The Journey is the Reward

I started training for marathon ten years ago when I was living in Columbia, Maryland. Averaging about weekly 25 miles, I have probably run more than thirteen thousand miles since then, enough to go half way around the world. Meanwhile, I have been averaging one marathon every year to keep me motivated to run.

I was running in the Woodlands waterway the other day and saw the sign in the cover photo near the Mall: "The journey is the reward". This simple phase really epitomizes everything about my marathon training. Ten years ago, I realized that I was not be able to continue playing basketball games both due to the needs for a committed schedule with others, and the rigor required for contact sports. One morning, I came across a group of runners in a park and followed them for a few miles. I did not know how far I was able to run and where the group was going, but I followed. An hour later, one of the runners had to drive me back where I started since I had no idea how to get back. I was hooked. Ever since then, I have been running. I did my first marathon in 2009 at the DC Marine Corp marathon without knowing exactly what to expect, but successfully completed. I have since run Houston marathon, Austin marathon, Baltimore marathon. After breaking the four hour mark at the Philadelphia marathon in 2015, I set a PR of 3:48 last year at the Woodland marathon. I am still training in the hope to qualify for the Boston marathon some day. Here are a few thing I truly enjoy running, especially marathon running.

You do not need to be a super athlete other than the dedication to be a runner. You are running against yourself, not somebody else. You always focus on improving against youself, not to break any records. 

You do not need any special equipment other than a pair of good shoes. My job requires frequent travels worldwide, I always pack a pair of running shoes. I have run on the streets of Beijing, on the Copacabana beach in Brazil,Vienna along the Danube river, in Seoul, Tokyo, Dubai, Shanghai, Moscow, London and many other places as long as I feel safe. Just last month, I took advantage of the early sunrise in Sochi, the site of 2014 Olympic Winter Games and ran for 6 miles along the Mzymta river with the most refreshing morning air. My best way for adjusting jet lag with international travels is always to get up early in the morning and hit the gym in the wee hours for a tempo run of 5-6 miles.

You do not need to coordinate with anyone other than yourself. I have run with groups often on the weekend. However, I do my run mostly by myself. I find running by myself is the most relaxing and refreshing exercise. The monotony and solitude stimulate and refresh the mind. Some people go for message, some go for meditation, some go for yoga, others go for walking. My relaxation is running until sweaty. It is not hard to get sweaty in Texas.

The best thing about running is that you can never be too old to be a runner. Ms. Harriette Thompson of San Diego became the oldest woman to complete a marathon two years ago when she finished the San Diego Marathon in 7:24:36 at the age of 92. She recently became the oldest person ever finished a half marathon in 3:42:56. I plan to run as long as I can. 

It turns out running is very much like career. Focusing on goals can be tiresome and the sense of accomplishment will be very short lived and fleeting.

The journey is the reward.