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42 Lessons From Running 42 Marathons
This is what 40,000 kilometers taught me about long-distance running.
When I was 17, young and foolish, I did my first marathon with way too little training. After 3 hours, 49 minutes, and 20 seconds, 3 vomiting sessions, some blood, a few tears, and a lot of sweat later, I promised myself to never do it again.
Only 3 months later, I was at the starting line of my second marathon. Because that’s just how it goes with running. You forget about the pain and hold on to the pleasant memories.
Fast forward to 14 years later, I’ve run 42 marathons and multiple ultras. Believe me, during the estimated 40,000 kilometers I’ve run over all those years; there were a lot of ‘never-again-moments’.
But running always kept me challenged. It has always been a stable factor in my life. Something I can always fall back on. Running brought me so much.
Running 42 times the magical 42 kilometers distance feels like the perfect milestone to share some knowledge that I’ve gained from all the mistakes I’ve made over the last 14 years:
1. Celebrate the small victories.
A decent marathon preparation takes at least 12 weeks, so make sure to celebrate the more minor achievements along the…
