The biggest lesson I’ve learnt on my marathon journey is that I CAN DO HARD THINGS!
This has given my confidence such a huge boost which has carried over into both my professional and personal life.
I’ve learnt that I can have a laser-sharp focus, work consistently towards a clear goal and don’t give up when the going gets tough.
When it poured rain and I was cold in the hour before starting the marathon, I just told myself: it’s ok, you’ve been here before and you’ve got through it before.
I cannot quite put into words how valuable this has been to me on both a physical, mental and emotional level.
After giving birth to two children, tearing my pelvic floor and undergoing multiple hernia ops, I had felt as if I was back at square one with my fitness so many times over the last few years. Now I can put all of that behind me.
Mentally, the postnatal depression, changing careers and navigating the ups and downs of running my own business (especially during lockdown) had made me lose sight of the fact that I’m brave, capable and resilient.
Emotionally, finding out that I have ADHD and raising a child who is also neurodivergent is tough. Before the marathon, I felt overwhelmed by it all. Now I can appreciate and make use of all the tools and strategies that I already have at my disposal thanks to my NLP training.
Here are some more marathon lessons:
1.It feels great to have a GOAL to work towards, to not have to waste precious headspace ‘should I or should I not’ but just stick to a plan and notice an improvement in fitness week on week.
2.Getting through the WINTER months was so much easier because I had a long run through west London’s beautiful parks to look forward to (even when those runs were hard!).
3.I learnt that I can handle a lot of CARDIO as long as I had a magnesium (Epsom salt) bath straight afterwards. I have to be careful to not overload my nervous system so a mixture of cardio, mobility and strength was a better training plan for my body and mind than your usual runner’s training plan. Three runs a week was my limit but I made sure those were quality runs.
4.Having HIP DYSPLASIA meant that I had to work very carefully on my mobility, pelvic floor stability and strength while correcting muscle imbalances between my left and right leg. Thanks to this, I didn’t suffer any of the common running injuries but felt really strong and fit throughout (albeit slow!).
5.I LISTENED TO MY BODY throughout its monthly cycle during my training which meant that I sometimes didn’t do as long a run as I had planned if I felt really tired. Instead, I would do more strength training or a long walk. I would make up for this by working harder during the phase of my cycle when my energy levels were high.
6.I prioritised SLEEP and NUTRITION during my training, however I struggled with lowering my stress levels which set me back a few times. In those moments, I focused on being kind to myself and reminded myself that I had been going through a challenging time while training for my first marathon.
7.The CONFIDENCE and spring in my step that comes from ‘I’m just popping out for a 20k run’ has been amazing!
8.WEAR LESS CLOTHES than I want was always a challenge for me as I get cold so easily and I finally learnt this lesson in time for marathon day but not before 🙂
9.I need to DRINK & EAT MORE on my longer runs and fortunately also learnt this lesson in time for marathon day!
10.I’ve learnt that my body is so much STRONGER than I ever gave it credit for and as I honoured it throughout this process, it responded just like you would have expected it to ie: a few setbacks, some nice wins, a plateau and then a real break-through.
To anyone thinking of taking on a big fitness challenge, JUST DO IT and watch yourself soar on so many levels in the process! If you’ve recently had a baby, listen to your body and build up your fitness and strength gradually. But once you feel stronger and are sleeping better, don’t ever feel that you’re not capable of achieving great things. If anything, in my view, becoming a mum is such an amazing achievement that perhaps your greatest accomplishments lie ahead of you.
Caroline