Alyssa didn't grow up as a runner. After graduating college in 2023, she found herself with free time and a Planet Fitness membership, and slowly worked her way from the weight machines to the treadmill to a half marathon finish line. A run club and a few convincing friends later, she was signed up for her first marathon, telling herself that if she'd already done 13.1, she might as well see what 26.2 felt like.She put in 25 weeks of training, ran up to 20 miles in the Florida heat, and showed up to Space Coast race morning with her stomach in knots. The nerves won that day, and she dropped to the half. But she drove home knowing she hadn't given herself a real shot, and that feeling stuck with her. So she found a race two weeks out with no half option to fall back on, toed that start line, and run-walked her way through every loop until she crossed the finish line a marathoner. This episode is a lesson that sometimes the race you were meant to run isn't the one you originally signed up for.Follow along with Alyssa: @alyssasrunsFollow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! — https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! — https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about