This past Saturday I completed my fourth marathon. I was four minutes slower than last year’s time (3h 24m), but I was still pleased.
While I have always been active, the desire to improve my strength and endurance began nearly ten years ago. At present, I can report hundreds of miles of running, cycling, and swimming, hours of strength training and at least one 1st place finish (in my age group; sixth overall).
However, it’s only recently where I’ve considered the broader picture. I realized it’s not really about the individual event or accomplishment; it’s about the timeline the event is contained within.
For example, if I only ran one race in my lifetime, it’s simply a “blip” on my radar. In contrast, if I run a race every year for the rest of my life, it becomes a key marker in my personal history. And this marker is likely to contribute to other experiences outside of running:
- Improved appearance
- Improved confidence
- Connections with new people
- New professional opportunities
- New interpersonal relationships
- Etc.
Furthermore, as new accomplishments are added, the timeline and its embedded behavior become stronger and more resilient to potential interruption. Consistent achievement eventually powers itself.
To harness this energy “surplus,” three additional components require explicit development (and their own collective timeline):
- Concentration
- Memorization
- Meditation
In a future post, I will share some of the progress made within this training timeline and what my future plans entail.