The marathon is an unforgiving distance if you try and run it as fast as you can.

I started with very little knowledge and experience, almost no maturity and some wisdom as to why it was important to me.

My first effort was 4:26. My best 3 years later…2:58.

And then in the last 6 years I’ve shaved zero seconds off that PB…but I’ve tried more than ever. More on this at the end, when wisdom comes back into play.

Here’s how the four elements of self-mastery could be looked at in the context of the Marathon.

Wisdom

Firstly the question is why am I perusing this? Is it meaningful. It will take away from other parts of my life due to the commitment, so is it worth it?

Let’s say getting your fastest marathon time connects to your personal ‘why’ because it gives you the chance to get the best from your mind and body, and inspire others to do the same. That’s what it was originally about. Plus proof to myself that I won’t quit difficult things. Again, more on this when wisdom pops up again at the end of the article.

Knowledge and experience forms the plan

The knowledge is what goes into the plan and the daily execution. Experience comes from this. Both are important in making the plan effective because it’s about knowing what to do and what to expect.

A plan might might look like this:

• I want to run a sub 3 hour marathon
• I’ll set out an 18 week programme where:
  • I’ll build to 80 miles a week
  • Have 3 key workouts per week (Long run, threshold and tempo)
  • 2 strength sessions
  • 3 Yoga sessions
  • I’ll drop 8 lbs of body fat
• I’ll enter a flat, city marathon

Maturity

The maturity, however, is fundamental to success. Knowing what to do is one thing, but doing it is another. It’s the self-control to shift your plan based on how your body and mind feel, the perspective to apply the appropriate amount of self-pressure to follow the plan, and the skill to manage your emotions throughout.

This took the most time to develop for me. Getting the balance right in training and the race execution. I failed A LOT because I didn’t manage myself well enough.

The wisdom to carry on…or stop

Achieving meaningful things usually requires a mix of failure and success.

However, when in pursuit of something over the long term, sometimes the meaning will go and it takes wisdom to know when to stop, other times it’s the wisdom to keep going.

This is where I currently am…a new perspective is emerging for me. I feel like I have got a huge amount out of my journey, and now I’m reflecting on the idea that body longevity is a better investment. Because trying to get your fastest marathon may well be counter intuitive to that…