7 Powerful Secrets I Learned When I Ran A Marathon

Have you ever been hanging out in your own head wondering, can I run a marathon? If you have, go out and do it? For those who have never thought about it, not even once, I don’t blame you. I’m not suggesting that everyone should run a marathon. It’s the life changing lessons you learn and the remarkable discoveries you make when you push yourself that I want to talk about.

I didn’t set out to change my outlook on life. Sure I wanted to see what I was capable of. The end result though was far more rewarding than the medal I got when I crossed the finish line. I learned more about myself in those 9 months of training than I ever had before. I’m going to share 7 powerful secrets to life revealed when I ran a marathon.

The Bucket List

When you become an adult, people always tell you to start a bucket list. Write things you have always dreamed of doing, places you imagine going, goals you hope to achieve, etc. I actually wrote “Run a marathon” on my bucket list many years ago.

However, I truly never imagined I would be capable of achieving it. Jump out of a plane, no problem. Go to Greece, been there, done that. Become a mother, thankfully I was able to do that too. Seriously though, run a marathon, a full 26.2 miles. That’s hard, like painfully difficult for most normal human beings.

In the spring of 2018 I felt empowered to register for a half marathon. I had six months to train and prepare myself mentally and physically. Race day came and it was a powerful and momentous event. I was really proud of my accomplishments. The best thing was, within 24 hours of finishing, it hit me. I had always wondered if I could check the marathon off my bucket list. I was half way there. Training had been underway for six months, but I could keep going. If it was ever going to happen, now was the time. The surf city marathon was 11 weeks away. I took a few breaths, and clicked the register button.

1. We All Deserve To Dream

Do you dream of starting a business or traveling the world? Maybe you are thinking of going back to school. Dreaming of starting a family as a single mother. Making changes in your nutrition and living a healthier lifestyle. Dreams can be big or small, but they matter because they are yours. Running a marathon was mostly about setting a goal and changing my mindset. Plenty of people will tell you it’s impossible. There will be loud supporters and even louder critics. What’s important is that you believe in yourself.

The hardest part is just getting started. The next hardest part is continuing to show up. I don’t mean just hustle, work longer hours and try harder. You can actually slow down. You can rest and tune into what your body and soul are really trying to tell you. What do you need and what do you want? Then just surrender to it. Following your dreams or working towards a goal takes a lot of trust. Trust in yourself and in your mindset. Then it requires courage. Success doesn’t exist without failing. Nevertheless, don’t let the fear of defeat steer you away from your dreams.

2. Soak It All In

Setting goals and working towards an end game is great. Most of us need a finish line to feel we have accomplished whatever we set out to do. Hear me out though, running a full marathon is kind of a metaphor for life. It’s not all about crossing the finish line, it’s about how you embrace the journey. Soak it all in, and celebrate the little things you learn along the way.

Maybe you want to lose 30 pounds. All you can think about is getting to that magic number on the scale. There’s a problem though. What happens when you reach your goal? Now what do you do?

Reaching your goals is phenomenal. That being said, what you really want to focus on is what you discover in the process. In the months you work towards losing 30 pounds, did you adopt healthy habits? Maybe you made some new friends or rekindled friendships with people you’ve lost touch with. When you’re out there chasing your dreams or fighting for something you believe in, hold your head high. Be confident in yourself and trust the process, whatever it may be. Soak it all in and let the journey be the real reward.

3. Never Stop Learning

As a nurse, I usually feel as though I have a healthy grasp on the human body and how to take care of it. I pride myself in eating nutritious foods, staying physically active and tending to all aspects of wellness. When I started training for both the half and full marathons, I had no idea what I was doing. I needed to research how to train, what to eat, how to stretch, what shoes to buy, etc.

I found myself constantly looking for guidance on the internet, and turning to family and friends for all of the tips I could get my hands on. There was a plethora of knowledge out there for me. I needed to learn how to breathe without my inhaler when I ran a marathon. Now, I can run with ease and I rarely need a puff of the old inhaler.

No matter your age, your education level or your experience, you should never stop learning. Take up a new hobby, look into webinars and start investing in yourself. Begin a side business, learn how to cook, tackle a house project or go online with your kiddos and research a different topic every week. It feels invigorating to keep learning. It’s good for your brain and your body. Not to mention the pride you experience when you accomplish something you never imagined you would.

4. Take Care Of Your Body

Although this seems like a no-brainer, nobody is perfect. There is a difficult balance in trying to take care of your body while still enjoying life. From one extreme to another, you could have an elite athlete who pushes themselves to the max, or someone who never gets exercise and has a horrible relationship with their body. Is there one right way to do it? Absolutely not!

I learned a lot about listening to my body when I ran a marathon. Some runners go out there and run every single day. That would have broken me. I had shin splints and IT band pain, and you can’t just power through. I got massages, made sure to rest on recovery days and jumped in my freezing cold pool after all of my long runs. Though it never got easier, those pool dips kept my swelling and inflammation at bay.

