“Embrace the Journey”

By Kevin Leathers

We have all heard the cliché “this is a marathon, not a sprint,” when a coach refers to the grind of an entire season or your boss describes a long-range project. Well runners, this really IS a marathon we are preparing for.  Twenty-six miles, 385 yards.   There are not any real shortcuts or magic workouts to get ready to run a marathon.   You can fake your way through a 5K and maybe even a 10K if you are fit.  But show up to the starting line of a marathon unprepared, and you will certainly hit the wall…hard.

Like any truly worthy goal, it takes careful, long-range planning followed by a consistent, progressive workload.  Hopefully, it all ends with a sound race day strategy.  If all goes well you are rewarded with a deeply satisfying personal achievement.   I have learned many lessons about myself training for and racing in endurance events.  I will admit that most of the lessons have come during the training.  It is in training that we build the physical and mental strength that will get us through the rough patches on race day.

As we approach the beginning of the 16-week marathon build that begins in July, make sure you are getting in some consistent workouts.  Use one of the Team McGraw training plans or find another one that works for you.  Adapt the plan to meet your own schedule, but make sure that training becomes a regular part of your day.   Missing a workout here and there will not ruin your training.  Missing an entire week here and there might.  

Embrace the training.  Look forward to those weekly long runs as the major building blocks of your training foundation.   Don’t miss the personal epiphanies along the way.  Welcome the opportunity to find out what you are made of.  Ninety-nine percent of the population never takes that chance to push themselves to the mental and physical edge. 

The heroes that we run for face that challenge every day with grace and courage.  We can all draw from their spirit and strength as we push our own boundaries.  “Ya Gotta Believe.”

Kevin