Running has taught me so much over the past few years. Number one lesson is that it's hard! Running long distances is not easy, but the rewards can't be beat. I think it can probably be compared to childbirth. The feeling you get as you cross that finish line is probably comparable to hearing that baby cry for the first time. Then after it's all done, you forget about the pain and do it all over again the next year.
Lesson number two: Running is mostly mental. I love the saying, "It's mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter!" It's your brain that can make you or break you. When times get tough you have to focus on the positive and not on the suffering. This was one of the reason I had such a difficult time during my second marathon. My lower back started bothering me really bad and instead of letting my mind tell my body what to do, I let my body tell my brain it was done. I still finished, but I would have had a much better time if I would have shifted my focus to a more positive place.
Lesson number three: Sometimes you just have to compromise. My normal mentality is it's all or nothing. This can't always be the case with running. Sometimes you have to bargain to get what you want. There have been plenty of times when I wanted to shorten my distance or stop altogether. When I find myself going in that direction I make a deal with myself. For example, I tell myself, if I run up that steep hill, then I can walk the rest of the way home. It's a method that works well for me.
Lesson number four: Respect the Run. Never think you can outsmart the Run because when you're not looking, it will come up and smack you down! It's kind of like the ocean.
Finally I would say I learned that running is unpredictable. "Life is like a long run...you never know what you're gonna get!" One day you can have the best run you've ever had. Then you go out the next day and you feel like someone has tied 100 pound weights to your feet. No matter how well you have trained, something unexpected can always happen.
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One of the lessons I've learned about running: the second you think "Ahh, this feels good, I could do it forever" means in a few minutes you're gonna be so beat you feel like you can't take another step.
ReplyDeleteDid you hear I can't run for three to six months? Achilles tendonitis.
its so cool how something that seems so simple is so complex. i guess it gets complex as soon as you start talking distances. we should still do a little marathon thing together. ive been slacking on my running, but i should get back into it, and then u can run some small ones with me, so u can train and i can master a race at MY level...lol. thats so cool that youre doing the big one though. shows a lot of self discipline. wish i had me some 'o that.....hehe. see ya later! well...i guess on just calls instead of actually at work... :(
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