BY DR. BE

a CARSON Preliminary research is complete and the results are in—completing a marathon is great for you in many ways. The physical benefits of training for and completing a marathon are obvious. This research studied the psychological benefits. The results show the benefits beyond the physical are enormous. A more detailed study is in progress and the results will appear in a later issue of M&B. Books such as John “the Penguin” Bingham’s The Courage to Start, Gail Kislevitz’s First Marathons: Personal Encounters With the 26.2 Mile Monster, Irene Reti’s Women Runners: Stories of Transformation, and Oprah’s Make the Connection all indicate that intense change takes place in individuals who complete a first marathon. This has become such an important interest of mine that I have focused my doctoral work around this phenomenon. Recently, I did a preliminary study to try to understand what this change is. Everyone is quite comfortable with the fact that by doing a marathon, participants feel much more empowered after it. This study sought to understand the source of that newfound empowerment. As part of that research, I reflected on my own experience and talked to several individuals who had recently completed their first marathon. The stories all had several common themes. Yes, everyone felt empowered, more able to take on the challenges that came their way. However, some significantly deeper revelations surfaced. The three most prevalent findings were

• an appreciation for pacing, as well as an ability to apply it to all aspects of life; • the sense of empowerment; and • the sense that the change was not related to finishing the race so much as to training for it. In fact, they all felt an initial sense of emptiness when they first stepped across the finish line.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS Pacing The most prominent finding was the concept of pacing. When you decide to take on a marathon, it is just not possible to decide that “today I’m going to run a marathon.” Instead, you decide that four, six, or more months from now you will do a marathon. Then you train a little at a time. Each week as you prepare, you increase the distance only a little. By trying to take on too much all at once, you end up hurt. Each time you do a distance run, you need to maintain a steady pace or you don’t make the distance. If you know you run a 10-minute pace and you start out running with folks who run at a nine-minute pace, you’ll burn out long before you get to the finish. If you start with your 10-minute pace and simply maintain it, you get to your final destination. So what does this mean outside of marathon training? Those who have completed their marathon come to realize how important pacing is in all aspects of life. As the expression goes, “Slow and steady wins the race.” Those whom I have talked to realize they now approach everything in life with this attitude, from driving a car to how they approach work. In driving, they realize that zipping along, bobbing in and out of traffic, doesn’t get them to the destination any sooner. However, it does get them there with increased stress levels. They have come to realize that by taking it easy, setting a steady pace, they get to their final destination in the same amount of time but without the stress. When it comes to work, they have taken the same approach. When they have a major task to complete, they don’t jump in headfirst. They plan it out. They set their pace and complete the project, typically in less time and with much less stress. What they have learned is that planning a project—planning all the steps necessary to achieve success—then sticking with the plan, guarantees success. This isn’t to say that the plan is set in stone. As with marathon training, things happen along the way. When these things happen, you have to be willing to step back and revise the plan. As part of this planning ability, everyone has come to understand the importance of turning to others. This comes in two forms: being able to turn to experts to design the plan and having a support network that will be there with you until the end. In both marathon training and life, having others whom you can lean on in both the good times and the rough times is a key element to successfully keeping the pace. This ability to pace and depend on others leads to the feeling of empowerment.

Empowerment What do people mean when they say they feel empowered? Simply put, they feel able to take on challenges that before seemed out of reach. By training for the marathon, they learn that with a little determination they can increase their ability to the point of taking on a challenge as daunting as a marathon. They no longer look at the size of the ultimate task they are trying to achieve; they look at manageable steps to get there. They have discovered that by breaking it into smaller, achievable steps they can accomplish almost anything. They discover that empowerment doesn’t come from taking the final step to achieve the marathon but comes from training. It comes from setting out the baby-step goals and accomplishing those on their way to the ultimate goal. The true power of taking on a marathon happens gradually over the course of the training. The completion of the actual event brings mixed emotions.

Consistently, each person expressed a sense of emptiness at crossing the finish line although they were all thrilled with the public validation. This emptiness stemmed from the fact that for months their life had revolved around training for the marathon. Now, in a matter of hours, it was over. So now what? This emptiness was short lived. As they joined with friends and family and celebrated the accomplishment, their sense of empowerment swelled. They all realized that they had conquered this challenge, and now the door stood wide open to other challenges. There was an overwhelming sense that any challenge was now within reach. The key was to choose a new challenge to fill the void. For some, this was other athletic events, such as additional marathons, triathlons, or ultras. For others, it has meant taking on volunteer work to raise money for charity. Sometimes this work involved training others to complete a marathon. For still others, it has meant a change in the level of responsibility they chose to take on at work.

THE STORIES First-time marathon stories are plentiful. What follows are the stories of those who were part of this research.

