Lessons learnt from training to do a marathon.

Introduction

During one of my recent runs I had a thought that it would have been great to have known about the benefits of running earlier and that inspired me to write this piece to hopefully encourage you. What started off as something I hated and always dreaded turned into one of the highlights of my day. When I first started running in an attempt to lose some weight I couldn't wait until my run was finished. This is in stark contrast to how I feel about it now. Often while I'm putting one foot in front of the other, I'm excitedly planning my next long run. This is not something that happened overnight, that's for sure.

What was it that I liked so much about something that is a seemingly pretty boring activity?

When I first started running, I had to muster up every bit of motivation I could to get me out that door. It was very hard at first, but gradually it got easier and easier. As time went by, the repeated process of unwillingly trotting out the door built momentum and a real discipline was formed. I first started running to shed a few pounds. Fast forward a few months I had achieved this goal but I wasn't done there, a door had been opened and I’d been bitten by the bug. What was it that I liked so much about something that is a seemingly pretty boring activity? Running in a straight line for an hour at a consistent pace is something I couldn't fathom only a few months prior.

It wasn't so much that I was doing it because I knew it was good for my body physically but more so of how it made my head feel. It was like a clearing of the mind, all of the day’s petty worries and stresses were very quickly washed away. A stressful event at work that day or anxiety I had over an upcoming event suddenly all felt very insubstantial. All it took was about 45 minutes of putting one foot in front of the other and I felt like my day had flipped on its head. I guess I was experiencing this runner's high which I had heard a lot about but had always been skeptical to its credibility. The clear headed feeling and the washing away of worries is certainly the main reason why I still love to train to this day.

The power of goal setting

This journey started with me setting a goal to lose a bit of weight. In all honesty it was one of the first goals I had set for myself in years. I hadn't been challenging myself much, I was happy out coasting along? until I set that first initial goal. Accomplishing that opened my eyes to the power of goal setting. I felt great when I achieved my goal, I could feel my confidence grow a little. It gave me direction and a clear understanding of what I needed to do. I wanted to implement this over a longer time-frame with a more challenging goal. With that in mind I signed up for the Ho Chi Minh Marathon, which for me was a big undertaking, but setting this challenge for myself gave me direction and a sense of purpose each day.

The little wins compound into something big

I googled a basic marathon plan, the general gist was to run about 40 to 50 kms a week and gradually increase the distance of my weekly longer run. Nothing too complex as all I wanted to do was cross that finish line. Having a training plan helped as my overall goal was broken down into weekly achievable objectives, which made it a lot easier to take it step by step. If you're setting yourself a long term goal I'd recommend putting in some smaller objectives that you need to achieve along the way. That certainly helped me stay on track and not get overwhelmed with the longer process. The little wins compound into something big, they may feel like small achievements at the time of doing them but trust me that, when compounded over time, they can lead to the accomplishment of massive goals. For me, the majority of my day's training objectives simply consisted of completing a 10km run, fast forward a few months and the compounding effect of these small objectives helped me cross the finish line to complete my first marathon.

Only a year prior to completing the marathon, I would never have thought that I could do that. At that time I had very little fitness and doing a marathon would have sounded laughable when I first began my fitness journey. Completing this goal and the great sense of accomplishment that came with it has led me to finishing another marathon and a couple of triathlons and I know it's only the beginning. This journey has completely changed my life in many ways. While it's great that I’ve become physically fit, many other benefits have trickled down into other aspects of my life.

Importance of consistency

One of the main things that has changed in my life since I started doing daily cardio exercise is how this discipline has fed into other aspects of my life. It opened my eyes to the importance of consistency; whether that be learning a new task for work, trying to meditate, learning a new language or whatever you want to achieve, if you show up every day and practice diligently you will form discipline. Discipline is key because when you have successfully formed discipline you will carry out tasks even when you don't feel like doing it. It's far more powerful than motivation which comes and goes, like the wind. We need discipline when motivation is lacking, otherwise nothing gets done.

My journey of going down the rabbit hole of cardio exercise has made me a much more confident person. This radical change has helped me become far more confident in all walks of life, from work situations to social situations and also I'm much more susceptible to trying new things.?

Takeaways

Here are the key points I want you to take away from this written piece about my fitness journey.

• Running and exercise are amazing tools to clear your head of anxieties.
• Setting goals can be a useful tool to keep yourself on track.
• Overcoming one challenge in life can trickle down into other aspects of your life.
• Take everything in life step by step, compounding small wins leads to big accomplishments.
• Discipline is formed from repeated action and is far more important than fleeting motivation.