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Throughout my life, I have experienced endless highs and lows. I have some proud moments that I try to cherish and remember forever and some that I try to forget from the unpleasantness. One particular moment that happened recently, which I am proud of and hope never to forget, is fully running the half-marathon across Princeton University last November. Achieving the medal for completing the Princeton half-marathon was an extraordinary moment since it taught me three important lessons. Looking back, I see the accomplishment of running my half-marathon as a process split into three parts. Part one of the process focused on the hard work and preparation for the race. Part two was about keeping an optimistic attitude throughout the race. Part three was about perseverance to complete the race, even when it became difficult to keep going. With these three processes, finishing the race was much easier.

The Work

One of the main reasons the Princeton half-marathon accomplishment stands as one of the proudest moments in my life is because of the work that went into it. The first and most influential step toward my achievement was the work I was putting in. About three weeks before the race, I started going to the gym for an hour. I used the elliptical for 15 minutes every workout to strengthen my legs and the treadmill for 45 minutes to increase my endurance. This was my routine for the next two weeks. I enjoyed it, as I felt much healthier day by day. Once the race was just a week away, I increased my workout rigorousness by more than two times. I started going to the gym for three hours since I wanted to run about 6 miles for the last couple of days before the race. I decided to run 6 miles since that is almost half the length of the 13.1-mile half-marathon. Day by day, I gradually increased my running speed to the point where I felt confident that I would finish the race with a good running time. The daily workouts for three weeks were challenging, especially in the end. Still, they were necessary for me to do a fantastic job on the day of the race, and they were partly responsible for the happiness I got after finishing my race.

Attitude

In addition to the hard work and pain, I realized that my optimistic attitude about finishing the race was largely responsible for my accomplishment. After rigorously preparing for my race, I felt positive I would race like a pro. Once the race day arrived, I felt excited to start running that morning. After realizing that the race was a roller coaster of elevation, with steep hills and potholes along the way, I did feel a little nervous; however, it didn’t stop me from knowing that I would finish the race. When I started the half-marathon in Princeton around 7 in the morning, I had only one thought roll around in my mind; all these people around me were able to run the race, so I could as well. I could run comfortably at a decent speed through hills and mud for about two-thirds of the race. Running occasionally became difficult, but I still managed to push through with my positive attitude and optimism about completing the half-marathon. Around the 9th mile of the race, I started to develop a cramp in my leg, causing me to slow down and take it easy, and at this point, it became challenging to continue the race. I mainly walked from the 9th to the 10th mile since my body and legs were exhausted then. Looking back at this moment, I realized how brilliant my decision was to continue and complete the race, even though my body and legs were in pain. My determination to persevere against all my body pain taught me something fundamental about myself.

Perseverance

As I reached the last two miles of my race, I was pushing through by running with cramps in my legs and body. In addition, the end of the race was where the steepest hills were. Even though I was unsure if I could complete the race, I persevered my way toward the end regardless. A couple of ways I could do it was by running the fastest I ever had through the pain. As I was navigating up the steepest hill of the race, I sprinted my way over it, even when I thought I couldn’t do it. Once I was over the hill, the finish line was right around the corner, and I quickly sprinted to it, finally achieving the accomplishment of a lifetime. Looking back at my decision to persevere through difficulty and accomplish my goal, I learned that I could achieve almost anything if I put my blood, sweat, and tears into it. Ultimately, I felt proud since I did something I thought I could never do.

After accomplishing my goal of finishing the Princeton half-marathon race, I started to apply these three things when setting other plans, as they have had a profound impact on me. First, I realized everything worthwhile in life takes hard work, dedication, and long hours. On top of that, an optimistic attitude is necessary to have a reason why you want to accomplish a goal. Lastly, perseverance is the key to achieving a goal or dream, even when it seems impossible. Overall, this moment was a turning point in my life that will be remembered forever.