Tom’s Story Tom had been a smoker all of his adult life. His idea of exercise was lifting beers at the bar. As he was approaching 50, he decided it was time to make a change in his life. He discovered running, bought a treadmill for the house, and enjoyed doing a couple of miles a day. It wasn’t long before his wife decided that he needed to relocate his running to the great outdoors. He was not sure where to run, but a quick search on the Internet led Tom to the North County Rail Trail Snails. The Trail Snails are a group of slower runners who support and motivate each other. It wasn’t long after joining this group that the group’s coach asked him about his goals. Tom’s initial reaction was that he wanted to be able to run out a couple of miles, run back, and not keel over. Coach was not satisfied with that and told Tom that he had to have goals. So Tom started looking at 5Ks and soon had been talked into being part of a relay team for a marathon. The next thing he knew, he was signed up for a half-marathon and ultimately a marathon. Tom also speaks of being a very different person from whom he was when he first started running, but he is unable to pinpoint when the change happened. He remembers a day when he was out training with the Snails and the coach reminded them to take it easy since they were distance runners. At that moment, Tom recalled that while he once was finished after running two miles, now it took two miles before he felt warmed up. Tom felt a letdown when he crossed the finish line after his first marathon. Now that he had met this goal, how would he fill the void? Since then, he has made numerous changes in his life. He now runs a running clinic for women and thrives at working with people who are out of shape, training them to run their first 5K. Additionally, he has taken over one of the charity runs and thrills at being able to use running to give back to society. As far as his work life goes, he has learned the importance of pacing. In the past, he rushed after each new task and constantly felt stressed, but now he plans his approach and paces himself. He has found that work and life are much more rewarding. He credits the marathon training for teaching him this new approach to life. Before the marathon, rushing was a way of life. Since the marathon, he takes everything in stride. Before, he ran hard and ran for the exercise. Now he runs to relax, enjoying the escape it affords him. Mark’s Story Mark is considerably younger than the others I’ve spoken to. Additionally, he ran track in high school, so for him, speed was an important aspect of his training. After changing cities for work, he met a woman who had run about a dozen marathons. As they talked, he caught the fever and signed up for his first marathon but realized he really didn’t know how to train for it. He joined a local running group to find the support he was looking for. As with many running groups, there were quite a few first-timers. For him, this group became much more than his running network; it became his social network. His major revelation was somewhat different from that expressed by the others. His came during a 5K race when he was nearing the finish line and realized he had a shot at placing. At that point, he picked up his pace, pushing as hard as he could until he passed the competition. As he came across the finish line, he heard his name announced over the loudspeaker. Through the cheers and congratulations, he realized that one of the great things about running is that what matters is your ability, not the color of your skin or your sex—just that you are out there doing it. Moreover, if you are skilled enough to be considered among the elite, you are held in a particular place of honor. Completing his first marathon has lit a fire in Mark. He approaches work as a leader. He has come to realize how able he is and approaches work with newfound confidence. Additionally, he seeks out increasingly more challenging tasks. He no longer doubts that he is up to the task—he knows that he is.

Chris’s Story Chris talked to friends who had run the Marine Corps Marathon and caught the bug. He decided he needed a major goal, so he signed up for his marathon. He, too, could not decide when he had changed but realized he had become much more patient. By virtue of training for the marathon, he came to realize the need to break down a big task into smaller ones. As he was training, he had a distinct fear of injury. He came to realize that he was physically able to do it, but the fear of injury always hung over his head. After completing the marathon, he realized that most of his fears were unfounded not just in terms of running but in all aspects of life. He realized that challenges are not to be feared, they are only to be mastered. With this understanding, he learned that the key was patience. Now when he is faced with a new challenge, he approaches it with patience, plans it out, and maintains his pace until the challenge is overcome. He is much more inclined to take a leadership role at work, understanding that with patience and pacing, all things are achievable.

My Story My story is several years in the past, but the change that occurred in me still persists. I was never an athlete. Growing up, I was always the last one selected for any team sport. I just didn’t have the talent for it nor the desire to develop the talent. I’m still not quite sure how I was persuaded to attempt a marathon, but I did and my life has been forever changed. The first day I attempted to run, it was less than a tenth of a mile before I had to walk. I was crestfallen. I had been exercising—particularly distance walking—up until that point, but that was my first attempt at running. After a few attempts, I finally started getting the hang of it. Six months later, I completed the Marine Corps Marathon. So how did I go from being a nonrunner to a marathoner in just six months? It was mostly perseverance, but it was primarily through pacing. I discovered early in my training that I couldn’t go very far because I was trying to go too fast. As soon as I slowed down, the miles climbed rapidly. I learned that by setting achievable goals along the way, I could increase my miles without hurting myself. Each week I would add only a single mile, which was achievable. It wasn’t until I crossed the finish line that I accepted that I was capable of transporting my body 26 miles. However, reflecting back on it, I realized this was not what created the sense of empowerment but was simply the public validation that I was capable. Thinking back over the months of training, I couldn’t pinpoint a time that I had changed. There were times when I was more aware that I was becoming someone new, but no defining moments. The closest I came to a defining moment was the first day I ran eight miles. It was a beautiful spring day and I was running on a local trail. As I headed down the trail, I passed a runner going the other direction. He ran with the grace of a gazelle. We nodded as we passed each other but said nothing. As I was returning up the trail, we passed again. This time he simply said, “Nice run.” It was the first time since I had started training that I realized that I was a runner. Since the first marathon four years ago, I’ve completed an additional eight marathons, but with each of these, my ultimate goal has changed. I no longer think about how long it will take. Instead, I look for someone who is struggling and pair up until we reach the finish line. There have been times that I think about achieving a time goal again, but sharing the moment with someone who ultimately completes the challenge is a feeling I’m not willing to give up.

CONTINUING RESEARCH As part of my doctoral program at George Washington University, I have received approval to study in more detail the nonphysical changes experienced by first-time marathoners. The study will involve measuring how a person approaches new challenges before training for a marathon, then after completing it. These results will appear in Marathon & Beyond in a future issue. It Was the Best of Times,