7 Life Lessons I Learned from Running a Half-Marathon

Recently, I completed my first half-marathon and was able to sit down and chat with another runner about our experiences. Statistically speaking, not many people have done one, and we both admitted the fact that many people (you may be one of them) perceive the marathon to be a crazy concept — thousands of people lining up to put their bodies in a great deal of pain and suffering, and thousands more come out to cheer them on.

So why do we do it? Because running a race produces such incredible feelings that very few other activities can measure up. More importantly, running a long-distance race is more than exercise and endorphins; it really is a metaphor for life and work. Here are 7 life lessons that I learned before the starting line and all the way to the finish line.

1. Real Transformations Do Not Happen Overnight. Training for this race took me about 5 months of diligent practice day in and day out. On top of that, there was an extensive amount of planning and learning that occurred ranging from nutrition, strength building, and aerobic capacity building. Successful completion of a long-distance race just by showing up is rarely possible, it can be dangerous and in fact, people that have attempted this did not fare so well.