Mental toughness, baby!

What is the hardest thing you have ever done? I could list so may things that I have NOT gone through; cancer, death of a loved one, abuse of any kind. 
I am a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt and friend. As I fulfill these many roles, I often feel bogged down by all of the things I have to do, don't have time for, and never get done. After awhile, all of these demands begin to cause me to feel weak; that I cannot accomplish much, that I must be a failure. 
These, of course, are lies. However it took running generally, and half marathon training specifically, to help me realize that I am stronger than I thought. 
I have never considered myself an athlete. Running? I NEVER considered myself a runner. But I was persistent, consistent, and followed the plan. Half marathon training is challenging. The workouts range from 3 miles, to upwards of 12 or 13, depending on the plan. I would look at the long run for the coming week and think, "Seven miles?! How am I going to run seven miles?"  Then the next week.  "NINE?!?" This went on for over 12 weeks. Each week, I finished the assigned run. Some took longer than others. Each time I ran a new "longest distance ever," I felt wiped out for the rest of the day. Physically exhausted. After awhile, the long run was eleven miles, and a weekday run was six.  Suddenly, six miles seemed like no big deal. "Six miles? I can do that, no problem. "
All of these runs were changing me mentally and emotionally. I was realizing that things that used to be perceived has hard were becoming way more manageable. 
The end of my training cycle, I ran 13.1 miles on a beautiful spring day in May; Mothers Day weekend. I finished with my husband and kids around me. And I realized...I'm stronger than I thought  was. 
All of the little day to day tasks that used to get me down were now insignificant in the light that I had just run, and finished, a Half Marathon! It didn't matter how fast or how slow I was. I finished the distance, something that I thought just two years before, would be unheard of for me; if not impossible. 
I am mentally tougher than I thought. 
A lesson that I learned on accident, because I am a runner on purpose.