Field Notes from The Proving

After dropping out of the Philadelphia Love Run with a knee injury, I wasn't afraid of another race—I was afraid of what that injury meant.

The Disney Springtime Surprise 10-Miler was supposed to be a fun vacation with my husband. Instead, it became the first real test of whether I could trust my body again.

This wasn't about chasing a personal record.

It was about proving to myself that one setback didn't define the rest of my journey.

Sometimes the hardest race isn't the longest one.

It's the first one after you stop believing in yourself.

This is Field Notes from The Proving.

The work continues.

#Running #Runner #RunDisney #DisneySpringtimeSurprise #HalfMarathon #MarathonTraining #InjuryRecovery #RunningJourney #Mindset #SelfImprovement #Discipline #Resilience #Endurance #Healing #BelieveInYourself #TheProving #FieldNotes #KeepProving #RunningMotivation #DistanceRunner

After completing my first marathon, something unexpected happened.

This wasn't another race. It wasn't another training run. It was a birthday dinner with friends at Rails Steakhouse in Montville, New Jersey—a night that quietly changed everything.

What started as me reflecting on the Shamrock Marathon turned into something much bigger. By the end of the night, Denise had committed to running her first half marathon, Amelia was inspired to join, and we had all decided to travel to California to run the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon together.

Looking back, this wasn't the night we planned a race.

It was the night running stopped being a private challenge and became a community.

Sometimes the biggest moments don't happen at the finish line.

They happen around a dinner table.

#FieldNotesFromTheProving #RunningCommunity #MarathonJourney #HalfMarathon #NapaToSonoma #Runner #DistanceRunning #PersonalGrowth #SelfDiscovery #Endurance #Mindset #Community #Transformation #TheProven #KeepProving

I thought it was just another running injury.

After the Philadelphia Love Run, my knee gave out—and what I thought would be a few days of recovery became one of the defining stories of my entire running journey. I searched everywhere for answers. ChatGPT. Running forums. Reddit. Everyone had a diagnosis. None of them felt right.

This was the first time I stopped trying to outwork the problem and finally asked for help. Looking back, this wasn't just about my knee. It was the first crack in the belief that hard work alone could solve everything.

Sometimes the injury isn't where the pain is. Sometimes it's the lesson you've been avoiding.

Welcome to Field Notes from The Proving.

The work continues.

#Running #MarathonTraining #RunningInjury #Runner #PhysicalTherapy #Marathon #HalfMarathon #InjuryRecovery #Mindset #Discipline #SelfImprovement #PersonalGrowth #TheProving #FieldNotesfromtheProving #Endurance #DistanceRunning #Recovery #RunnersLife #RunningMotivation

Two weeks after finishing my first marathon, I thought I was ready to race again.

I convinced myself that because I had just completed 26.2 miles, a half marathon would be easy. I rested, stretched, hydrated, and believed my fitness was enough to overcome recovery.

I was wrong.

At mile 3.5 of the Philadelphia Love Run, my left knee gave out. What started as excitement quickly turned into one of the most humbling moments of my running journey. I couldn't finish, and in front of my family and friends, I had to accept something I wasn't willing to hear: my body wasn't ready, no matter how much my mind believed it was.

This episode is about the danger of believing you're invincible, the rookie mistake almost every ambitious runner makes, and learning that discipline also means knowing when to stop.

If you've ever pushed too hard, ignored the warning signs, or let your ambition outrun your recovery, this one's for you.

#FieldNotesFromTheProving #Running #Marathon #HalfMarathon #MarathonTraining #Runner #RunningJourney #Endurance #MentalStrength #Recovery #RunningInjury #SelfImprovement #Discipline #PersonalGrowth #Motivation #TheProving #FieldNotesFromTheProving #TheProven #Running #Marathon #HalfMarathon #MarathonTraining #Runner #Recovery #MentalStrength #Discipline #Endurance #PersonalGrowth #RunningInjury #SelfImprovement

You spend months training for one moment. Then it's over.

Everyone talks about crossing the finish line. Almost no one talks about what happens after. The silence. The emptiness. The emotional comedown that follows accomplishing something you've poured your entire life into.

In this episode, I reflect on the crash that came after my first marathon—the realization that the high doesn't last, that purpose can suddenly disappear, and that the hardest part isn't always the race... it's figuring out who you are when it's over.

If you've ever reached a goal only to wonder, "Now what?" this episode is for you.

