Lawyer in Motion: My Road to Marathon Fitness

Week three of my 5K training plan introduced something new: the magic mile. The magic mile is a timed one-mile run used to estimate your pace for future races. It’s not about speed for speed’s sake. It’s about learning how your body moves, how your breath settles, and how your mind responds when the finish line is still a few blocks away. For me, it was a wake-up call and a confidence boost all at once. I didn’t break any records. My time wasn’t flashy. But I ran the whole thing without stopping, and that felt like magic enough.

What surprised me most was how much this mile taught me about pacing and mindset. I realized I spent years measuring progress in ways that do not always serve me: weight, deadlines, perfection. This mile reminded me that effort counts. Showing up counts. Sometimes the best metric is simply: Did I try?

Here is what I’m taking with me into week four:

• Progress isn’t linear, but it’s always worth tracking.
• One mile can reveal more than a dozen data points.
• I’m stronger than I thought (and still just getting started).

If you’re training for a race (or just trying to get back into movement), I highly recommend trying a magic mile. Don’t worry about the time. Just run it. You might surprise yourself.

Photo credit: Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND (color added by me)