What can you do in three or four hours? Watch a great movie (or two, depending on their length), go to a baseball game, get in your workout for the day, take a relaxing nap….or run 26.2 miles. Not surprisingly, a small percentage of people elect to spend their time on the last of those options. Actually, the number of individuals who even consider undertaking the dreaded “M” word (marathon) is miniscule.
The obvious question is why, and most of the answers to that question are equally obvious. For starters, who was the time to train for a marathon, which consists of several months of increasingly long runs. Near the end of training, runs approach the actual marathon distance, meaning you need to find three or four hours to devote to running.
Secondly, there’s the physical difficulty. This isn’t as big of an issue as you may theorize. In reality, a lot more people could run a marathon than think they could. Marathons are all about mental tenacity, the willingness to continue putting one foot in front of the other even when the pain and exhaustion tell you not to. Marathons don’t require a ton of athletic talent; you see people from nearly all age groups and body types running them.
Lastly, there’s somewhat of a mystique about marathons. People view them as monumental events of athletic accomplishment, which in some ways they are. But they are, unlike most such feats, attainable for most athletes. That’s because success comes in finishing the race, with your time (at least when you’re getting into marathon running) secondary.
Training for the race is the most difficult part of the equation. Even if you maintain a good base and are in great condition when you start training, the mental and physical demands over the months of training put a real strain on you. Depending on your level of experience, age and ability to recover, training could be anywhere from three months to six or seven. Most days you don’t run great distances; between three and five will suffice.
Truthfully, there are dozens of training programs for marathons and it’s tough to know which to pick. Ultimately, the best approach tends to be incorporating aspects of different programs to come up with a blend that works for you. Over the weeks of training, pushing yourself through training necessitates having a schedule you won't give up because of.
By the time race day comes, the real work is past. You can't put a price on being able to line up at the starting line knowing you’re as prepared as you can be. The feeling of energy at the start is great, but when 26.2 miles are ahead, you don’t need anyone cheering you at the start. Where you need cheers is during miles 18-25, when you’ve battled, fought and used up most all the strength you have. You know if you can make it to Mile 25, at which point just over a mile remains, you’ll be ok. But in between 18 and 25, the mental battles you fight are often agonizing. You’ll never make it, the finish line will never come,
says the nagging voice in your head.
This is where your competitive spirit has to come out. If you don’t have that spirit, you won't finish. If you do have it, you know you’ll finish because you won't allow yourself not to. There are a lot of opportunities to quit; every step is one more chance to give up. But every step is also a chance to refuse to quit, to show the testicular fortitude that’s gotten you this far. You know tomorrow you’ll be sore, fatigued and hurting in ways you never thought possible.
So why run a marathon? The best way to explain it is to cite two examples from personal experience. In the first marathon I ever ran, turning off of the street, down a ramp and into Akron’s Canal Park stadium, seeing the view open up in front of my eyes, hearing the cheers and seeing the finish line - in that moment, it was all worth it. That feeling was matched by turning the corner, entering Notre Dame stadium and going down the ramp to the field as the Notre Dame fight song played. Those are the moments you can’t put a price on, the ones you’ll remember and treasure. You’ve done it, done what most people are too scared, too lazy, too undisciplined and not tough enough to do. You stand among the less than 1% of people in this world who have successfully completed a marathon. Welcome to the club.
No comments:
Post a Comment