"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."
-Rosalynn Carter

I ran my first ever timed mile two summers ago and believed it was the worst thing I had ever done to myself. By lap 3 I thought my chest would explode and I swear I tasted blood. That being said, I somehow barely made it through and accepted that I would never be athletic enough to be a runner.

For the majority of my life, I have struggled with chronic back and hip pain. In fact, I have diagnosed with a degenerative bone disease in my spine 7 years ago that ultimately resulted in a spinal fusion and a belief that I would never run a day in my life.

I still believed this to be true 5 months ago, and yet on a random July day this summer, I felt an urge to run. Confused yet determined, I grabbed the only pair of workout shoes I owned and went for a jog through Downtown Charleston.

And while it was undeniably harder than I imagined, I LOVED it

Having the opportunity to run out any frustrations, feelings of inadequacy and anything else that held me down was inspiring. It was the first time in my life I could just be, all while pushing myself to the limit each and every time.

But more importantly, it was exciting to know that I could potentially be on the same level one day as my friends who have run marathons in the past. That I could actually achieve something I always believed was well beyond my grasp and impossible for a girl like me.

That I could somehow be an athlete despite my surgery, and that somehow with each new run, the last became surprisingly easier.

And so in August, I decided to start training with the goal of a 10k in mind. In order to reach this goal; however, I would have to run a 5k first. Something I accomplished just last week at Columbia's Walk for Life with my running partner Jamelia in tow.

What those hills and that distance of 3.1 miles taught me is that if you have a little bit of faith and a lot of tenacity and dedication, you too can cross your own finish line. And boy does it feel good when you do.

Regardless of what road you are racing down, and regardless of how much farther you have to go (even if it's simply the beginning) I hope you find the courage to take the next step and to keep going regardless of how hard it may be some days. Because one day, we will conquer that marathon, we just have a lot more work to do before we get there.