Winning!

I love this card. Six of Wands/Rods (Anna K Tarot) is pretty easy to interpret. This is VICTORY!! It means that you’ve been working really hard and you’ve achieved your goal, you’ve won! The look on his face, you can hear the crowd cheering...this is the winner’s circle. Try not to gloat though because like anything else, it can’t last long.

We all want to be in the winner’s circle. Every day we work hard towards a goal, whether it’s a private one or a more public one—all of us are working towards something. Goal making is an important part of success, but people fail when they don’t create a plan on how to reach that goal. I had a teacher once tell me that a goal without a plan is simply a wish.

I had a major goal. I wanted to run a marathon with my husband in Disney World. When I announced this goal, people laughed until they realized I was serious. I was 44 years old, overweight, diabetic, and not a runner. The farthest I’d ever ran was a 5k. How the heck was I going to run more than 8 times that distance?

You make a plan. In my case, I selected a plan created by experts to get someone off the couch and into running. (Couch to 5k is amazing and does have a marathon plan, look for the free app) I learned quickly that having a plan and carrying out the plan were two very different things. I needed to make time in my day for running, eat good food, stay hydrated, and do the work! If I’m not willing to put in the work then there was no point in even setting this goal.

It’s important to note here that successful people set big goals with lots of little goals or mile stones in between. Each mini victory pushes you on to the next one. It also makes things a lot less overwhelming. I took this to heart and started to notice how much I enjoyed checking off those boxes. First, running 5 miles. Next, doing a 10k. Eventually It got to where my entire Saturday was taken up with hours of running and recovery.

Race day came. I was nervous, and the thought of being able to actually finish was crowded out by the doubt. All around me were all ages of runners with all degrees of fitness and running experience. I was not the oldest or least fit. I was also not the only one with doubts. My husband held my hand and said—“trust your training. You can do this.” He believed it, so I started to believe it too. We had ran for 6 months together training for this moment. We had also paid quite a bit of money. Finally it was our group’s time to go, there’s no turning back now.

I should say at this point that I’m a Galloway Method runner which means I use a planned interval of 90 seconds running with 60 seconds walking. There were many of us that used intervals, a few speed walkers that never ran, and true runners that were out there making it look incredibly easy. It was hard not to compare myself to anyone, but I did. I found runners that looked like me and made mini goals to pass them, and I’d cheer a little inside when I did.

They say there’s a wall that hits you around mile 20. It did, but then another one almost took me out at mile 23. I was so over running. This is when I said to my husband and running coach—I’m done. He looked at me, knowing I was done, and said, “Ok, but we have more than 3 miles left. We can walk some but we will run the last quarter mile through Epcot. That’s the deal. You’ll thank me.” I gave him a big eye roll and agreed.

Then the magic of Disney happened. We all have names on our bibs—prominently displayed on the front of each runner. Cast members lining the sidewalk of Epcot and complete strangers looked at me and did not laugh. They did not make fun of me for trying to run, they didn’t tell me I was fat and slow. THEY CHEERED...they said MY NAME and they cheered for me. I didn’t know them but I was high-fiving like an Olympian, and crying.

That last quarter mile was hard. My mind wanted to run, but my body was over it. My husband half dragged me the last bit and said don’t forget to smile for the picture. The finish line picture where you get to have that moment of finishing your first (and only) marathon captured forever. We were going to raise our arms and jump over the finish line. That was the plan. That did not happen. I’m a big boo-hoo mess blubbering and red faced crossing the finish line and claiming my victory.

I finished. I ran 26.2 miles in just about 6 hours. It’s not the best time but it IS my best time. I was crying not because I hurt, but because I was overflowing with emotion. I had achieved a major life goal despite injuries and doubts. I ran an entire marathon. I will always know that I had the tenacity to pick a goal I was nowhere near able to accomplish, create a plan with mini goals to reach that big one, AND I put in the work every day for 6 months

I see this card, and this is me, after my marathon. I claimed my victory. I earned that glorious moment and basked in the cheers I heard in my head. I cherish the medal we received and the special silver mouse ears. I stood proudly that day for pictures, and enjoyed eating all the things I wanted in Epcot. My body hurt...but it was worth it to have that moment of triumph.

Set your goals, dream BIG! Put in the work, even when it’s hard and you don’t want to....because the victory is WORTH IT!

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀☀️☀️☀️☀️

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