#FieldNotesFromTheProving #TheProving #Marathon #Running #MentalHealth #Discipline #SelfImprovement #PersonalGrowth #Mindset #Identity #GoalSetting #Endurance #Runner #MarathonTraining #Purpose #Resilience #Growth #Podcast #RunningMotivation #LifeLessons

I thought running one marathon would be enough.

For an entire week after crossing the finish line, I kept telling myself it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I had accomplished every goal I set: finish the race, run every mile, and break four hours. There was nothing left to prove.

Then something changed.

The more I reflected on what I had done, the more I realized I wasn't satisfied—I was hooked. Not just on running, but on becoming someone capable of doing hard things. I signed up for another marathon, started researching races around the country, and fell in love with a community that celebrates discipline, growth, and resilience.

This is the story of how one finish line became the starting line for a completely different life.

#FieldNotesFromTheProving #THEPROVEN #Marathon #Running #MarathonTraining #Runner #Endurance #Discipline #GrowthMindset #SelfImprovement #Mindset #MentalStrength #PersonalGrowth #Resilience #HalfMarathon #RunningCommunity #Transformation #ChallengeYourself #RunLife #NeverSettle

I thought finishing the marathon would change everything.

Months of training came down to a few hours. The finish line was crossed, the medal was earned, and for a brief moment it felt like the world had changed.

Then came the next day.

The congratulations, the conversations, the excitement, and the realization that life keeps moving. This episode explores the strange space between achievement and identity, and why the moments we work hardest for often disappear the fastest.

Maybe that's exactly what makes them so valuable.

Welcome to Field Notes From The Proving.

The work continues.

#FieldNotesFromTheProving

What does it actually feel like to run your first marathon?

In this episode of Field Notes from The Proving, I take you through every stage of my first marathon—the anxiety before the start, the confidence of the first half, the loneliness of the back half, the wall at mile 20, and the emotional final stretch that changed me forever.

On March 16, 2025, I completed the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in 3:40:51.

But this story isn't really about running.

It's about self-doubt.

Whether you're training for a race, rebuilding after failure, chasing a goal, navigating grief, addiction, heartbreak, recovery, military service, entrepreneurship, or simply trying to become a better version of yourself—this episode is for you.

Because the proving isn't finished.

It never is.

📍 Shamrock Marathon – Virginia Beach, VA

Follow the journey:

#TheProving #MarathonTraining #ShamrockMarathon #RunningMotivation #MarathonRunner #EnduranceSports #MentalToughness #PersonalGrowth #Discipline #FieldNotesFromTheProving

I thought the night before my first marathon would feel terrifying.

In Episode 25 of Field Notes from The Proving, I talk about driving to Norfolk, Virginia for the Shamrock Marathon, walking into the massive race expo for the first time, crying on the phone because I couldn’t believe I’d actually made it there, picking up my bib, buying race gear, laying out my clothes, eating dinner with my husband, and realizing something unexpected:

The night before wasn’t about pace.

It was about one question:

Did I do enough to finish?

This episode is about the strange calm before a life-changing moment — when months of discipline finally become real.

Field Notes from The Proving are short reflections from inside the process of building a life that’s earned. Not perfected. Earned.

🎙️ Follow for running, discipline, identity shifts, marathon stories, perfectionism, and what happens when you try to become someone new.

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Months of training. Two unofficial half marathons hidden inside marathon prep. A 20-mile run on a cruise ship. Then suddenly… the plan tells you to stop pushing.

In this episode of Field Notes from The Proving, I talk about something I never expected to be difficult: tapering. Cutting miles before my first marathon didn’t feel like recovery — it felt like losing fitness, losing momentum, and questioning whether I had done enough. I found myself doubting the AI training plan, searching for reassurance, and wondering if I had already messed everything up before race day.

This is an episode about trust. Trusting the work. Trusting the process. And trusting the version of yourself built through months of discipline.

Because sometimes the hardest part of proving yourself… is believing the proof already exists.

Field Notes from The Proving are short reflections from inside the process of building a life that’s earned. Not perfected. Earned.

Follow for episodes on running, discipline, perfectionism, ambition, identity, and becoming who you said you’d be.

#marathontraining #thetaper #runningmotivation #discipline #mindset #marathonrunner #firstmarathon #runningjourney #selfimprovement #mentalstrength #endurancesports #perfectionism #highperformance #trusttheprocess #runnersoftiktok #halfmarathon #marathonprep #growthmindset #onlytheproven #theproven