Marathons bring out the gamut of human emotions. Elation, triumph, fear, boredom, exhaustion, dellerium, happiness, determination, devastation. All are possible, all in the same two to six to sometimes eight hours of time. These very emotions are what separate the marathon from every other race. It's not just physical. In a 5K, 10K, even a half marathon, you can power through with just your muscles and still finish with juice to spare. Not so for the marathon. 20 miles is all we're genetically programmed to sustain. This is race #1. Once you pass that point, you don't know what awaits you, and no matter how many marathons you run, it's always going to be an adventure. This is race #2. This is the mental race.
This is the real race.
For me, this mental race wasn't extremely difficult this time around. PHYSICALLY, yes, EXTREMELY difficult, to the point where my legs shuffled along at a slower pace than simply walking. But mentally? Well, I knew that not finishing wasn't an option. Literally. I was not not going to finish this race. So in a sense, the race was already finished for me. The question came down to time; how long it would TAKE me to finish. Those two questions have drastically different connotations.
Yesterday, as I was rehashing for my blog, I realized this is the exact thought I have when faced with any sort of writing deadline. I know that the date will come, and the paper/story/article will be written. I will never turn in an assignment late, and never have. It's simply who I am. It's not everyone, but it's me.
And wherever I go, there I am.
Running, more so than any other sport, tells you who you are. It holds up a mirror. How you deal with the trials, tribulations, setbacks, style, it's all about your core self. There are no skis, poles, machines, bikes, skateboards, nothing. You, clothes, shoes. Tada.
What about heart rate monitors, gadgets, etc you say? I argue that if you're the type of runner who uses these tools, then you're the type of person who gravitates towards methodical means, and enjoys keeping tracks of facts and figures as a sense of guidance. If you're the type of runner who uses these tools, then you're the type of person who strives to set concrete goals and reach them in a scientific way.
But again, it's all about the type of runner you are. What kind of a runner are you?
Who are you?
I am a runner who likes company and likes to run alone. I am a runner who doesn't always think things through completely before I set out. I am a runner who sometimes bites off more than I can chew. I am a runner who sets lofty goals. I am a runner who doesn't quit once I set my mind to something. I am a runner who ignored my body's requirements until an injury sidelined me.
I am a person who likes company, but needs solo time. I am a person who leaps before I look. I am a person who crams my schedule full of events and commitments. I am a person who takes pride in the follow through. I am a person who often ignores my body's signals.
What I plan on doing, hopefully, is taking runners, and having them first analyze who they are AS A RUNNER. Honestly, 100%, openly, good and bad, who they are. Go running with them. Talk about their goals and setbacks in running and training, their habits and practices and routines. Do they have a problem with the follow through of schedules? Do they want to up their mileage, but can never find the time? Do they run to the exclusion of anything else in their life? Do they run to win? Do they run because they have to, even though they don't really enjoy it? Stage one.
Then, transfer that. How do these qualities inform, shape, inhibit, or help them as a person in the world? Are there patterns in their running habit that mirror career, family, or personal habits? How can reshaping running programs and qualities then effect a positive change in life?
I want to take the marathon foundation into my practice. There's the race: what type of runner you are. Then there's the real race: what being this type of runner says about you.
The physical and the mental.
Race 1 and Race 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment