Rapid Disappointment

I walked into Rapid Transit for the first time today, feeling fresh and light from a brisk five mile run with my friend Liz. We browsed through the racks of tye dye spandex and chatted about new trainers. I waited with her patiently as the man I had come to see sized up the feet of someone's grandmother and helped her try on her new shoes. She paid for her purchase and he turned to me.

"A marathon? It's too late. That's impossible."

My heart cracked. A running store expert and marathon veteran had just told me I did not have enough time to train for the Pittsburgh. I bit my lip and nodded.

"You don't have time to even start training. Try the half. You look like you could break 1:30- make it into the top 25 women easy if you work in speed and get up to 35 miles now."

I glanced at Liz, then at the ground. I had wanted a training plan from him, having been utterly indicisive looking through websites on running. I had just been going by feel, running my miles.

Terry of Rapid Transit didn't understand, I didn't want to break a time. I wanted to break through my own limits. A finisher's medal was the only merit I was after. Call me stubborn, call me hopeful, but please don't say hopeless.

After he pronounced me without a chance he told me to come back for new shoes the next morning. Liz and I walked out the door slowly.

"I'm still running it," I said to the sidewalk.
"I know," said Liz.

I thought about the advice from my old high school distance coach the week before. I had messaged him- the man who had guided me through my first track race sophmore year with the promise that it would hurt, but less than hurting like having a baby. A man of infinite and accurate wisdom.
 "Kate," he wrote. I only needed to remember two things. "Continue to run miles weekly. When race day arrives, don't be nervous."
So that's largely my plan.

Terry said I was impossible.
To all the Terrys I would like to reply with my old team quote from my senior year:

"...Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." 
(Thank you John Maxwell)