Pageants, Running and Life

This past weekend, I had the privilege of representing my small hometown of Pike Creek, Delaware in the Mrs. Delaware America pageant. I finished 1^st Runner up to the new Mrs. Delaware America 2016, which is an accomplishment in itself. In my experiences, the Mrs. Pageants bring some of the most intelligent and accomplished women to the forefront. I know it sounds superficial, and maybe even a little cliché, but there is a lot to learn from pageantry. Here is what I took away this weekend, and the lessons I can use in life:

Make-up and hair may seem insignificant, but the final package would be incomplete without the small details. Being on stage under bright lights can bring out every flaw, so the final touches and small details of make-up and hair really make a difference in how you appear. Life is a stage also, and while the small details may seem insignificant, it can have a huge impact on how you are perceived as a professional and as a person. Pay attention to the details that others find insignificant. You will be remembered for them some day.
Beauty runs so much deeper than the skin. While we are all on a mission to win, we still took time to chat, get to know each other a little better, and really connect. By doing so, we not only left with a feeling of accomplishment for being on stage (I mean, it takes guts to be in a swimsuit and be judged), but we also left with new friends, friends that will be supportive of all of our future endeavors, both pageant related and in our daily lives. Beauty is found in how you treat others and how you make them feel, not in how you look. If you miss out on the chance to get to know someone, even just a little, than you miss the entire point of life. This is where my emotional intelligence passions kick in, because so many of us miss opportunities to make connections with people who are right in front of us because we are future focused. Having goals for the future is good, but never miss the opportunity to live in the moment.
Pageant heels have a way of making you feel like a powerful woman! You do feel powerful and feminine when wearing a good pair of heels! But man, do they hurt!! Heels are just an obstacle to the presentation, and as a pageant contestant, you walk through the pain with a smile on your face, graceful and poised. In life, we come across obstacles all the time. We just have to keep moving through the struggles. Eventually, you get to a point where the pain becomes less, and the success becomes worth so much more.
Women really can run the world! The women in my small state are phenomenal women with education and careers that will rival any man. We own our own businesses, are doctors in our fields, work in government with high profile community leaders. We are advocates for worthy causes, and take a stand for what we believe is right by getting in front of people, not just making a blanket statement on facebook or twitter. We are women who WILL make a difference in this world, WITH or WITHOUT a title and crown. So watch out world, these Delaware women are on a mission!!

Every woman has a different take on the experience of pageantry. I have different lessons I have taken from each experience, some negative, but most are positive. I am now on the other side of pageants as a choreographer and judge, and being on the stage or behind the stage takes me out of my comfort zone and challenges me.

Running is another challenge for me. I have had a love-hate relationship with running for as long as I can remember. Most people say they can get lost in thought when running, but me? All I can think about is my heavy breathing, my cement legs, and my feet hitting the pavement.

I have a friend who is an avid runner, and she challenged me to run with her. I know it has its health benefits, and as I was preparing for a pageant, I thought the running would be beneficial. I agreed back in October to run in the Blue Cross Broad Street 10 miler. The thought process was that it was October, and I had plenty of time to train to get to 10 miles. Fast forward to April 1st, and I’m still at 2 miles with not a whole lot of progress. I pushed myself, and was able to get to 6 miles one week before the race. What I also figured out one week before the race was that I was going to be in heels for two days prior to race day. What was I thinking???? But challenges motivate me, and so I pushed on. Here is what I learned on race day from my first distance run:

Running in the rain doesn’t have to slow you down. When I agreed to this race, my friend (the avid marathon runner) assured me that this was “the best run ever”. She said the weather is always beautiful, and you’re going to love it! But at 4:47am when I got out of bed on race day, it was pouring down rain. I suddenly was rushing to figure out a different outfit, knowing that I don’t necessarily enjoy running in the rain, and that the temperature had dropped dramatically throughout the night, the shorts and tank were not going to due. I grabbed my capri pants with the pocket (for my phone) and a long sleeve shirt on my way out the door. It was wet. It was cold. I walked around with a pine-scented trash bag on my head, and my feet were drenched before I even got to the starting line. But when the horn sounded and 50,000 runners began the 10 mile trek, it was on. I finally found my groove, and it was exhilarating! Life will always through you lemons, so grab your juicer and some sugar and be prepared to host a lemonade stand!
Your body is capable of more than you think, and our minds control the thinking. There were times when I wanted to stop, but I didn’t. I tried to talk myself into to resting or walking, but I didn’t. I was determined to prove to myself that I was capable. I kept a positive thought flow through the run, and pushed myself past the limits I thought I had. I not only finished without stopping or walking, but I also finished within my goal of 2 hours. I had a time of 1:59:27. Who says I can’t do it? Not this woman!! I can do anything I put my mind to, and so can you! The mind is a powerful tool; how are you using yours?
And I thought heels were bad!?! I spent two days in heels when I’m usually in sneakers, so I started the race a little behind the eight ball. The heels the night before did a number on my leg muscles. By mile 4 my quads were telling me they were tired. By mile 7 my calves were screaming at me! I grabbed water and gatorade, and decided that if I stopped I wouldn’t start again, so I kept going. It’s the Monday after pageant weekend and the day after race day, and my legs are NOT happy with me today. But it would have been worse to have stopped or quit. This pain will go away, but quitting would have been a regret. In life, when things get tough, we are give the choice to quit or the choice to keep going. The choices we make will determine the results you get, and how quickly. Nothing worthwhile is easily accomplished. So keep training, keep working, keep going. You’ll get there, my friend!

We learn and grow when we step out of comfort zone, and we move forward having found strengths we did not realize were in us. Success is found in a lot of places, but you have to know yourself before being successful; pageants and running are just two places to find yourself.