Tomorrow morning, participants of the Philadelphia Marathon will trek 26.2 miles across the city, running for anywhere from 2 to 7 hours. My friend, Dan, and I were driving by the Art Museum today observing the tents, bleachers, and rows of port-a-potties, ready to go for tomorrow's event. He asked me if I'd ever run another marathon.
In 2003, I ran the Country Music Marathon in Nashville. As a self-identified runner at the time, I wanted a completed marathon on my resume. I didn't actually WANT to run 26.2 miles. I didn't WANT to wake up at 7 AM as a working college student to step out into the 20-degree-plus-wind-chill freezing cold and take a lonely 20 mile training run. I didn't want to eat "Gu" to replace electrolytes. I didn't want my lower back and hips to ache as I sat in my classes popping ibuprofen. But I wanted to cross the finish line; I wanted my 26.2 medal.
I was so focused on the outcome of my marathon training efforts that I failed to notice something important: I didn't enjoy the exercise in which I was forcing myself to take part. On a daily and weekly basis, the training process was tearing my body and spirit down, but providing very little that felt gratifying.
Don't get me wrong. Crossing the finish line was gratifying. The marathon itself was a fun event and I don't regret running it. If I had it to do over, however, I might have never registered, spared my body and slept in more often!
These days, I try to stick with actitivies that feed my spirit and revitalize my body: an invigorating yoga class to start out my Saturday off...a casual run with a good friend to catch up on life...a walk into the city on a cool fall night to buy a new book...lifting weights in the basement singing along to pop music hits on Q102. Unlike the marathon finish line, gratification now comes on a daily basis from pouring more energy into the enjoyable process and content of my "workouts" and coming to expect less of their outcome.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Here here!
I too do not run marathons any more. Running pre-marathons was always joyful for me. But training is grueling. And if you have a goal in mind to set a PR it's doubly so. And if you sustain an injury in the effort, that affects everything else you do to be active. There are so many ways to be fit, to get fit, that are fun. If something isn't, why bother? Take it from me, life's much too short.
I enjoyed reading this. I ran a 1/2 marathon once and it was good - the training was intense yet also fun and I am glad to say I ran. but will I ever do one again - umm no. Training is one thing - running and/or jogging because I want to and not for some end goal is something else.
Post a Comment