The point is, take care of your body. Don’t starve yourself or go on some insane diet because summer is coming. Don’t stay up into the wee hours of the morning working yourself to the bone. Spend time on your physical, mental and spiritual needs. Listen, and listen well. Your body will tell you when it’s had enough, when it needs more, who’s toxicity is bringing you down, etc. Taking care of your body is key to living a life you enjoy.

Related: 25 Easy Healthy Habits To Feel Better Now and Shatter All Of The Rules And Live A Sensational Life Without Dieting

5. Reflection Is Good For The Soul

On any given day, you have a to-do list with house chores, work to complete, a family to care for, personal goals you are striving to accomplish and so much more. When do you take the time to sit and reflect? Spacing out in line for the kids drop off at school doesn’t count.

It’s very difficult to really reflect on your life when you’re trying to do everything else. I’m terribly guilty of always being on the go. I feel like I’m wasting time when I don’t get physical tasks completed.

Every time I had a training run, I ran alone. I wanted to utilize the time to reflect. Music was necessary for me, but my playlists were often powerful and emotional. When you’re running on the trails for 2 or 3 hours at a time, there’s a whole lot to think about.

I used these periods as a form of therapy. Sometimes I had buried traumas that resurfaced and I was forced to work on them. There were many runs where I cried off and on, a little out of physical pain, but mostly emotional. The soul searching that happened when I ran a marathon, changed my life forever.

Reflection Is A Process

Next time you decide to throw on some running shoes, hop on a bike, or go for a swim, prepare for where your mind may wander. I’m in my head pretty much all of the time. It’s what we do in there that makes a difference though. Maybe you have taken up meditation or yoga. Even 15 minutes alone with a journal to write down your thoughts, your fears, your dreams, etc. We’ve all been through tough shit, but how often do we take the time to really address where we come from, what has hurt us, and how to grow. Reflection allows you to unapologetically love yourself despite anything that has come your way.

YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BREAK YOU IN TWO, BUT IT MADE YOU TWICE AS STRONG.

ELEANOR BROWN

6. Pain Is Inevitable

Life is full of darkness and pain. Pain is inevitable. We’ve all been there or are going through it, maybe trying desperately to dig your way out of the pain right now even. Your trauma might be old, it might be new, but you’re never alone in the darkness. Life will get dark and feel utterly impossible with an unbearable pain in the moment, but it will go away. The question is, do you want to let in love and light or do you want to wallow in your pain?

Honestly I thought running that marathon was going to be easier. Every time I ran a long training run, I got closer to the 26.2 miles. Besides, everyone says the adrenaline makes you numb to the pain. Well everyone was wrong. That race was the hardest thing I’ve done. I swear it hurt worse than childbirth and my epidural didn’t work people; I felt it all.

It was probably a collection of things, the weather (it rained), the lack of supporters out there (again, it was wet and windy), and the fact that my body said to stop, but I had to keep going. I was in incredible pain, but I had to push through it. All of that hard work would make the pain completely worth it.

How Do You Push Through the Pain?

When you’re sitting here reading this and thinking about your physical or emotional pains, I want you to make a plan. How will you work on it? Look into therapy sessions, hire a life coach, read the books, go to a place of worship. How do you plan to work on yourself and whatever pain is lurking?

If you have chronic ailments that never seem to go away, look into different forms of medicine. It’s easy to sit motionless and feel down in your own self pity. It’s easy to let the pain of a disease, a divorce, abuse trauma, death of a loved one, fertility challenges, or bankruptcy keep you down. You are in control of your own happiness. It’s time to work on you.

7. It’s Not Always About Winning

As I was writing this I kept hearing a line from my five year old daughter’s book about sportsmanship. “I’ve won if I’ve had fun.” So running a marathon wasn’t exactly fun, but the entire experience was a once in a lifetime trip that I never imagined possible. Of course I didn’t finish first, nor did I even finish in the time frame I was hoping to.

What I did though was run 26.2 miles, full of raw emotion, tears of joy and pain. I met a man in his seventies who was running his 50th marathon. I saw thousands of humans on a blustery winter day pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion.

Whatever you’re working on, or whatever obstacles come your way, just keep going. You might not win, hell you might finish last. But, who did you meet on your journey? Where did your success take a turn when you clicked that register button?

What did you learn about yourself that had been hiding for a really long time? Perseverance, a positive mindset and setting some goals can change your life forever.

I didn’t set out to change my life when I ran that crazy marathon, but it happened nonetheless. I use to need my inhaler after running 400 meters. Now, I’m a runner. I’m eternally grateful for my friends and family and the unwavering support everyone gave me in the process.

What’s on your bucket list? I would love to be there to support you.