{"id":3471,"date":"2019-07-17T10:34:14","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T15:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.new.usafit.com\/dcfit\/?p=3471"},"modified":"2019-10-04T11:43:06","modified_gmt":"2019-10-04T16:43:06","slug":"10-reasons-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/usa-fit\/10-reasons-why\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons Why \u2018Marathon\u2019 Should Be On Everyone\u2019s Bucket List"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=\"10 Reasons Why \u2018Marathon\u2019 Should Be On Everyone\u2019s Bucket List\" font_container=\"tag:h2|font_size:46px|text_align:left|color:%231e1e1e|line_height:2\" use_theme_fonts=\"yes\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"3090\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I ran my first marathon what seems like a million years ago, at the tender age of 25. While young professionals were asleep at 7:30 on a Saturday morning, I was out on the streets working ten or 15 or 20 miles, trying to balance speed with time with the number of chocolate-flavored energy shots I had left. I still remember the feeling of crossing the finish line; I was sweaty and dying and exhausted but not out of breath, because my legs had stopped agreeing to carry me at a speed fast enough to render me breathless about six miles ago. There were tears and hugs and I felt like I was on top of the world. But that feeling of glory and accomplishment isn\u2019t even one of the first reasons why I think \u201cmarathon\u201d should be on everyone\u2019s bucket list\u2026a few more of them are listed below.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1563379718272{background-image: url(https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/USA-Tipunder-gray.png?id=3477) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"3855\" img_size=\"full\"][vc_column_text]\n

1 - Your Legs will be Toned<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Can we talk about this for a minute? If there\u2019s any one way to get seriously toned calves, it\u2019s to repeatedly use that same part of your body nonstop for 4+ hours at a time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my skinny jeans (yes I have some) were feeling a little resistance in that area throughout my training period\u2026. Not only will your body begin to feel better with the increased amounts of physical activity you\u2019re doing, it\u2019ll begin to look amazing too.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1563379718272{background-image: url(https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/USA-Tipunder-gray.png?id=3477) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

2 - You learn to keep going when you just want to freaking quit already.<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]There are going to be times during marathon training (and the marathon!) that you just want to quit, Done that!. That you want to lie down on someone\u2019s lawn, Done that!\u00a0\u2014 look up at the sky, say \u201cWhat the hell did I get myself into,\u201d and close your eyes for a good four or five hours. But the thing is, you can\u2019t \u2014 well you shouldn\u2019t. Your support team\u2014because no one ever trains for a marathon alone\u2014won\u2019t let you \u2013 go Fitters!. You have to keep going. And this lesson can be, of course, taken out of this context and applied to all areas of life, including but not limited to standardized tests, conversations with the in-laws, essay writing, and general work\/schooling.Did I mention the in-laws.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1563379718272{background-image: url(https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/USA-Tipunder-gray.png?id=3477) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

3 - Bragging Rights - Of course!<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Completing a marathon is no small feat. It\u2019s shown that only a very small percent of the world\u2019s population will run a marathon in their lifetime. So, being able to say \u201cI ran the Marine Corps Marathon\u201d at the next family dinner with aforementioned in-laws? Yes please. Just be prepared to not be a smarty when they ask how long was it, or did you win.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1570207366775{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

4 - Speaking of bragging rights, they\u2019re also a huge confidence booster.<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This was a big one for me. I didn\u2019t run over that finish line a changed person, but a more complex one. I ran over that finish line an adult athlete, a part of myself that I created out of nothing. There\u2019s something confidence-giving about being able to say that you ran a marathon, that you\u2019re capable of something so extreme and amazing.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1570206888828{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

5 - You realize that not everything in life is a competition<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]While marathoning is definitely a community affair at times, it\u2019s also very much an independent sport. Unless you\u2019re one of the elite runners, the only person you should be aiming to beat is yourself. Beat your own 10K time, beat your own fatigue, beat your goals to death. Because the truth is, it\u2019s not a race. The man who finished 100 runners ahead of you trained just as hard and worked just as much to accomplish the same goal as you. Don\u2019t see other runners as your competition, but as your allies. Because the truth is, even the most seemingly-obvious things in life are not a race.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1570206888828{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

6 - You learn to love yourself.<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Body insecurity is fortunately not something everyone has to deal with, but it obviously does exist. Let me make one thing clear: when you\u2019re running, it does not matter what you look like. Don\u2019t be afraid to wear fitted t-shirts because you have a bit of a belly. Don\u2019t avoid running caps because you have a \u201cflat head.\u201d You learn to appreciate what you have\u2014strong legs that can carry you 26.2 miles\u2014rather than worrying about how they look.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1570206888828{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

7 - Two words: elevator pitches. (More Fitters!)<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]You\u2019ll meet many different types of people over the course of your marathon training (runners who are up at the butt crack of dawn just like you, people who walk the same trails that you run) and you\u2019re inevitably going to have to trade elevator pitches with some people at some point. If there\u2019s anything marathoning will teach you, it\u2019s how to make yourself sound like a compelling, interesting, decent human being in 200 words or less.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1570206888828{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

8 - It makes everything else seem easier by comparison.<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]If you can wake up at 6:45 on a Saturday morning to do your long runs, you can handle your 5-year-old\u2019s tantrums. If you can put on five layers and survive an 11-mile-run in the dead of winter, you can ace that oral presentation at work. Once you do something as rigorous and demanding as train for a marathon, everything else\u2014the everyday obstacles you face, the little issues that come up\u2014don\u2019t seem as bad anymore.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1570206888828{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

9 - The power of mental toughness<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]It may seem counterintuitive, but a large part of completing a marathon stems from your ability to stay strong mentally. You know from the training that you can do the miles, but towards the end of the 26 when you want to give up, mental stamina is what will keep you going. Never underestimate the power of mental toughness in your day to day life, because it will take you farther than you know.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1570206888828{background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

10 - The community is one of the most special and unique that you will ever be a part of<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]There\u2019s no test that you have to pass to be able to run a marathon (well, except for perhaps a doctor\u2019s OK, and for Fitters a three mile time trial\u2026). This means that marathoning is something that\u2019s open and available to the majority of people. Throughout my time as a marathoner, I\u2019ve met people from all walks of life; I\u2019ve met teachers, freelancers, musicians, and vice principals, weirdo\u2019s and fun people too. If there\u2019s any reason to put \u201cmarathon\u201d on your bucket list, it\u2019s to do it for the community that will work with you to make sure that you cross that start line with confidence and finish feeling like you\u2019ve just accomplished something extraordinary.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=\".vc_custom_1563379718272{background-image: url(https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/USA-Tipunder-gray.png?id=3477) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: contain !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_separator color=\"custom\" accent_color=\"#105677\"][vc_column_text]\n

Keep the Pace,<\/p>\n

Coach Chris<\/p><\/blockquote>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=\"10 Reasons Why \u2018Marathon\u2019 Should Be On Everyone\u2019s Bucket List\" font_container=\"tag:h2|font_size:46px|text_align:left|color:%231e1e1e|line_height:2\" use_theme_fonts=\"yes\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"3090\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I ran my first marathon what seems like a million years ago, at the tender age of 25. While young professionals were asleep at 7:30 on a Saturday morning, I was out on the streets working ten or 15 or 20 miles, trying to balance Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":3090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[48,47,46],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/running_cold.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcWR20-TZ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3471"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3471"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3857,"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3471\/revisions\/3857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usafit.com\/dcfit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}