Ok,
so marathons are long, people who run them are crazy, in fact all runners are crazy- But how does this apply to you?
“What’s your
version of sub 2?”
What
I love most about running is how it’s a metaphor for life. Running teaches you
how to have the endurance, patience, and work ethic for every obstacle life
throws at you. Lately I’ve been struggling with my own breaking 2: an ironic
event we’ll call “breaking tibia.” A couple months into my track season I
started having a lot of lower leg pain, calf tightness and some sneaky shin splints.
I blew it all off as the normal pains of running. Running’s supposed to hurt, right?
If it doesn’t you’re probably subhuman or something. I decided to just deal
with the pain and continued running 60-70 miles a week to train for the 10k in the LSC Championships. I definitely
learned my lesson April 7th on the West Texas track when 2 laps into my 5k race all the sudden my right leg popped. Like my shin actually popped. I tried to subdue my panic. I was pretty
concerned but being the stubborn person I am, I didn’t pull out of the race and
ran the last 10 laps on what I know now was a broken leg. Lesson learned,
running is supposed to be uncomfortable but if it’s painful DO NOT RUN until
your leg breaks, take the time to heal. As consequence for not taking care of myself I am now in a boot for a month and forced to go to the gym to rehab and lift weights while all my teammates continue to run. Am I a little salty about it? Absolutely.
I think everyone has their own version of a sub 2 marathon. Maybe it's a financial sub 2 you just can't seem to get over. As a broke college student I can relate! Maybe it's a temporary physical sub 2, my fractured leg for example. Maybe you have this goal that you just can't seem to reach no matter how hard you try. Maybe you struggle emotionally and can't break the tape on that sub 2 course. A lot of the time we get too focused on the end goal to appreciate the journey. All I saw was the finish line; I didn't fully take for granted the workouts that made me strong, the sleep and food that built up my sore muscles, or even the fact that running in college itself is an amazing opportunity. I beat myself up when I didn't produce the results. My goal of being the fastest long distance runner at age 19 that I could ever be during THIS 2017 track season clouded my judgment. I forgot to be patient with myself and in the end I learned a not so very fun lesson. I think it's important with any sub 2 that you remain patient with yourself and take a step back from your goals to assess the journey. It's all about the journey; what did you do to get where you are now? How has that shaped your life? I bet when Eliud Kipchoge hit mile 20 during the marathon he thought about all the training he did to get to that moment and used his journey to push him through those last excruciating miles. He never lost faith in himself or what he did to prepare. This is what's most important , it's not necessarily the results that matter most, it's all about the process you take to get there. Because in the end, there's really no finish line.
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