Why we run marathons. Hint: It’s not actually about the run
A poet once wrote: ‘Tell me, what is it you are going to do with your one and precious life?’
It’s a question that we’ve been trying to answer for thousands of years. Poets, philosophers, singers, songwriters, athletes… you and me. Unfortunately, this can lead to ‘existential angst’ — essentially, anxiety over our existence — as people wait for life to give them meaning, or perhaps go searching for meaning, believing it’s somewhere ‘out there’.
But here is another way of thinking about the meaning of life: life will only be meaningful to you if you do (experience) meaningful things.
Of course, what’s meaningful to one person will be completely different to another. Meaning is in the soul of the doer, which is why some people are passionate about designing clothes, others about growing roses, and some (the stark raving mad ones like us!) about running long distances.
Whatever pursuit we decide to chase, there are common themes that drive human behavior.
Achievement
Human history is a history of achievement. From Galileo to Einstein, from Amelia Earhart to Sir Edmund Hillary, our world has been shaped by the achievements of men and women down the ages.
Humans, it seems, are not designed to sit still, either literally or metaphorically. We are constantly striving to do better — fly further, climb higher, dive deeper, run faster. Our desire to move forward energizes us, powers our creativity, and, it turns out, let’s us live longer.
Attitude
As we get older, it is easy to let our horizons shrink, our boundaries contract, and our limitations multiply. In short, to do less, feel less, experience less.
Everybody seems to have a set of predefined limits of what they think they’re capable of. When we pick an audacious goal like a marathon for the first time, it might be way outside our current limits. And to go there, we have to plunge into the territory of fear and uncertainty. That’s what a big challenge is all about.
If you can do something that is outside your current limits and achieve it, then that expands ALL your horizons, all your limits, all your boundaries. And the interesting thing about life, as we all know, is that as we get a bit older we take fewer risks. We want to take things a little bit safer; we don’t want quite so many challenges. We want to keep the status quo.
So consequently, what this means is that some people keep stretching the boundaries of life while for everybody else, getting older means their world contracts, options are reduced, and fewer chances are taken. If we take fear for example, if you face your fears they get smaller. If you don’t face them they get bigger. It’s just part of life.
In other words, your attitude plays a role in how long you live. The sooner you put up those shutters, the sooner, it seems, you will be shut off from the world, for good!
Maybe one of life’s messages is ‘face your fears, take a few risks, and keep stretching your boundaries.’
Self-belief
Henry Ford knew a few things about taking risks and being successful. He also knew a few things about people.
A great believer in goal setting, Ford recognized that a person’s attitude in life, even more than the motor car, would determine how far a person went in life.
‘If you think you can do it, you’re right; if you think you can’t, you’re still right.’ — Henry Ford
It can be too easy to impose limits on ourselves. Especially as we get older. How often have you heard someone say they can’t do something because they’re ‘too old!’
There is no denying that there are some physical realities associated with aging, but in my experience, it is the ‘mental unrealities’ that more often determine what a person will and won’t do. Or perhaps, more importantly, will and won’t try.
‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!’ — Wayne Gretzky
Adventure
Finally, when was the last time you went on an adventure? As Australian Rugby League coach Wayne Bennett says, ‘Don’t die with the music in you.’
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So yes, it’s not just about the run. It’s about so much more. Life is for living, so chase experiences. Challenge your limits. Take some calculated risks, and believe in yourself. Set the goal and conquer it. My like-minded runner — here’s to you.
