What Marathon Training Taught Me About Life, Goals, and Progress

In the last year, I have started to run more… a lot more. So much more that I decided I might as well sign up for a marathon. And while the training to this point has been hard, annoying, and fun (kind of), it has also been a great learning experience about behaviors, goals, and even life.

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I strongly believe that when we either choose to do hard things or face hard situations outside of our choosing, both can be tremendous learning experiences – if we take time to reflect on them. And so far, this marathon prep has been no different. So, if you have the time, let me share some of the things this prep has taught me (or reminded me of) and how they might also relate to your journey.

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1.) Go all in and commit.

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For the longest time, I was following a marathon running plan but never signed up for a race. I was doing the runs but always knew in the back of my mind if things got too hard, I could just stop since I never “truly” committed. And while this felt safe, it also hindered me from really committing and doing the hard things. But once I signed up, things changed. The marathon became THE priority in my training. It became my main focus. I was all in. So, if you have a big goal, go ALL in. Commit to it and hold yourself accountable. If you don’t give yourself a way to back out, you will have to keep pushing forward.

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2.) Stop focusing on the end result or final task.

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The first run of my prep was 3 miles. And while it was not a difficult distance to run, once I finished, I thought to myself, “man, if I do a marathon, I need to run that 8 more times in a row.” And what did this do? Demotivated me. It sent a chilling thought of failure through my mind – a thought that is clearly not helpful. Now, thoughts like that are bound to creep in, but they don’t have to stay there. Focus on the process. Focus on the task at hand. And try to stop focusing so much on the final task. When you finally get to it, you will be ready!

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3.) Control what you can, stop worrying about what you can’t.

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As my runs have gotten longer, I have been reminded about the importance of planning. I plan my runs, so I hit the right distance (and don’t get lost). I plan fueling stops so I practice what it will be like on the day of the race. I even plan my pre-run food so I eat enough without overdoing it. However, I also have realized how much there is that I can’t plan. I can’t plan the weather. I can’t plan how my feet will feel through the run. I can’t plan my kids not waking up 8 times in the night leading up to a long run. And because I can’t plan these things, because I can’t control them, they do not deserve any attention. When I dwell on these things, I lose energy. I lose motivation. I get frustrated and distracted. But when I ignore them, I handle the difficulties as I face them and not a second sooner. And while they still might be annoying, ignoring them allows my mind to stay more focused on the task at hand.

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4.) Never stop showing up.

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I have been sore before runs. I have not slept the greatest before runs. I have not eaten the best foods before runs (heck, just the other day I ate 4 Oreos before a run). And when that happened, those runs have not been enjoyable. But that doesn’t matter. What has mattered is I still showed up, I still did the work, and I am progressing. Runs are getting easier. Distances are getting longer. The body is recovering better. And these are happening not because I have had perfect runs or have followed the plan without fail, but because I just keep showing up. I keep doing what I need to do. And the progress is coming. So your life might be stressful at times. Work might be crazy. Your kids might create challenges. But all those things don’t have to stop progress or make you quit. Just keep showing up. Keep following the plan. Just keep doing the next right thing. Progress will come.

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All in all, these are just a few of the things I have reflected on, learned, or reminded myself of during my training thus far. These things are not rocket science but they also aren’t insignificant either. Whatever goal you have, whatever you are training for, whatever you are facing in your life…

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Go all in and don’t look back.
Focus on the process and not just the end.
Control what you can and forget about the rest.
DON’T STOP SHOWING UP!

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