I ran my first marathon last year and it totally changed my mindset around accomplishment. Doing small hard things gave me the confidence to do big hard things. Doing big hard things, gave me the courage to do complex hard things. The more you do, the more you realize you can do. These are the four life skills I learned from Marathon Training.
The Art of Showing Up:
By the end of 2020, I reached the heaviest weight of my life. My confidence was down, the media made me feel sick, and it seemed like everyone’s anxiety was through the roof. Something inside of me was screaming out for a change. The world felt like it was crashing over me and in all honesty, I did not have the capacity to do much of anything. I remember it felt like a big deal to take a shower some days.
I knew inside that I wouldn’t be able to stick to a big goal. I didn’t want another reason to be angry at myself. I asked, “What is something I am willing to stick to, even on the worst day? It doesn't matter how small, just be consistent.” I thought, “I can do 5 minutes, even on my worst day.” So that became my goal. I would go outside for 5 minutes every day and walk. Most days, I would feel good enough to do a lot more. After some time, I felt that I could raise the bar to 15 minutes . Eventually, I felt good enough to start jogging.
I was ready for more, so I did some research and found a boxing gym to join. They introduced me to strength training. It wasn’t until September 2022 that I decided I wanted to run a marathon. It took me 21 months going from zero exercise to believing it was possible to start training for a marathon. It became a possibility because I mastered the art of showing up.
Research and Problem Solving:
To chase after a big goal, you'll need some "how to" knowledge. You can guess and check, but that will likely feel frustrating and unproductive. Learning new things is a skill all by itself. It is a tool we can tap into when we face setbacks along the process.
I started out marathon training by searching for example programs for runners. I learned that I needed to build my mileage up from 10 miles to 35 miles per week before I even started a marathon training plan.
I faced knee pain, so I learned that I needed specific strength exercises. Then I had foot pain and I learned that I needed a different type of shoe. Later in my training, I ran into electrolyte depletion , so I had to learn how to sleep and eat fuel properly.
I didn’t set out to run a marathon as a running expert. In fact, I had very little experience running. I have a short and thick body type which is not optimal. There were a lot of reasons why running a marathon did not make sense for me. I encountered learning curves, did the research, and treated problem solving like an experiment. Little did I know this practice would give me confidence to tackle harder and more complex tasks down the line.
Reward Process Over Product:
Once I got up to running 16 plus miles on my long run (that’s at least 3 hours of running for me), I had no choice but to think one step at a time. I had to learn how to reward myself through the process. Here are some examples of how I built games into the practice.
Just 30 more minutes plus 2 miles and then you’re half-way done!
We’re in the single digits!
You’ve done 10 miles lots of times before. This is less than that!
Just one more mile. Just 5 more minutes. Just two more minutes.
Improving Relationship With Myself:
Running a marathon gave me many opportunities to practice self-kindness. I had regular opportunities to be proud of myself for doing something hard.
You were really tired during that last mile and you kept your feet moving. I’m super proud of you.
Focus on your breathing. Be with your body. Trust your body to know how to move.
Enjoy the scenery. Look how beautiful nature can be.
You didn’t want to be here today and you showed up anyway. I’m proud of you.
Thank you, body, for all of the ways you let me move.
I’m tearing up just recounting the words I learned to speak over myself. I used to carry so much self-hatred and it is emotionally moving for me to see how far I have come. This morning, I woke up and my internal voice said, “Its time to get up, friend.” This was automatic. I didn’t force it. I didn’t think about it. My automatic thoughts are consistently kinder and I believe much of that growth came from marathon training.
“Put in the Work” Mentality:
Looking back, it took me about two and a half years to go from zero exercise to completing my first marathon. That was the full process. Before running a marathon, I didn’t have the discipline, patience, or self-confidence to follow through with anything. I tried so many times to lose weight, to follow a morning routine, to meal prep, to keep my house clean. You name it, I tried it. I do believe emotionally healing gave me freedom to make better choices, but marathon training taught me to strategically hone those choices.
It was hard for me to have respect for myself when I couldn’t follow through on the things I wanted to do. It wasn’t until I accomplished something big that I saw my potential to do more. Training for a marathon opened me up to believing I can do much more than that. I just need to put in the work.
Do Something Hard- Change Your Life:
I’m not trying to say that running a marathon is the right goal for everyone. I am saying that taking on a challenge and watching yourself follow through will change you. I am a better person because I partnered with the process and I believe that would be true for you too.
What accomplishment are you most proud of? What is something you would like to achieve?
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