Going the Distance

Hey everyone!

I did it. I crossed the finish line of the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

People always look at me like I’m crazy when I say I love running. “Why would you do that to yourself?” they ask. And honestly, feeling the pain I feel right now, I get the confusion. At the same time, running is so much fun. Yes, it was hard—26.2 miles is never easy—but there’s something special about it. The energy of the crowd, the excitement of seeing the city from a different perspective, and that feeling of pushing your body and mind to places you didn’t think they could go.

Because I can’t put it any better, here’s how novelist Haruki Murakami puts it in his memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: 

“People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as well. I believe many runners would agree.”

That’s exactly why I do it—running and writing both challenge me to be better than I was the day before. It’s not about competing with anyone else. It’s about that quiet progress, step by step, word by word.

The marathon today felt like the culmination of all those months of training, the same way finishing a story does after countless drafts. And while it wasn’t always easy, it was worth every moment. In the end, I crossed the finish line in 4:34:26, a much better time than my sub-5-hour goal. Obviously, I’m already thinking about what’s next. London perhaps? Because like with writing, there’s always another challenge waiting.

Talk to you soon—

—Lara