Lessons of Marathon Training: #1 One Step at a Time
Today I am grateful for a nice weekend, a chance to write more gratitude letters, and a good Thanksgiving meal yesterday. I am also grateful that my husband Darcy is getting over his cold and that we got a training run in over the weekend.
Marathon week is here! We run the Seattle Marathon on December 1. I love the anticipation that builds as the marathon gets closer, and I love the week before the event. It is the best kind of anticipation. I appreciate that we are at this point and able to make this trip. After a very busy year and a couple of setbacks, we are feeling ready to run.
This will be our latest marathon, in terms of the time of year. We usually run our marathons in September or October. But we moved it to later after those setbacks and the the full year we have had. The few exta weeks of training have us feeling more prepared and I am thankful for that.
There are many lessons learned in the months that it takes to train for a marathon. There are many miles and hours of running in which to ponder those lessons. I will share three such lessons over the next three days. Today's lesson: Take it one step at a time.
Whether it is a 20-mile run or "just" a 5K, it can only be done one step at a time, one mile at a time.I try to appreciate those steps and miles, what I get to see as I run past, how I get to feel as the endorphin flow gets going. But this lesson also applies to other areas of my life. Actually, I can apply it to ALL areas of my life.
Stay in today. Take it a day at a time. And on some of the toughest or most joyous days, an hour or a minute at a time makes it either manageable for the former or more to relish for the latter.
Gratitude practice helps me be more mindful because it assists me in slowing down and paying attention to the here and now.That is what mindfulness is. That is where the joy and the gifts of this day reside.
I have been shown the importance of this lesson in so many ways, especially in my alcoholism recovery, in my cancer journey, my writing pursuits, and my roles as wife and mother/stepmother. There is no better teacher than running. One step at a time. One mile at a time. Paying attention along the way. That's my plan for today, and for the Seattle Marathon.
Marathon week is here! We run the Seattle Marathon on December 1. I love the anticipation that builds as the marathon gets closer, and I love the week before the event. It is the best kind of anticipation. I appreciate that we are at this point and able to make this trip. After a very busy year and a couple of setbacks, we are feeling ready to run.
This will be our latest marathon, in terms of the time of year. We usually run our marathons in September or October. But we moved it to later after those setbacks and the the full year we have had. The few exta weeks of training have us feeling more prepared and I am thankful for that.
There are many lessons learned in the months that it takes to train for a marathon. There are many miles and hours of running in which to ponder those lessons. I will share three such lessons over the next three days. Today's lesson: Take it one step at a time.
Whether it is a 20-mile run or "just" a 5K, it can only be done one step at a time, one mile at a time.I try to appreciate those steps and miles, what I get to see as I run past, how I get to feel as the endorphin flow gets going. But this lesson also applies to other areas of my life. Actually, I can apply it to ALL areas of my life.
Stay in today. Take it a day at a time. And on some of the toughest or most joyous days, an hour or a minute at a time makes it either manageable for the former or more to relish for the latter.
Gratitude practice helps me be more mindful because it assists me in slowing down and paying attention to the here and now.That is what mindfulness is. That is where the joy and the gifts of this day reside.
I have been shown the importance of this lesson in so many ways, especially in my alcoholism recovery, in my cancer journey, my writing pursuits, and my roles as wife and mother/stepmother. There is no better teacher than running. One step at a time. One mile at a time. Paying attention along the way. That's my plan for today, and for the Seattle Marathon.
Comments
Post a Comment