Marathoning Is Mental

Marathoning is mental -- not just in the "crazy" sense but mostly in the "mind over matter" sense.


Here are seven characteristics that prove that marathoning is mental in the latter sense:



#1 - Planning


Marathoning seems to requires more planning than many other sports.


A field sport such as football or soccer requires that you show up at a particular location and train there -- and only there -- on a given day. In contrast, marathon training requires you to plan your training routes, plan when to start so that you finish a given route at an appropriate time, and so on.

Many sports have several competitive events throughout a sports season, so the training is interspersed with the competitions. In contrast, marathon training requires planning for one "big event" in a season.

Many sports let you compete repeatedly throughout the year without ever leaving town. In contrast, given that most cities host only one marathon a year, if you want to compete more than once a year, then you also must plan for travel.


#2 - Persistence


Marathoning requires persistence in at least three ways:


You must have persistence to finish your long training runs or walks.

You must have persistence to train for six months or more.

You must have persistence to complete a marathon.


#3 - Patience


Marathoning requires patience in at least five ways:


You must be patient to wait six months or more between when you start training and when you compete in a marathon.

You must be patient to wait for sustainable improvements in your speed and endurance.

You must be patient to wait days, weeks, or months while recuperating from a running or walking injury.

You must be patient to wait several minutes for the elite runners to cross a marathon starting line, just so that you, too, can cross it.

You must be patient to wait weeks or months for the next marathon after completing a marathon with results that you do not like.


#4 - Authenticity


Doing something that very few individuals do -- training for and completing a marathon -- requires authenticity.


How many other sports at times would have you putting in three-to-four-hour training sessions, getting up at 4 a.m. so that you can avoid summer heat, and training in the dark, the cold, and the rain?

How many other sports ask you to sacrifice your Friday evenings so that you can rise early for long training sessions on Saturday mornings?

How many other sports require you to begin to compete in an official event at 7 a.m. on a Sunday morning?

"Very few" is the answer to all of these questions. So you must be willing to go against the norm as a marathoner.


#5 - Motivation



Right on the heels of authenticity is motivation. You must have strong motivation to train for and complete a marathon. It is at the same time a group sport and solitary sport, and the solitary part is where your motivation is most tested. You could be marathoning for a cause, as a tribute to someone, or to avoid a family history of a debilitating disease. Or you could be marathoning for the "runners' high", because you like to eat, or for the mental challenge that it presents. Whatever "it" is, you must have motivation.


#6 - Introspection


Marathoning requires introspection. You must be brutally honest with yourself about many things, including:


Whether you are completing your core training runs or walks

Whether you are asking for help from training buddies

Whether you are offering help to training buddies and fellow racers

Whether you are paying attention to your running or walking pace

Whether you are hydrating adequately

Whether you are giving yourself sufficient time to recover from injuries

Whether you are taking needed days off

Whether you are cross-training

Whether you are completing speed-work sessions and other supplementary runs or walks

Whether you are eating properly

Whether you are getting enough sleep

Whether you are visualizing

Whether you are stretching adequately

These introspective activities are not necessarily fun. But they are crucial to your success as a marathoner.


#7 - Education


It is nearly impossible to take up the sport of marathoning without learning a lot in the process. Although it seems to non-marathoners that the sport is extremely simple -- run or walk 26.2 miles -- the reality is that you need a lot of education -- about injury prevention, training schedules, cross-training, race-day techniques, and so on -- to be successful at training for and completing a marathon.



There you have it: seven characteristics that prove that marathoning is mental -- in a good way!