Over a month ago I ran my first marathon. Yes, I could finish it successfully, but the most important is that I learned a lot of things I can now apply in my daily life. Curious? Here we go!
- If you want to achieve something, set a deadline. The best decision I could make was joining the marathon four months before it. This way I had the opportunity to prepare all my training properly to be ready.
- You should define all the steps to achieve your goal. Once I joined the marathon, I defined the training I should do the next 3 months: train 3 times a week, alternating between sprints and short training runs (15 km). Between those 3 months I had to do 3 long training runs (over 25km) too. Having a clear path to follow is one of the most important keys to have consistency and reaching your goals.
- Going fast may help you at first, but being constant will help you along the way. During the first 15 kilometers of the race I ran at a fast pace. Error. On the last 10 kilometers, I was so tired that I had a hard time finishing the race. Try to spend some time every day on what you are willing to achieve, and you will go much further than if you only spend one day working for hours.
- The path to your goal is full of distractions, so have a clear vision of where you are going. When you set a goal, you have to be 100% sure that you want to get it. Many people will ask you why are you doing this. And if you aren’t capable to answer this question without hesitating, in the end, you will give up.
- Trying is for the previous days. The big day use what you already know. I remember I bought new shoes the week before the race, and I used them the previous week without having any trouble. So the race day I thought using them was a good idea. What happened? On the kilometer 20 my feet hurt me as hell. Error. On a big day, use things that you are used to use. For example, in technology, if you want to build a project to get money (and not just for learning) the best choice you can make is using a tool that you know well. You’ll be more productive and you’ll achieve your goal easier and faster.
- Surround yourself with people who love you, support you and only want the best for yourself. And at this point I just wanted to say thank you to Mom, Dad, Lorena, Gonzalo, Ivan, Ana, Rubén, Josevi and Norma for supporting me and for being there on such a special day.