Off The Wall

Wow. I now understand what "the wall" really means! Yesterday during the marathon, I felt really good through the majority. The long race seemed like an athletic tour through the city, starting and ending in Grant Park and taking us through North Side neighborhoods, south through downtown and continuing through Pilsen and all the way to U.S. Cellular field and back up. It was a gorgeous day, starting out around a comfortable 70 degrees or so and getting hotter by midpoint in the race. I was happy for this because I've been training and competing in hot weather all summer, so the feel was similar. I felt extraordinary through about mile 21-22. Around that point my hip flexors and lower quads started to spasm a bit and I knew I was on the verge of hitting the wall. I slowed down, walked through gatorade stations, and even stretched out a bit. My goal moved away from a certain time and closer to finishing without hobbling through the finish. I now also understand the term "marathon shuffle," as this was the best way to describe how many of us were moving along. The shuffle was just over a speed walk, but too limited in range of motion to be considered a run or jog. I came in at 4:10:00, and I am satisfied to have finished and for having all of the support from family and friends as well as my clients to help me motor on through. That said, I am glad for the experience as it was humbling to experience the cramping, pain, and limitations that presented themselves. I now understand more about the conditioning that will help me in the future, and I am confident I will be able to avoid meltdowns in the future.

Much of the marathon experience translates to every day life. Moving at a pace slower than you'd like to because of crowding is much like being on a busy expressway or getting through a project limited by factors out of your control. We must learn patience and humility and do what we can, not always exactly what we want to. Also, hitting the wall happens all the time in life, doesn't it? Financially, economically, physically, mentally, emotionally, and in other ways, too. But it's not whether you hit the wall or cruise through that matters. It's really about dealing with the wall, bouncing off when you can and recovering to finish your challenge and/or task. Respond to your experiences both negative and positive, and in the end, we all learn more from setbacks and failures than "winning" with no hitches. Usually it's only when we learn and grow through failures that we can truly accomplish what we've set out to do. How does this apply with you? Have a great day, everyone, and thanks for reading!