The slow run

The legend of the marathon says that an ancient Greek messenger ran from the town of Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 40 kilometers, with the news of an important Greek victory over the Persian army. He barely managed to complete his journey and deliver the message.

Of course, this is just a legend without proper historical checks, but it brings to light how contemporary life doesn’t bring any physical challenges anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a great accomplishment. It’s the triumph of human progress, creativity, hard work, and cooperation. But our bodies haven’t evolved into these new times to just sit on a chair for hours without end day after day – and still feel ok and healthy. To counter this, we have created these artificial challenges like the marathon because they feed into the need of the human body to improve, be challenged, and move.

Marathons remind me that I don’t give up. They are tough and mandate you train a lot more every week, improve and persist. I could enjoy only running half-marathons. Those are really pleasant, easier to train for, and require less mental toughness. But marathons are the ones that get me out of my comfort zone, that make me push myself. Doing hard things creates that self-respect for yourself, that confidence built out of pushing yourself and sticking to your goal through the hardest of moments.

Marathons are terribly long, but in that lies their beauty. They give you the space to explore yourself. During those 42 km, introspection inevitably pops up. And the same happens in the long runs you need to do in preparation for the race.

In the end, completing a marathon brings me a lot of joy. And may I dare to say fulfillment.