Running a marathon was one of the hardest
things I've ever done and it was totally worth it. I
didn't expect to get hooked on marathons but it turned out that way because the
training and diet becomes a part of your life. Running isn't a sport, it's a
lifestyle.
I've
run 10 marathons in 5 years and in the process I learned a lot more about
myself than about how to run. Here are a few of life's lessons I learned from
running marathons.
1)
The seemingly impossible starts with a
single step. I could
barely run 2 miles without stopping to cough my lungs out. A marathon seemed
completely out of my reach. Of course at that time I was a heavy smoker. But
even though I smoked, I knew that if I was serious about running I needed to
start. And so the first day I started and it was brutal-but I started.
2)
There is no gain without pain. No matter how much you
train, running a marathon is going to hurt. I learned over the course of
several months that there is a LOT of pain to over come if I’m going to reach
my goal. Now I know I have the ability to overcome any obstacle placed in my
way. Bring it on!
3)
Running a marathon lets you find out what
your made of. At mile
22 when everything in your body hurts and the only thing that would make you
feel better is to stop...THATs when you find out what your made of. The last
few miles of a marathon will make or break you , but it's those last miles that
make it a marathon. Life isn’t easy, and if you are going to break free of the
rat race and become a success, be prepared to work hard for it. There is no
gain without pain.
4)
Sometimes you go at it alone. Your friends may think
you are crazy-but they aren't running a marathon. You need to make a commitment
to run for yourself. No one else is going to reap the glory of finishing a
marathon except you. Go strong alone and be tough.
5)
Success is a habit. How
well your marathon experience is depends on how well you prepared. Training ,
diet, time management, everything that goes into training for a marathon needs
to become a lifestyle. I’ve come to the pleasant discovery that I am capable of
creating my own success. Let’s do it!
6)
Making the right decision is easy. Managing
that decision is the hard part. You've
committed to running a marathon and now it’s time to follow through. Like many
things in life, it’s about the follow through. You will find instant gratification
when you say your going to do something and you do it.
7)
Change your beliefs and change your life. Running a marathon
seemed impossible-then I completed one. And that simple act of defeating a
limiting belief is very liberating. It causes you to rethink other aspects of
your life and determine where the hold backs really are. We are guilty of self
sabotage. Tell yourself you will run a marathon and you will. It's all mental.
8)
You can always start from now. There isn't a perfect
time for anything. You can always choose that right now you will change. Don't
worry about past mistakes or failures. Commit now to running. You can do it.
Start from now.
9)
Some days it comes down to attitude. Negative self talk kills
your running hype. Sometimes you may need to 'trick' yourself into believing
that the pain is good for you. Scream “I love hills” the next time your going
up a mountain. Keeping a positive attitude keeps you looking forward to the
next big thing. Your future is very bright-smile!
10)
No matter how tired you are, there is
always something left in the tank. I've
discovered that you can always go one more mile. There is always something left.
There is always just a little bit more at the bottom of that tank. Go hard or
go home.
Bonus: Let your friends inspire you. On the days I don’t feel like running or I need a little extra inspiration, I read about my friend who is committed to running 50 marathons in 50 states! She is tough. And so I choose to be as well.
I’m
going to keep running marathons until I’m physically unable to do so. The
feeling of accomplishment is incredible. And I'm convinced that if we all ran marathons, everyone would would lead healthy and productive lives.