So, I ran my first marathon.   What now?  I know this is often the question a ‘marathoner’ asks herself  (and IS asked) after the race.  What now?  How can I top this?  Is that even necessary?  What the heck, now??

What was the point of running the marathon in the first place?  Will that lead me to the answer to ‘what now’? 

The POINT of running the marathon was to do something for me.  At the time when I set the goal, I felt like I needed to do something where the outcome rested squarely on my shoulders.  I’m involved in a lot of other ‘things’, so I wasn’t looking for something to do.  I’d been successful at losing weight and becoming more fit and  active doing other activities, so that wasn’t the reason.  I’d always been secretly intrigued by the act of running a marathon and the idea of me doing one just kind of hung around until I picked it. 

When I started this blog, I figured if I brought a bunch of attention to my goal that it might help keep me accountable.  If I went days without posting on my blog or posting my runs on social media, maybe someone would ask, “Hey, I thought you were training for a marathon”.  Slowly, the blog became my way to tell someone out there that this goal is possible for them, too.  I mean, if I – who was super happy to run a full mile without stopping a few years ago – could run a marathon, most anyone could.  It makes me happy to know that I’ve inspired someone to work for their goal – a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon or a full street block! 

None of that is really speaking to me about the ‘what next’ conundrum.  I have no idea what’s next.  I just want to run a few runs for ‘no reason’ first.  I’m sure the ‘what next’ will whisper to me, call out to me until I finally answer.