The Marathon: Lessons Learned

After every marathon I finish, I spend a bit of time cogitating on my experience. What did I do differently that worked? What didn't I do that I should try next time? How did I feel leading up to the race and afterward? By thinking long and hard about these things, I am able to better prepare for my next training cycle and race. I have found that it's best to treat each marathon as a learning opportunity so that, regardless of how you do in that particular race, at least you'll walk away with a lesson that you can apply to your future races. After 14 marathons, here are some lessons I’ve learned:

• Start Slow: Starting slow is the best investment you can make for a PR.

• Race Day Temp: Low 50s is perfect for a PR. The higher it gets, the more minutes you need to add.

• Positive Attitude: Having a goal and envisioning success can be just as important as the actual training itself. As the lactic acid pours into your legs and your brain floods you with reasons to stop, a reassuring phrase, goal or vision can pull you through.

• The good outweighs the bad: A marathon is no walk in the park. I have experienced some extreme pain in marathons. While I might have been miserable at the time, the pride and excitement I felt at the finish far outweighed the pain.

• Lose weight: run faster: As much as I would like to say that weight doesn't matter for a runner, it does. It simply takes less energy to move a 124-pound runner across 26 miles, especially up hills, than it takes to move a 128-pound runner along the same course.

• Mental tricks do not overcome lack of physical preparation: I learned this lesson during my second marathon (San Diego) where I had no business being out there.As tempting as it might be to believe that the mind can completely overcome the body, if you are not adequately prepared physically to complete a marathon or to complete it within a specific duration, then there is very likely no mental trick that will overcome this lack of physical preparation.

• I enjoy silence. Some marathoners like to run listening to music. I thought I did too – until the first time I ran without it. I soon began to love the quietness. I was able to listen to my body and focus on the run. In addition, my mind was freed up to think about my life and evaluate it. Some people enjoy running with noise. But I have grown to love the silence.

• Run with your head up. Not just as an instruction for proper running technique, but as a metaphor for life. Stay positive and confident. Look where you are going. And soak in as much of life as possible.

• Training Intensity: Intervals, hills, and tempo runs are tough…but they make you faster…period.

• Never, ever underestimate the importance of support. Particularly during those last draining miles, crowd and family support can take you far! Support and love from friends, family, fellow runners and random folks has helped me succeed at marathons. I definitely put in all the work, but it would be foolish to think that what I have accomplished was all on me.

• Thank. Marathons give me an opportunity to share my gratitude with a group of people who do mostly-thankless work — the volunteers.

• Smile throughout the race. I always try to run with a smile on my face. People take notice. Plus, it makes your race pictures turn out much better.

• Compete Less. Encourage More. Marathon runners are notorious for offering encouragement to one another. They understand an important race principle: there is room at the finish line for all of us. It isn’t all about winning or losing, it’s about the experience and being in it together.

• Appreciate what you have. Sunday, I saw a blind runner compete. He seemed to have twice my energy, and really made me thankful for what I have.

• Pain is temporary, pride is forever. The origins of this statement are debatable, but it's true.

• Just Keep Moving. I am always amazed at the surge of energy I get while running the last stretch of my marathons. I always think that my legs have given me all the energy they have left, but in the last quarter mile as I see the finish line in the distance, I always pick up the pace considerably and give it all I have. In a marathon, as in life, the key is just to keep moving, even if that means going slowly. No matter how hard things get, there is usually an end in sight, if we just keep moving forward.