This was my second marathon since the London Marathon in 2015 that sparked a viral conversation around the world about how we treat menstruation in various cultures. I ran with veteran marathoner Meredith again who was on her 15th marathon and helped motivate us from start to finish. I had DJed the night before so I was exhausted but usually the night before a race, it’s tough to sleep anyway so it didn’t matter. And the show was so good I was hyped from it. The first 18 miles felt really good and running Vancouver was stunning. So many gorgeous trees – nature is always there to check humanity and say, “all that matters is the now. Your problems are irrelevant.” I am always so present when I run which is why I love it. I can hear myself think. By mile 23, I felt the pain and I felt myself starting to rely more heavily on mental toughness. I thought about women who inspire me, I thought about left right left right, I thought about how our time was so much faster than my last marathon, I thought about how we often underestimate our own abilities – when we let our mind go we can often do more than what we even thought was possible. We crossed the finish line with a 4:18 time, putting us at just under 10 mins/mile. I was so happy. It was a battle that felt good to have completed. My body was sore. Bikram yoga helped a lot. My best friend Claire running the last 500 meters helped a lot. Meredith’s peaceful attitude and mental coaching helped a lot. Every marathon I do I learn more about the mind and body and how we can take these learnings and apply it to life. Slow and steady wins the race.