When we think of marathon runners, we often think of certain characteristics: discipline, guts, and maybe even some crazy. However, during my first marathon on Sunday, I found myself drawing on a few other traits I was very happy to find inside myself when I most needed them–and oh, I needed them.
These might not be the first things you think of when you think of marathon runners, but I’d be willing to bet that most runners have them in spades.
Hunter’s Instinct
Not that I’m proud of this (although I can say that no one was hurt as I embraced this primitive side of myself), but as I ran I carefully watched the runners in front of me…and I hunted them. Any time I saw one start to falter (slow down, walk, or lose their good running form) I locked my sights on him and ran him down.
This focus helped me overtake several runners along the route–always with a smile and a “good job.”
Ability to Be Alone With Your Thoughts
With this marathon in particular, we didn’t have people along the sidelines for 26 miles. This race was out in the woods, and we only had cheering sections in a very few areas.
This gives you plenty of time to get quiet with yourself, and you’d better hope your self is on your side.
Your body is hurting and your mind is begging to go off on a tangent about how much your body is hurting–and you can’t let it.
A marathon runner has to take those thoughts–several hours worth of thoughts–and put them to good use.
Competitive Spirit
I knew I wasn’t going to win the marathon. That didn’t mean I was just going to skate along, either. It was a race. I was in race mode. That meant that I was trying not only to do my best but to get in front of as many people as I could.
Even if you don’t intend to win or even want to win, being competitive enough to TRY to win is going to help you do your best, and it’ll keep you going during those darkest miles when you most wish you could quit.
Pain Management
26.2 miles are going to hurt, and it might not be in the way you expect. My lungs were fine, and thanks to my stellar fueling plan (I got lucky on the experiment that was my first marathon fueling), my muscles were fine, too. My knees and hips, however, starting talking around mile 10 and were screaming by mile 20. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable was the key to finishing the race, and finishing in a time I’m proud of.
Stubbornness
I AM NOT QUITTING SO THERE.
What other characteristics do you see in runners, other athletes, and anyone who goes to the gym and sticks to the workout program no matter what?