It is imperative for one to set the limits and expectations before embarking on a marathon

The hardest part of starting to run lies in the mind. It is about removing the mental block and getting past all the hurdles that the mind creates. Once the hardest part is conquered, the die is cast. Likewise the hardest part of running a marathon is also in the mind. Scepticism and fear! Will I be able to run that far? My body isn’t built for that distance? Will I get the time to train? Once these are tamed and one commits to a marathon, there is no turning back.

Taming the scepticism and fear alone doesn’t make the training or the marathon run any easier. In fact, many think that the decision to run a marathon was the easiest part after training for a few weeks. Despite the strenuous training phase, I still believe that the hardest part is the mind. Roughly 25% of the runners drop off before the marathon due to injury or lack of preparation and roughly another 25% do not finish the marathon on the race day. I call them the hapless lot!

Today, many resources are available online that provide a training plan based on one’s marathon objectives, available training days a week and available months running up to the race day. It is always better to go for an experienced mentor who could provide a custom and dynamic plan based on one’s progress. This definitely helps to avoid getting into the list of the hapless runners.

The training phase for the first marathon and the race teaches several lessons, including the right training plan for the body conditions, the right nutrition, rest and recovery and the appropriate pace to train. Pace (how much time it takes to run 1 km — the mathematical inverse of speed), along with nutrition, plays a vital role in avoiding injuries during the training runs and the race. It plays an instrumental role to avoid the situation during the marathon which is called ‘’hit the wall” in runner’s parlance. The point when the body and mind can’t endure any more and simply shut down. Many rookie runners make this mistake in their first marathon. Running too fast in the beginning of the race and hitting the wall.

The first thing that a first time marathoner often says after successfully crossing the finish line is “I’m never going to do it again!” Interestingly, this is the best of all the lies that many marathoners say. Before long, the marathoner’s body recovers, and they look at the marathon calendar to plan the next one. The virtuous cycle continues as long as the body and mind are fit and align.

With a target pace and a custom plan, along with the right preparation, every marathon provides an exhilarating experience. Of course, marathons can give a bad experience or cause an injury that may last several months. On the other hand, there are hard-core runners who elevate the experience to a whole new level by running ultra marathons that give nothing short of an euphoric feel.

Drawing a parallel, I find every stage in life is a marathon. Be it high school, college, higher education, research scholar, first job, stint at an MNC, a business venture, or any major change in the career path. Some of these marathons are memorable and some end on a sour note. Some of these may seem like an ultra marathon too.

Just as mind and body must align for a real marathon, they must also align for life’s every marathon. Just as plan, pace, nutrition, preparation, rest, recovery and execution are all important for a marathon, they are important for life’s marathons too. They ideally set the limits and the expectations.

Often, we subconsciously cross the limits due to external influences or pressure targeting a greater ambitious outcome in a few marathons in life and hit the wall too soon. We learn a lesson, recover from the pain and start afresh with the next one.

SundarSNathan@gmail.com