We Can Do Hard Things

For a week, I've been in Europe with my amazing marathoning daughter; I was also aching to be in the US with friends, standing for justice at the Hands Off march in Cleveland or with my Honesty for Ohio Education colleagues, fighting for public education at the NPE conference and sneaking out for the Columbus march and to meet Tim Walz. I realized that I was learning important lessons for the long work ahead, the hard things we need to do, by supporting Ellie in the marathon. More for me than for you, dear reader, I made this list, surrounded by Ellie's beautiful, inspiring marathon story.

 

I have been worried that human hearts are hardening and we are losing the capacity to care for each other. But that's not true at all. We can absolutely do hard things.

This weekend in Vienna, I watched my daughter find a steady pace through the coldest Vienna marathon since 1986; she found her mental and physical energy even after tossing and turning all night; and she was joined by thousands and thousands of others, putting their best effort across 26.2 miles, gray clouds and chill air around them. She finished the marathon just a few minutes past her goal, but that goal stayed in sight as she re-organized based on the conditions and made real-time decisions around the best way to finish strong.

My husband and I flew across the ocean to be with her. We knew it was important to show up, even if we were not marathon experts. We mapped out how we'd organize the day, making sure we calculated her anticipated pace with train schedules, walking distances, and extra time for our nerves in navigating a strange place. We had supplies for her, and for us - nutrition bars, gel fuel, bananas plus water, water and more water - she taught us that fuel is everything when you're running a marathon.

As the day progressed, there was so much joy. Every time we saw her, we called her name, told her she was fierce, steady and looking strong. She blew kisses but kept her focus. And all around us, other friends and family and even strangers provided care - cheers, clapping, fuel, drink, reminder after reminder: you can do it!

We planned to see Ellie 4 times.

The FindMe map, the VCM (marathon) app, our hand calculations, the WhatsApp chat with her friends posting their sightings, and the trusty map of post-its - all our tools were in play, and I bet you can guess: we saw her all 4 times! Our planning and communication, our hustle and steadiness through it all - we hit our goals: Ellie finished the marathon, finished it strong, and we provided support and love along the way.

We organized the schedule to meet Ellie after the race with warm clothes and more snacks, so hopped back on the U3, past Landstraße and off at Rathaus, the Vienna city hall. Apps opened, we realized she hadn't quite finished yet, so we scooted toward the fencing that lined the last mile. A break in the fence opened up when two folks gave up their spots, so we slid to the front. What an inspiring, emotional view: the finish line to our right, and the runners pushing, pushing, pushing those last exhausting yet amazing yards. We checked, and it seemed like our timing was perfect - we could not believe our luck. About 3 minutes later, here she comes... we're calling her name, and she hears us, lifts her hand up and blows us one last kiss from the road, reminding us that love will always, always win. She forges ahead to finish her first marathon, as we cheer and cheer til she's out of our line of sight.

Incredible!

Proud of this amazing marathoner!