Wednesday, May 9, 2012

What I Learned from Marathon Training (Digging Up Old Emails)


I don't know about you guys, but I e-mail myself... a lot.  

I suppose it's some form of e-mail journaling... Whatever, it works for me. To each their own, right?

I happened upon this email, and I'm having a particularly low moment right now (Just e-mailed myself about it.. ;-). This old e-mail made me feel a little bit better, and I hope you guys enjoy!


October 31, 2011

It's 6 days until the big 26.2.  I'm incredibly nervous and excited for this day.  In my mind I always wanted to run a marathon, and I envisioned myself checking it off of my bucket list on November 5th with pride.  But to my surprise, I'm feeling perfectly content with my marathon experience up to this point, even if I don't finish the race.  Despite the fact that I had done the research and followed the schedules, I had no clue how incredibly demanding 6 months of training would be, or that I would discover so much about myself, and life, through training.  I've made decisions and life changes that I never would have done before.  It's been amazing.  As others have been telling me, and I am finally able to see... this weekend is a celebration of the past 6 months.  Yes, I'm running the longest race of my life, but I plan to enjoy every second of it.

What I Learned about life from Marathon Training
1.  It's okay to be selfish, as long as you're not hurting anyone.  Make your schedule, on your time, and do what you need to do.  Other people will get over it.  And some will even admire you for it.
2.  With proper care and nourishment, your body is capable of way more than you think.  
3.  Eating ridiculous amounts of food and not feeling guilty is the biggest perk of training.  If you like food, I highly recommend it.
4.  Don't try to beat anyone... you're only competing against yourself.  Get your eyes off the clock and on the road.  
5.  Stay humble.  As hard as you're working, there's always someone working harder.  
6.  Hill = hell.  But there's no better feeling than getting to the top.
7.  Your body is always trying to tell you things.   Listen to it.  It's right 100% of the time.
8.  Listening to music while running is a pleasant distraction, but the real euphoria comes when you're utterly alone with your moving feet on the Earth.  Turn off the tunes and listen to life.... it's amazing what you can hear, inside and out.  
9.  Getting out the door is the first step, and the hardest step, to getting anything done.
10.  There is not much better in life than crossing a finish line.  

And above all... the most important thing I learned from Marathon Training:
* Never wait to set a goal.  Not for a New Year's resolution, a new birthday, when you have money, when you have time, or when you finally get those new sneakers.  Waiting is wasting.  Set the goal now and get to it.  You CAN make it happen.  And you'll thank yourself later.

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