Sometimes You Fall Down, But You Have to Get Up and Keep Going

Today I completed the Race to Robie Creek—affectionately known as the “are you sure this is a good idea?” half marathon. It’s billed as the toughest in the Pacific Northwest, and after today, I’d like to personally confirm: they are not exaggerating. The first 8.5 miles are uphill. Uphill. As in… you start questioning your life choices somewhere around mile 2 and your sanity by mile 6.

This was my second time tackling this beast, so naturally I showed up confident. Experienced. Slightly smug, even.

That lasted about one mile.

At the end of Mile 1, I stubbed my foot and took a very ungraceful tumble. Not a cute little trip—no, this was a full “ma’am, are you okay?” situation. I banged up my knee, hand, and arm, and for a brief moment considered whether crawling the remaining 12 miles was a viable strategy.

But wait, there’s more.

In a moment of questionable pre-race decision-making, I had an energy shot before the start. Around Mile 5, my heart rate decided it was training for its own separate event. From Mile 5 to 8.5, I couldn’t get it below 165 unless I stopped. My maximum heart rate is 150, so this was… not ideal. At one point, the paramedics were eyeing me like I might be their next project.

Spoiler alert: I was not.

Now, this was clearly not the race day I had envisioned. There was no graceful stride up the hill, no triumphant negative split, no “look at me, crushing it at 70” moment.

But here’s the thing—I finished.

Yes, I came in 30 minutes slower than last year. Yes, I left a little blood, sweat, and pride on that course. But I finished.

And honestly? That counts.

Because fitness journeys aren’t a straight line. Some days you feel strong, capable, unstoppable. And other days you’re picking gravel out of your palm at Mile 1 wondering why you didn’t just take up knitting.

The lesson? You don’t quit.

You adjust. You learn. (For example: no more pre-race energy drinks—ever.) You get back up, dust yourself off—literally—and you keep going.

Whether it’s your nutrition, your workouts, or your half marathon that feels suspiciously like climbing Everest… setbacks don’t mean you’re done.

They just mean you’re human.

So if you fall down—on the trail or in life—you get back up.

And you finish what you started.