Blog originally posted on Operation XYZ website – Head on over for additional blogs!
It’s official – Operation Semper Fi, has successfully been completed!
Megan Eunpu completed the Marine Corps 10K in 1 hour 22 minutes and raised $2513 for The Semper Fi Fund on October 27, 2019.
I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to have completed our first operation. This platform has been an idea of mine for the last year and to have finally put something on the board is incredible. I am so thankful for this opportunity, not only to train, run the 10k, receive a finishers medal but to give back to such an amazing organization. The last few weeks training were tough, getting back into the swing of running (for those of you who run or are starting up a program, know what I am talking about). The week prior to the MCM 10k, I ran a 5k. It was cold and rainy but I figured, let’s go. My mind had wandered to some negative spaces during that run but it helped prepare me for the following weekend.
Leading up to Sunday’s race, it was looking like the weather would not be much better for the 10k, raining in the morning and then sunny in the afternoon. I had mentally prepared that whatever it was, wasn’t going to bother me. I woke up that morning ready to go, rain or shine. Drove up to Arlington, parked, rode the metro to the starting line. A few minutes before the race started, there were cheers, announcements and off we went. Most of the race was a blur but there were a few things that stood out.
- Running by the Capitol, I couldn’t help but smile, granted it was towards the beginning, but it gets me every time…
- There were so many people running! Each of us had a different reason, some had the picture of fallen heroes on their shirts, some had jerseys of the organizations they raised money for, there were even a few with prosthetic leg(s) and were doing something difficult for those of us with two legs, running 6.2 miles. We all had one thing in common that day, we wanted to finish the 10k we had signed up for.
- My mindset was incredibly positive throughout the entire run. There were even times I didn’t realize how far I had run, I just had the headphones in and kept going along. At about mile 3, my left glute started hurting, something that happened during training and I would stop. This time I knew there was no stopping so there were a few times I walked but kept moving. Towards the end, I realized I wasn’t taking the shortest distance, so I started to become smarter on the route when we needed to turn. I was ready to be done about mile 5.5 but didn’t let myself go to that negative headspace.
What I learned: I need to continue to train my body to be stronger and recover quicker but my mind is strong. I have been working on my mindset over the last few months through The Unbeatable Mind program and it has made a huge difference.
Thank you all who have reached out and donated. Your support has been incredible and kept me going.
We are just getting started on these Operations – check back in December for our next one!
