Someone who I love very much once called me her nerd turtle in jest. Since then, I’ve developed a certain affinity with the poor, ponderous creature.

Like it, I am awkward and a little silly. I am a slow thinker, writer, and runner.

But, also like it, I am determined. I move laboriously, but I do not falter or change course.

The turtle has sort of become my symbol as a long-distance runner. It is a creature built to endure, one that reaches its goal through patience and diligence. In the story of The Tortoise and the Hare, the tortoise succeeds because he is willing to put in the extra work while the Hare is napping. That kind of perseverance allows him to overcome the insurmountable odds against him outracing Hare.

So when it comes down to it, the creature that I most want to run like, oddly enough, is not the gazelle or cheetah. It’s the turtle.