I do me! (an update on marathon training)
In the end, these two weeks can be summed up in three words . . . I do me! I’ve reached a point where I’ve learned how to get more out of a marathon training program by making it my marathon training program. At times, that means taking the days I need to stay fresh. Other times it means learning how to push through it when I’m not. It means working in areas of life that define who I am while understanding that this goal of 26.2 is just one of those areas. For each one of us, the calculus is different. Only you know what it is for you. And only I can know what it is for me.
The most important lesson I’ve learned on this journey
“It is being here now that is important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now.” - George Harrison
Sharing lessons from my journey over the course of Legally Fit has allowed me to reflect in ways I might not otherwise have done. I’ve reached a deeper level of soul searching. That’s not to say that it takes writing a blog to discover what’s within one’s own self, but for me, it’s been the vehicle. Still, there are times when I find that I never even asked myself the obvious. That happened recently when I was asked a question that I had never been asked before – and somewhat surprisingly not asked myself. . . “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned on this journey?” For a minute, I froze. I was so accustomed to far more specific questions such as “What’s your workout routine?” or “What’s your diet?” So, I was dumbfounded at this simple question. After a brief pause, I knew the answer, but before I share it, I’ll go deeper into where it comes from.
Marathon training at four weeks – Sacrifices and results!
One of the mental tactics I’ve used during workouts for some time is to break them down into percentages in the middle of the grind. For example, if I’m in a 45-minute Peloton class, then 15 minutes in, I tell myself that I’m one-third through it. I continue that at various intervals throughout the workout to make it feel shorter. One of the most important ways to use that is with running. A 10-mile run is easier when I think of it in segments. After five miles, all I have to do is do that same thing once more. When I have two miles left, having only 20 percent remaining makes it feel like I am already near the finish line. But this percentage thing can apply not only to a single workout, but also to a long-term training plan such as what I’m in the middle of right now in working towards the NYC Marathon.
Complacency
One of the themes I wrote about last week was trying to get better today – every day. But let’s be real – that’s easier said than done. In fact, it’s virtually impossible mostly because we’re human. We fail, we have setbacks, and we just have some bad days. But even when we are killing it, there’s another natural response that has real impact on our potential— complacency.
Compete!
I love competing. I always have. Both personally and professionally. I especially love to win, but recently I’ve come to think differently about what winning means. Many of the sports I play – which are largely individual competitions – are designed for losing. There’s only one winner among the many who participate. I’d sometimes look at the format of a competition and wonder if I should bother joining it when I have little to no chance of coming in first – and in fact, have a much greater chance of finishing last. But what I’ve come to realize lately is that, in all these endeavors, the real competition is with myself. That doesn’t mean I always win, but it does mean that, at times, it may appear that I was nowhere near the top of a leaderboard, yet I still crushed it!