” Shut up! Go away!  Leave me alone!”

I cramped. I hurt. I suffered.  I was exhausted. My dream of finishing became blurry.  But I plowed forward. One step at a time.  And when I see the pictures from those last few miles, my face tells a powerful story — a story of me wanting to quit.

But I didn’t quit.

My dream of finishing was more powerful than my fatigue.

I ran up the last .2 miles with cheering spectators ringing cowbells.  And then a Marine placed the finisher’s medal around my neck.  I looked up at the Iwo Jima statue and then back at him and thanked him. Then I started to cry.  It was one of the most powerful moments of my life. I’m so glad my dream pushed me past my fatigue.

We’re in a marathon right now.  A “bad-economy marathon.”  You’ve felt it. I’ve felt it. This country is tired.  We’re scared. We’re grateful for what we have but are exhausted.  Hope has been fleeting and change has been brutal.

Rekindle your heart’s desire.  That burning flame will power you to the finish.  It will allow you to own fatigue. And carry you over whatever bridge stands between you and your dreams.