Lessons learned from a marathon..

I'm still feeling a bit stiff and sore from the "Cotes du Rhone" marathon I just ran last Sunday, but I am also basking in the memories and the thoughts related to ones life that goes on the days after such a run. I have been running marathons off and on over the last 13  years and one of the benefits I have had is to been able to draw so many life lessons and parallels out of the running and training for them. For me the lessons have always had a spiritual dimension. They have strengthened my walk with God and with others.

Here are a few that I was reminded of this time.

 1.     Prepare

Running a marathon without any preparation is just down right stupid. Even though I had trained for and ran 9 of them before, I couldn’t just run “out of experience” I still needed to prepared for this specific one.  The more you prepare the better you do on Marathon day. Mental and physical preparation is crucial to success! 

2.     Be ready for the unexpected

The unexpected is, ….well, to be expected. No matter how much you prepare there are things that will most likely happen on that day that you had not anticipated:  rain storms, stomach "issues", leg cramps, a bad attitude or even asthma attacks. The unexpected can also be something surprisingly wonderful and can give you great source of joy…. I hadn't expected the beauty of the "Valley of Rhone" in  Provence, France nor when a women, whom I didn't know yelled out; “ You are running this for me!” This unexpected request energized and motivated me as I symbolically took on "running for those who could not!"

3.     Don’t do it alone!

You don’t have to be alone, and believe me having one or two people that are running along side you whether in body or spirit is key to success!  This time I had my sister and mom along. Two of my most favorite people!  My sister Tracy trained with me. We met regularly for 8 weeks prior to the marathon. We encouraged each other during the race, especially those last 10 kilometers when we felt like quitting and pushed each other to do "just a little more". Having someone you are accountable to just helps you stick to your goal. On the marathon weekend my mom came along. She woke us up, made us coffee,  carried our bags, was there at the start and finished and lent us a supportive arm as we hobbled our way back home. Thanks mom and Tracy. We were a team!

4.     Live in the moment

Enjoy the view, breathe in the moment, you are alive….Don’t wish it away!

 

  

  5. Draw strength from your training

There comes a time in most “races” when you go beyond what you did in your training……well that is exactly why you were training.  It was for those moments.   Don’t quit. This is what you were training for!...Tracy  and I hit that moment at km 32.  Those last 10 km were just killers. Every kilometer was endless. The scenery was grayer, peoples cheers became annoying, but we knew we had it in us because we had trained!…and boy were we glad for every kilometer we had put in over the last 8 weeks.

 

6.     Take time to Celebrate!!

Isn’t it crazy that we often skip this part! We tend to underplay what we have spent so much time preparing for.  Celebrate by telling your story, taking time to process….or write a blog like I am doing. And yes we did celebrate with a nice glass of “Cotes du Rhone!”.  

"Allez, Allez!"