perfect life daily

Whenever I hear the word marathon, the first thing I think about are those Kenyan runners that finish 26.2 miles in 2 hours and a handful of minutes. This year’s Honolulu Marathon winner, finished in 2 Hours and 14 Minutes. That breaks down to about a 5 minute 7 second mile for 26.2 miles!!!

Absolutely ridiculous! I on the other hand improved my time by 40 minutes to a new personal record of about 7 hours 12 minutes. Nothing to throw a party about, but a personal record nonetheless. Less bathroom breaks and no stopping at a friend’s barbecue along the marathon route. At this rate, I’ll be within the 4 hour mark in 3-4 more years!

That's Me. 7 Hours and 12 minute Finisher!

So after my thighs cramped up at Mile 11, I had a good time to think about things during the 15 mile walk to the finish line.

Thought #1: If You’re Gonna Work Hard at Something that Doesn’t Matter, You Damn Well Better Work Hard at Things that DO Matter!

If I’m going to go through all this pain to run a 26 mile race for fun, I better be willing to do at least the same or more for projects that are helping me build my future and sustain my lifestyle.

There was a purpose behind the very very first marathon; to race back to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. For each person running, there’s got to be some sort of pay off, whether it’s victory money or simply to be able to say that you’ve completed a marathon in your life.

I was thinking to myself, if I’m willing to get up at 3am in the morning and put myself into a situation where I’m walking with cramped thighs for 15 miles, what am I doing for my future?!

The vast majority of us have been trained to just work, work so that we can have stuff, work to pay off bills, work because we have to make our bosses happy. How much can we redirect and leverage our efforts so that work results in at least as much personal fulfillment and benefit for our own lives in the bigger picture as it does for the people, jobs and projects that we work for?

Thought #2: Nothing Beats Excellent Preparation

At the end of the day, absolutely nothing can replace the benefits of time well spent preparing. It wasn’t as if I decided the week before that I was going to run the marathon. I registered at the beginning of the year!

I had all year to practice, and train;  there were moments early in the morning or afternoons after work to build up my stamina and improve my conditioning.

Sometimes, we don’t really know what we’re sacrificing when we choose to do something else instead of preparing. Even though I was able to run for ten miles and finish the marathon by walking, it was a painful process. I don’t know how many times I was on the verge of stopping off at a friend’s house during the race to give me a ride home.

Each time a old Japanese man or lady slowly slowly jogged past me, it was a reminder of how important preparation is!

Thought #3: I Need to Increase My Pain Tolerance

I need to increase my pain tolerance. Every once in a while, there’s a program on the Discovery channel or National Geographic showing how insane the training is to become a Navy SEAL or an elite soldier. The preparation and training is grueling, grinding, and almost tortuous. Seeing the expressions on their faces is enough to make the toughest person cringe.

In my daily life, and in most people’s daily lives, there usually isn’t any sort of significant pain greater than trying to stay awake at your desk after a big lunch. Even sometimes when working at home, I’m overcome with the sudden urge to take a nap instead of pushing through the sleepiness.

One thing is for sure; The bigger the accomplishment or goal, the bigger the “pain” will be relative to the current state you’re in.

Dedication disguises itself in pain. Perseverance disguises itself in pain. Persistence disguises itself in pain. Victory, Joy and Freedom also disguise themselves in pain.

Until Honolulu Marathon 2012, see you on the training routes!

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