Thirty days ago, my friends Wes and Darlene casually posted on Facebook about a 30-day writing challenge they were taking on.

“Hey, that sounds like something I could use too! Can I join?” I asked.

What were they going to say? No. This is our challenge. Friends not allowed.  Of course not. They graciously welcomed me into the challenge and a few days later my friend, Anna Smith (with her newborn and plenty of wonderful multi-modal ideas, but so little time) jumped on board too.

And that was the start of something remarkable for me.

I have done a blogging challenge before, for 20-days, with a series of questions, posting on Twitter, to a community that I don’t really know.  But, this was different.  It was a more personal community of readers (shout out to my friend Yafa also, and a few other regular reader and commenting friends from Facebook); I chose my topic each day; I was part of a real team; I developed a regular schedule; I went beyond my comfort zone.

I proved to myself that with discipline and encouragement, I had more than enough to say for 30 days.

This 30-day challenge has been a lot like training for my first half marathon which, ironically, Wes and Darlene led as my team captains.  Similar to that experience, I wasn’t sure I could do it, but their encouragement and our regular “meet-ups” (virtually in this case), the gradual build-up, the discipline and the going beyond myself set me up for success.  I also didn’t expect much from myself that first time. I went into this challenge with low stress and a sense that I would just do the best I could too– sometimes rambling, sometimes profound, but always moving forward.

Yesterday, I finished a 10-mile long run, my longest training run in preparation for my 10th half marathon.  I was so grateful.  Three years ago, I was just beginning to train for my first half, and now I have run a half marathon under 2-hours and am ready to run my 10th.  Running for me has become a part of who I am.  It has been a joy and a discipline. It has made me stronger and calmer. It has brought me much needed solitude and community.

But what I’ve realized is that, in order to keep running, I need a “What’s next.” I love to run, but I am not the type of person who will run without a goal.  I always know the next race I’m preparing for so that I can always keep my eye on how much I need to train. I know how hard it is for me to pick up training again after I lose momentum.  Just one cold or flu and I can convince myself that I don’t need to get back out there unless I have a race to prepare for.

So, onto my next challenge.  From 30 days to 52 weeks of public writing.  I have a lot of other writing projects I need to work on so blogging everyday isn’t really workable or sustainable (yay for self-care and setting boundaries).  However, writing publicly (at least) once a week will give me the opportunity to write, engage and connect. It will give me the structure and goal that I need to keep my momentum going.  I hope my community will continue to support me as I take on this consistent public writing through this blog.  I’m excited for the start of this next journey and grateful for the finish line of this challenge I’ve just completed.

But most of all, I am grateful that I have rediscovered writing as a part of my best self.