Point 2 Miles

I may not have broken a personal record or as well call it in the runner circle, a PR, but I did cross the finish line in one perfect piece.  No blisters, no injuries, but just plain old pain all over my legs and calves.  But I did it.  I sure did.  And I would do it again, and again and again.  But not anytime soon, mind you.  And I didn’t come to this conclusion until after I took a sip of a margarita with Omar and Alonso at El Toritos to celebrate this recent marathon medal.  You know, having a margarita after running 26.2 miles puts everything in perspective.  Specially if it’s a happy hour price.  Nothing beats a cheap, good, muscle numbing beverage to reflect on an accomplishment.

According to the latest figures released this morning, over 14,000 runners crossed the finished line.  And I am one of them.  You know, as I passed the 26 mile banner above me,  and I was approaching the last point 2 miles of the marathon, it occurred to me right there and then as I was trying very hard to prevent my legs to cramp up, that all this pain and suffering were all worth it.  The visual of a finisher medal around my neck produced electrifying surged throughout my body that I forgot all about the agonizing pain in my leg.  Forgetting and feeling are entirely different realms of consciousness.  I can forget but the pain is still there and even though your mind tries to block it out the pain receptors are still working overtime.

I can see thousands upon thousands of people cheering us runners along the sidewalk.  But I felt like they were just cheering for me.  The crowd’s cheer was also muscle numbing and overwhelming to the senses.  I made sure to look at them.  I looked to each side and all I could see were smiling faces, clapping, holding their fists, shouting at me, “You can do it!!!  Go for it!!!”  They were all in slow motion in my head.  Even when they were screaming at me.  I felt I was running as fast as I could in those point 2 miles but I was probably in slow motion too in their eyes.  Not because I wanted it to have a movie like effect, but because I was really in slow motion due to the pain.   And then the movie like fantasy playing in my head was interrupted by an announcement of my name blaring through the loud speaker for every one to hear, “And here comes, Arvin Hernandez of Burbank, CA.”  The announcement of my name made it a reality.  I crossed the finish line in one perfect, harmonious piece, with my body in pain and a medal around my neck.

I crossed the finished line knowing that along the way, along the many paths we as human beings traverse, there are sweet and kind beings that encourage us to succeed, to better ourselves, to motivate us, to inspire us, to give us hugs, to give us food and water, to give us high fives, to walk with us until we are able to see the limitless potentials in ourselves.  Along the marathon path, I am confident in the inherent goodness of all human beings to accomplish many great things for themselves and for each other.

Thank you all so very much, my friends and family, for your love and support throughout this journey.

See all the photos of the 2009 LA Marathon here.

*My current fund raising drive is The Dancing Butterfly Foundation. Please visit for current activity and donation information. Thank you.

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