Inspiration can take many forms. It can be from someone you know. It can be from someone at work. It can be from something you read or see on TV or social media. Wherever it comes from, it is uplifting and heartwarming. Watching the London Marathon (or any marathon to be honest) is one of those occasions where, in my view, you cannot fail to be inspired.
The performances of the elite runners are incredible to watch, but you always have to bear in mind that this is what they do. This is their job. They train every day, preparing sometimes at altitude and in different countries and training camps with other elite runners to prepare for this one day. While their efforts and times are truly staggering (the men’s world record for the marathon equates to around seventeen seconds for one hundred metres for the entire course!) and it was fabulous to see such a close women’s race in particular, true inspiration, for me at least, comes from the others who compete.
“they dedicated themselves”
Three people I know in real life and a load of other runners who I know through social media were lucky enough to run the London Marathon, and it is undoubtedly their performances which I find most inspiring. It does not matter what time they take to get round. It does not matter whether they set a PB or note. What matters is that they dedicated themselves to take on such an incredible challenge and succeeded. That is truly inspiring.
It is very easy to watch something like the London Marathon and to watch thousands of people doing it and think, “well it cannot be that difficult, look at all of those folk of all ages, shapes and sizes, who are doing it”. If you ever do think that, and you have not run a marathon before, I would suggest that you get in your car, set the milometer on the car to zero and just drive twenty six point two miles from your house. I can almost guarantee you that will be amazed at just how far you go before you reach that distance. And then imagine running it. It will give you a different sort of respect for anyone who runs that distance.
The fact that we tend to drive everywhere, I think, gives people a slightly distorted view of distance. One mile is, in fact, a pretty long way. I once saw a quiz question where people were asked how wide Manhattan Island in New York is. The answer is two miles, but people, even those who had been there, were staggered at that. They had all assumed it was much further, because they had done a lot of walking when they were there.
“running is hard”
And so, while people running the marathon distance is inspiring, this should also extend, frankly, to people who run any distance at all. Because running is hard. Running a mile is hard. Running 5k (3.1miles) is hard. A lot of people I know, because we run a lot, will say (me included), “I’m just going out for a 10k”, or “it’s only a half”. This underplays and undersells the achievement of those distances, and I think it is really important to reflect on all of that.
The distances which we run are all relative and based on our experience and previous achievements. And it can become blase to say the things I just mentioned. But we should never forget that every runner starts somewhere. And therefore, while we may downplay what we achieve, we should always recognise and appreciate the effort it has taken to get there. Because the other thing is, while we may not realise it, our efforts may inspire others.
I have friends who started running because they saw how I had changed my life. People have told me they resolved to run a 5k, 10k, or a half, or a marathon, because they knew that I had done it and they thought, “well if he can why can’t I?”. In fact one of my friends has gone into the ballot for the London Marathon next year. He has never run a marathon before, and he told me “If not now, when? If not me, who?”, which is one of my favourite inspirational quotes. And yes, if you are wondering, I am back in the ballot too, fully expecting my annual kick in the teeth come July.
I never set out to inspire anyone. I did not start running thinking, “oh yes, I shall achieve these things and my friends will all follow in my footsteps”. I never, for a second, thought anything like that. I just wanted to make a positive change in my life, and am extremely thankful that I did, but if by doing so I have influenced some others to make a positive choice about their health and wellbeing then that is great.
One of the reasons why I decided to become a jogleader with jogscotland a few years back, to pay back something to others who had helped me in my running journey, and this week I got confirmation that my licence will be renewed for another three years – I had to do a renewal course online – so I should be able to continue to help others who want to make a difference to their lives.
“I am still struggling”
I wrote a few weeks back about my hope to find some consistency in my running, but this is something I am still struggling a bit to find. Work has been pretty full on, so I have not really been able to get back into a happy routine, and that looks likely to continue over at least the next few weeks, so I just need to be patient and enjoy the runs when I manage to fit them in.
That is why it is so important to value the time I do get running, particularly with friends like Susan and Maxine, whom I was out with for a very early 10k this weekend, as this was the only point in the day where I could fit in the run. This was another good reminder to be thankful of time together, even if the rain did come on just as we started, but if life gives you rain, then you need to find rainbows. And we did.
Returning to my theme of inspiration and the joy of watching so many people achieve something they never thought possible last weekend at the London Marathon. I firmly believe we are all more capable than we think we are and can achieve far more than we think we can. If you watched the London Marathon and thought, “I could never do that”, trust me, you can. Be inspired. Take on challenges. Do things which scare you. Use the inspiration of others to achieve great things. As the voice says in my favourite film, Field of Dreams, “Go the distance”. You can do it.
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