I was new to running, living with diabetes, and training for my first marathon. After a long journey filled with learning, growth, setbacks, and pain, the grand finale was fast approaching. This is what came up in the last week before the marathon and what got me across the finish line.
1. Silence critics again. Negative messages sometimes come back and we have to be vigilant to block them. For example, a friend called from the finish line of another marathon with this message: “It was very difficult, my feet are killing me, I can’t walk, I have blisters on all my feet, this was as difficult as I could get.” I’ve never done,” and then, “You really need to improve your training, Shawn, and you might want to reconsider running the marathon so soon.”
I knew that his intentions were good, that he was taking care of me and trying to help. But I didn’t hear anything positive from him in the message. That’s why I needed to turn it around and MAKE IT positive.
This WILL be hard, there is no going back now. I heard that loud and clear. And I also felt a surge of something, “I’ll show you!” motivation.
I must have heard that message at least 6 times before my next training run, which was my best yet. It really set the pace for the last leg of my training before the marathon.
The day before the marathon, my inner critics started chiming in. My wife and I were walking through the corridor exhibition. Surrounded by all these long, lean, athletic guys running around, I said, “What am I doing here?” My wife didn’t want to hear any of it, reminding me that I’m a marathon runner just like them, doing exactly what everyone else is doing.
2. Take it and enjoy. And sometimes that is not easy. The morning of the Vancouver Marathon was cold, dark and rainy, with the weather calling for the possibility of freezing rain and snow.
It’s not what I would have chosen, but we went ahead with our plans. We all sat down for breakfast and I really enjoyed visiting with my brother and his family.
Actually, there was a lot to enjoy in the first part of my day. My wife and niece left me with words of encouragement and love, and I made my way to the back of the group (knowing that it would be better to pass than to be passed).
I tuned out everything else and focused on the most important reasons I was running this marathon: to raise awareness about diabetes, to encourage other people with diabetes to lead healthier lives, and in memory and admiration of two special women: my mother and my wife’s aunt.
I stood up and reflected on all this. And even though I was surrounded by thousands of other runners and even more people on the streets in support, the last ten minutes before the race started was one of the calmest times of my life.
Then we left, with the crowd cheering, and it felt really good. For the first 10 km, I really appreciated seeing many parts of Vancouver that I had never seen before. Hey some people take bus tours, this was a jogging tour!
Good thing I didn’t know Vancouver very well, because I had no idea where I was or how far I had to go. She made it so much easier to settle in and enjoy.
3. Review your why. The halfway point of the marathon was in beautiful Stanley Park and included more cheering people and uplifting music from a live band. And then right after that, I hit a huge hill, “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I thought. It really was the biggest hill I had ever run. And then the hail fell: great granules of ice that hurt when they hit.
I started laughing and said to myself, “Go ahead man, go ahead, there’s no stopping me.” I could see other people struggling and giving up. I saw that this was yet another test to pass. “How much do you want this?”
With 12K left, I went back to see my wife and niece. It was the perfect time, because things were about to get more difficult.
For the last leg of the race, we took off running and headed back to Kitsilano Beach; it was disheartening to see how far we were running and to know that we still had to turn back. My legs were killing and I and I hit the dreaded “corridor wall”. I just wanted to collapse.
It was then that I took the time to refocus on my why and look down where I had written my mother’s initials on one sleeve and my wife’s aunt’s initials on the other sleeve. The rest of the race changed my life in many ways. When I found myself passing runners who were in much better shape than I was, I knew my connection to my why was driving me.
The last kilometer was incredible; knowing that my brother, my two nieces and my wife would be there, watching and hearing the cheering crowd, what an amazing moment. My wife and niece ran the last leg with me.
And then it was done. My blood sugar was dropping, back to the reality of living with diabetes, and I had to go straight to the grocery store to take care of myself.
4. Celebrate your success. For me it was a family dinner. It is very important to celebrate what you have accomplished, no matter how big or small. Many people and organizations do not do this well. It’s also an opportunity to say thank you and express appreciation for the friends and family who supported you and helped make it happen. In my case, that also included my training friends from Team Diabetes. They had all run another marathon in Rome, which I couldn’t participate in because I had a shoulder injury, but they were there with me in spirit.
And it also included my runner friend who left the message from Rome. When it was all over, I thanked him for that message and told him the effect it had on me. He was in awe of how well he had done, even with a shoulder injury and less time to train.
So as you face the finish line of whatever dream you’re working toward, make sure you keep an eye out for your critics, remember why you’re doing it in the first place, and celebrate your successes big and small. And above all, enjoy it!
(c) Shawn Shepheard, 2007.