It would be simple to choose to focus only on running. To try for more speed or push to an Ultra distance. To continue to go along with my daily routine and let accomplishment come from one more mile or 10 less seconds. But it wouldn’t be the same.

My choice to finally run a marathon – clearing my schedule from other obligations and honing in on one big goal that was significant for me – was meant to be a reset of my priorities. A water stick to what I really wanted. A truffle pig to my hidden passions. A homing beacon to my… well, you get the idea. Running a marathon was the only goal that I knew I needed to strive for, not because it was impressive and not because it’s something I should be doing, but because I could feel it, sitting in my core, waiting. It made me excited.

Yes, it was about pushing my fitness and feeling powerful and learning to eat Clif bars mid-stride, but it was more than that. I had actually recognized something I really wanted, something that felt like part of me, something that belonged in a space in my chest reserved for passions.

I’m lucky enough to keep Jesse there, filling in a compartment of love and support and partnership. My passion for him is wide and full and permanent. It was easy to know that he was right, and that he was worth the effort it took to create our wonderful life.

Now, I want to learn to recognize other passions hidden within myself.