I had a plan.

Train for a half marathon. Build the habits. Get disciplined before becoming a dad. The race would be my launchpad into fatherhood, proof I could commit to something hard and see it through.

Then life happened.

Work got busy. My wife and I prepared for our baby. The training plan sat there, perfectly structured, mostly ignored. I didn't execute it properly. I knew it. The race was approaching and I was undertrained.

The day before the race, I considered backing out.

It made sense. I wasn't ready. Why show up unprepared and risk failure? But something shifted. I'd already signed up with my buddy Mitch. We committed ourselves and I realized the goal wasn't perfection anymore.

It was completion.

Race Day

The energy at the starting line was electric at the Bull City Race Fest here in Durham, NC. Hundreds of runners, all with their own stories, their own reasons for being there. Some looked like seasoned athletes. Others, like me, just looked determined.

Mitch and I lined up together. 

I took it one mile at a time. That's all I could do. When my legs and hips started burning around mile 8, I didn't think about the remaining 5.1 miles. I thought about the next mile and then the next step.

My mind was strong , but my body wanted to quit. But I made a commitment to myself the moment I showed up. I wasn't going to allow myself to quit now.

Just finish.

That became my mantra. Not a specific time. Not a personal record. Just cross the finish line. Mitch and I pushed each other when it got hard and we finished together.

What The Race Taught Me

The half marathon isn't long by runner’s standards. Ultra marathoners would laugh. But for someone like me who isn't used to running, it proved something fundamental.

If you show up and keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will cross that finish line.

This applies everywhere. Building a startup. Making sales calls. Preparing for fatherhood. The zoomed-out view is always daunting. A half marathon looks impossible until you break it down. Mile by mile. Step by step. Moment by moment.

Don't focus on the end result. Focus on what's in front of you.

The Real Victory

I'm glad I didn't back out. I'm glad I trusted myself despite the lack of preparation. The act of finishing taught me more than perfect training ever could have.

Life will always happen. Work will get busy. Responsibilities will pile up. Plans will fall apart. The question becomes: do you show up anyway?

I did. And I finished.

That's the lesson I'm taking into fatherhood. I won't be perfectly prepared for that either. No one is. But I'll show up. I'll take it day by day. And I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Because that's how you cross any finish line that matters.

Mitch thanks for showing up with me brotha!