1,200 miles behind, 26.2 ahead
The marathon is a public test of private will. I heard this quote while in my first ever marathon training block for the Aspen Valley Marathon this past July. It immediately resonated with me, because when you have been in a marathon training block you realize just how much time you spend alone.
Most marathons are widely public events, you have bystanders, family members, and friends on the side of the course cheering everyone on. But the training couldn't be more opposite, much of it is done completely alone. Early mornings, long solo runs, and hours upon hours spent on the road all completed for the most part alone.
It’s why the marathon is not the final test, it's the celebration of the training you’ve endured and made it through. Everyone warming up on the start line of a marathon has a different story, a reason why they are there, why they committed to this test.
But at the start line, everyone is on the same team. We are all there for the same reason, to finish the race. To finish what most of us started months prior to the race date. It is truly an atmosphere that you just have to experience like I did, it's a beautiful feeling.
This has been by far the most challenging training block I have gone through. Just in terms of mileage I averaged more than 40 miles a week for over 8 weeks which, for me, was a first.
My life has also been busier than anything I have ever experienced. With working full-time, building a business, being present in my relationships, and just the challenges life throws at you. Ensuring I made enough time for quality training, adequate fueling, and recovery wasn't easy most days.
But I am choosing this hard. No one is forcing me to endure this training, it’s something I am willingly doing everyday. I am choosing this hard. I thought of this often when I was up at 4am to get 8-10 miles in before work, or beating the sun most weekends to finish my long run before the summer heat set in.
As someone who still vividly remembers what it was like being over 300lbs, being out of breath all the time, having no clothes that actually fit, and avoiding mirrors like the plague. Life at over 300 lbs was definitely hard.
Building a business with no guarantee of success, training for a marathon, and balancing everything else on spinning plates is also extremely hard.
But between the two, I would choose this hard. Every single time.
There is a certain freedom and power when we willingly seek out and do hard things of our own volition. I’ve found that some of the happiest moments in life are on the other side of some of the most difficult and challenging work.
It’s helped me build a certain confidence in myself that I can do hard things, I can be exceptional, I can endure the process.
And if I can prove to myself that I can do hard things, you can too.
Can’t wait to see everyone out on the course on the 27th! Let’s rip it.
Have a great week!
GTY
