At mile nine of the Richmond marathon course, one of the spectators was yelling to the runners, “Mind over matter, you can do it!” About 20 feet beyond him was a huge sign that read, “The bigger the obstacle, the sweeter the glory.”
Of course at that stage of the 26.2 mile race, the bodies of the runners, including mine, were still performing on automatic pilot. That’s because to prepare for a marathon, a nine mile run becomes routine, even easy.
It’s not until mile 18, 21 or 23 that most runners hit the proverbial wall. That’s when the mind must kick into full gear. When the body wants nothing more than to stop the pain, the mind must override it.
If you’ve never done a marathon, you may not understand the mindset of a marathoner. If you’ve done one marathon, you will likely do another. That’s because you discover yourself. You test your limits and you find out what you’re made of.
A friend of mine, Sean, recently completed the New York marathon. I was asking him how it was. He said he hit the wall at mile 23. I asked what happened after that. Did he stop? He said that he just set small goals for himself. Sean engaged his mind to keep going to a place on the course that he could see in the distance in order to blur the pain in his legs. Then he repeated the process again and again, until he had made it across the finish line.
Sean said the thing he liked most about doing marathons was that it pushed him to the limit. And in so doing, he found out what he was made of. John Short, a South African running coach said, “What counts in battle is what you do once the pain sets in.”
Not many things in life push us to the brink. Not many things test our mettle. Marathons do. That’s why I do them. I’ve discovered lots of things through running marathons. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned:
1. You’re in it for the long-haul, so don’t burn out too quickly. (Slow and steady may not win the race, but it allows you to race again another day.)
2. Preparation is key. (You can do most anything in life with the proper preparation and training. You don’t wake up one morning and run a marathon. You train for four to six months to get ready.)
3. Competing to be your best is fulfilling. (Most of us will never win a marathon or even our age group. But we have the ability to set a PR – Personal Record – or just make progress from our last effort. Whether it’s a physical or mental challenge, personal growth propels and motivates us.)
4. The voices in your head are real. (It’s amazing how what you think and what you say to yourself plays out in real life. Call it your heart, your spirit, or your attitude; it will lift you up or pull you down.)
5. You can’t judge a book by its cover. (When you’re at mile 17 on a marathon course and someone that looks 20 years older and 30 pounds heavier runs by you, it’s very humbling and inspiring.)
6. Support is invaluable. (Achieving something great is much easier and much more rewarding when surrounded by those that care.)
7. It takes the right equipment to do the job well. (Overheard at the Richmond marathon, “It’s amazing that my knee pain went away when I got new shoes.”)
8. Our minds can overcome what our bodies, alone, are unable to. (After winning the 1980 Boston marathon, Jacqueline Gareau said, “The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body.”)
What in your life seems out of reach? What do you want badly enough to push yourself out of your comfort zone and to your limit? If you’re lucky enough to answer these questions for yourself and if you’re determined enough to do what it takes, you’ll understand what Oprah meant after running her first marathon, “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” Or as the sign on the Richmond marathon course aptly noted, “The bigger the obstacle, the sweeter the glory.”
