Lessons from the marathon
My journey from the comfort of the couch to crossing the finishing line.
What’s stopping you running the marathon? “I’m just not ‘built’ to run the marathon” and “I’ve no desire to run a marathon” were my usual and genuine answers. The lack of desire was true for me.…I was not motivated whatsoever to run a marathon. In fact, I would ask the question; “why would I”? Too much pain too little reward for me…or so I thought. Then in November 2016 I took part in the 10km “Run in the Dark” in Dublin and something changed in the way I perceived the marathon. I experienced the excitement of running on the city streets and the heart-warming goodwill of the spectators who turn out to cheer on the runners. I loved it. One of the two obstacles was removed. But my genuine lack of belief in my own capability was still a major a problem. I now had the motivation but believed I couldn’t actually do it.
Belief
My belief, or lack of it, had a lot of substance. Over the years I had run some fun 10Ks but when I ran beyond that distance, pain and injury usually followed as well as multiple visits to the physiotherapist. Long distances were not for me…not possible. However, after the positive “Run in the Dark” experience I decided to google marathon training plans. I decided to ‘fool’ myself into believing training for the marathon was not as difficult as I had thought and that training on dirt tracks rather than roads would help me manage the training schedule without injury! I decided to believe I could do it.
Commitment
For some reason, I still feel the need to prove myself….I’m not quite sure what I’m proving and to whom…..but like many of us, at an unconscious level, I’m trying to prove that “I am good enough”. But that is a story for another day. In February 2017, with the luxury of the Dublin Marathon being nine months away, in a moment of enthusiasm, myself and a friend from the local tennis club agreed to enter the marathon. The deal was that we would act as ‘running buddies’, do some runs together and generally support one another. The commitment was real.
The reality
At the end of May, before I had even started my ‘official’ training programme I pulled my hamstring playing tennis…not the ideal start. It took about a month to recover but no panic… “I’ve lots of time” I told myself.
Then about a month later I started some training runs with my running buddy. “Our journey has begun” I congratulated myself. But within weeks ‘the plan’ was derailing. July and August were a series of visits to the physiotherapist. I had to stop running, start again, stop again, and start again. I had a mind-bending array of stretches and exercises to try and sort out my various injuries. I was now part of those dreaded ‘runner’ conversations about peroneal tendonitis, tight glutes (fancy language for my backside), tight IT band, and of course…hamstrings.
There are many ways to the Promised Land…go your ‘best’ way
I thought about giving up many times, but I decided there must be more than one way to the ‘Promised Land’. I started cycling and swimming (as well as my intermittent running) in order to build fitness and reduce injuries. While my main objective was to simply run the marathon I also got carried away with “target time” conversation. But the injuries helped sharpen my focus….I now understood that if I wanted to complete the marathon “target time” needed to become completely secondary…..in fact I needed to run slower and not faster to reduce the likelihood of even more injuries. I realised that I needed to simply be “my best”.
Help!
As the injuries came and went, I continued with some physiotherapy and massage sessions. I also had lots of conversations with other friends who had run marathons and who were delighted to pass on their experiences….so “reaching out” is good! A lifelong friend who had offered me lots of sound advice (“get to the starting line uninjured”) sadly died during August 2017 and I decided to run the marathon in his memory. He was an inspiration.
Respect
Because the marathon is such a high attrition event I learned to respect it in a way that I hadn’t previously…..this light bulb moment also helped the whole ‘slow down’ philosophy….I knew I would need every ounce of my physical and mental resilience to get over the end line.
Perspective, the final countdown, and the BIG DAY
About two weeks before the marathon (after a 10-mile run) my old enemy peroneal tendonitis reared its head again. I was limping…even after walking…not good! After a day or two of contemplating ‘giving up’ I came up with a plan so cunning that Blackadder himself would have been proud of it - for the biggest run of my life, I would stop all further running until the day of the marathon. However, I kept up some cycling and swimming. On my next cycle, still feeling dejected and somewhat sorry for myself, I noticed several people who were limping or using aids simply to get from A to B….for these people living with a disability is a daily reality……my minor difficulty would be for one day or a few at most. Looking at my situation through this lens, I realised how lucky I am and this gave me a fresh perspective…gratitude. I also decided that if I couldn’t make the start line in Dublin, I would run the next marathon on the calendar…this eased the pressure of “failure”.
The Day itself was a mixture of apprehension (about a return of the injuries), pride, unbridled joy, pain, and delight. The encouragement of the spectators on the day was invaluable and almost indescribable - something that has to be experienced. The supportive voices of family, friends and the tens of thousands who turn out to support this wonderful event is the stuff of pure joy. I will never forget it.
What did I learn?
Looking back on the whole experience the major life lessons I learnt were:
Test your beliefs. Do not let them stop you achieve your goals. Just decide to try it.
Make a real commitment and it will help drive you onwards.
There are many different paths to achieving a goal. Keep searching and don’t give up. Simply be and do “your best”.
Ask for help when you need it…it’s there…and sometimes we can’t make it on our own. But that’s okay.
Give yourself another option if it helps reduce pressure
And yes…accept that you may suffer along the way.
The marathon journey is a great education…you learn about yourself and visit places you would otherwise might never know.
