The Strength to Finish... and keep going!

"The race of life is a marathon, not a sprint."

A cliched phrase, perhaps, but one which I am finding more and more often to be true.

I started training for the Rock and Roll Marathon back in January. It will be my first full-length marathon and the training is quite different than what I am used to for half marathons. I assumed that once you reach a certain distance in running, going futher isn't that much harder, it's just longer. What I've learned is that adding distance is not only more demanding physically but also mentally!

I hit my first training "wall" a few weeks ago. My body ached when I ran and my mind wouldn't stop focusing on it, making it very difficult to motivate myself to get out there and keep going! It wasn't until our group did a 2-hour pace run that I realized that I had been trying to train for the marathon at my half-marathon pace. Essentially what that means is that I was running at a pace that was faster than I could comfortably sustain over a longer distance. My coach encouraged us to start the pace run conservatively and to finish the two hours feeling like we could keep running, not like we were dying to stop. He stood at points along the course for the whole two hours asking us how we were feeling to remind us that we should be feeling energized, not exhausted. I minded his advice and as a result, found a pace that was comfortable, sustainable and actually energizing... and it really wasn't that much slower than I had been running - maybe only 15 seconds or so per mile! I decided that over 26 miles, I could afford to add 15 seconds to my per mile time in exchange for greater physical and mental strength and endurance!

This revelation was refreshing and gave me the motivation and inspiration to continue to train. I had come to a point where I didn't know if I could continue - my body and mind both felt exhausted - but finding a way to make the difficult easy helped me move forward. I learned this principle through my husband David's BOSU training philosphy. He believes in finding ways to make exercise and movement as fluid and easy on the body as possible. He believes that performing repetitions of exercises/movements should be for "learning, not burning" implying that burning out a muscle so that you become painfully sore is not an effective approach. I would agree. I believe that exercise should be done in a way that is sustainable over time with the least amount of recovery time necessary so that you are strong and fresh enough to exercise again the next day. Adding BOSU exercise to my routine has been the best way for me to stay well conditioned because I always feel stronger after I do it. The rebounding effect of jumping or bouncing on the BOSU Ball is energizing and even flushes toxins from the legs which is great for my running. David has also created some combination moves which strengthen and tone the upper body, lower body and core all at the same time. I can feel the added strength in my core which has enabled me to maintain a solid upper body over the course of many miles - it feels great!

There are many ways to experience "marathoning" in life without ever running a marathon. My good friend Kelly just had her first baby (a girl!) last month. As she was telling me about her labor and delivery, she made reference to the experience as a "marathon". Life is full of marathon-like events which require marathon-like training. If what we are doing is constantly sprinting in life, we will cross the finish line feeling beaten, exhausted and dead. I want to cross the finish line feeling like I could run a whole other race! Now it is my goal to find ways in life to finish projects, races and even just each day with enough strength and vigor to keep on going. It's the difference between living life as a sprint vs. living life as a marathon. As I learn these lessons, I am finding balance in my life by becoming a marathoner.