How stepping up to the marathon can change your life.
The marathon is a metaphor for life. Preparing for and running those 42.2km will challenge you, but it’s what challenges you that can change you. There’s no better place to train your mind than through the process of preparing for and running a marathon.
Here are 5 ways stepping up to the marathon can improve your life and how you can get started training your mind.
Turn uncertainty into opportunity. “I’ve never run that far, I don’t know if I can”. It’s totally normal to feel fear or apprehension about the unknown. Our brains crave certainty and control. But life is full of uncertainty, so it’s about learning to embrace it with curiosity. When you embrace the marathon as an opportunity to lean into the unknown, you open up great possibilities. It’s here that you learn that you can count on yourself to do difficult things.
It’s not about how fast you run, but who you become by running. “I don’t know if I can run a ‘good’ time. The beauty of the marathon is not in how fast you can finish, but in the process of making it to the start and finish line. When you take away self-judgement about outcomes, you free yourself up to focus on and enjoy the process. Asking yourself questions like, “What sort of person do I want to be? “What sort of experience do I want to have in saying YES to the marathon?”, “What will it mean to me to know that I did this?”. The marathon can be a true bucket list or even life-changing experience if you dial down the voice of judgement and allow the experience and growth to be your goal.
Turn doubt into confidence. Even the best runners in the world have fear and doubt. Siffan Hassan - the winner of the women’s London Marathon this year admitted she was “So scared” before the race began. Siffan is a multiple Olympic champion at shorter events but running her debut marathon she had moments of doubt that she could even make the distance. Siffan is no different to every one of us, it is very natural and normal for our human brain to want to find threat, it’s how we respond to those thoughts that matters. You might be thinking, “I don’t believe I can go the full distance”, “I don’t have what it takes” or “I’m not tough enough”. Running a marathon is an opportunity to build confidence where you can prove to yourself that you can indeed do difficult things. In the meantime, don’t believe every thought you have!
Bigger challenge = bigger purpose. The clearer and bigger your purpose for doing what you do, the easier it will be to persevere. Purpose comes from making a positive difference to the people or world around you. The marathon provides a great opportunity to connect with what matters most to you - your why. There may be a cause that is close to your heart that you can fundraise for. Perhaps it’s setting an example to people you care most about. Whatever purpose looks like for you, the physical and mental challenge that the marathon presents is the perfect opportunity to strengthen this. When you make your purpose bigger, everyone wins because you experience the motivation and deep satisfaction that comes from knowing you’re making a difference, and those around you benefit too.
Move towards your potential. In going after the Marathon world record, Eliud Kipchoge said he wanted people to know that “No human is limited”. Most people radically underestimate what they are capable of. Stepping up and saying YES to the marathon can be the first step in challenging these beliefs. Say YES to exploring your potential and the marathon might just change your life.
Believe in yourself, you can do this!
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