When I was 9 years old, I had surgery on both my feet. For 6 months, I couldn’t walk.
When I was 18, doctors told me that I probably wouldn’t be able to walk normally anymore by the time I turned 40.
Well, last Saturday I turned 40. And on Sunday, I ran my first full marathon in 4 hours and 29 minutes!
Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. You know your own body, your abilities and your determination better than anyone else.
And you are capable of so much more than you think!
I trained for 6 months. Not 100% perfectly, but definitely 80%. And I knew I could do it.
I bought new running shoes, tested my feet, used special anti-blister gels and started carb loading two days before the race. I tried to prepare for everything I could.
And the best advice I got? Eat and drink everything they offer you along the way. So I did! 😄
Was it painless? Absolutely not! I had quite some pain during the marathon, but it was manageable. And right now, my ankle is so swollen that I can barely walk. I’ll probably be off my feet for a few days.
But I did it!
42.195 kilometers. On the same feet that kept me from walking for 6 months as a child. The same feet that doctors worried about when I was 18.
And the best part? I raised over €2,000 for the AutismeFonds.
For my son. For my family. And for myself.
This marathon was about much more than running. It was about pushing boundaries, believing in myself and proving that my future isn’t necessarily what someone else predicts it will be.
The same goes for entrepreneurship. People will tell you things aren’t possible. That your ambitions are unrealistic. That you can’t do it.
But you won’t know until you try.
Anything is possible! ❤️
