The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step that you choose to take over and over again. The new year had just begun and I was lacing up my shoes, ready to hit the pavement. I was determined, knowing that I had a big goal in mind, but also knowing that this is something that I could see, taste, and feel.

My new year's resolution was to run 1,000 miles by the end of that calendar year.

I was ambitious, but I was a runner. I identified as a runner and running was my hobby, my outlet, my thing. I woke up that January morning thinking, not only did I have the goal of milage, but I strongly believed that I'd hit that milage by the fall. I just knew that I could.

I'd wake up to my alarm and plead with myself to get up. Don't hit snooze. I tried logging miles in the morning to avoid the intense heat. I'd run with friends to pass the time. Other days I'd put my headphones on and let the miles roll by.

January soon turned into February, then March, then it was suddenly summer. It was July before I hit my halfway mark, 500 miles.