It has been many years now, but I remember the first time I ran my first full marathon. I am talking about the full 42.195 km distance. I had done a lot of running races leading up to this event. I started with 10km races and thought that I would not go any longer than this. Then I tried a half marathon and also thought that this was enough for me. But I had an opportunity to go the full marathon, and despite the anxiety and the uncertainty about whether I would finish it, I decided to go for it.
I had many questions in my mind the night before. Am I fit enough? Have I trained enough? Would I pass out from exhaustion and need to be hospitalized during the race? Would I have a heart attack and die during the race? None of these things happened, but I think I was asking myself the wrong questions. I should have been asking, Would I be sore after the race? Would I be so badly chafed that I would be in agonizing pain after the race? Would my life change for the better after the race? All of these things actually happened.
My body became much stronger after that first marathon. I was able to adapt to the distance well, and no matter how long a period I have without training, my body still can rise to the challenge of this kind of endurance race. But the thing that I was really not imagining was that my mind would also become more adapted to endurance.
Whenever faced with a challenge, I would always say to myself. This is tough, but I have completed a full marathon, so I can do this. If I had a hard and long day at work, in the past I asked myself, Can I get through this day? But now I know I don’t need to ask; I am confident that I can see through any challenge.
There is a lot of literature out there that gives examples of what kind of benefits others have obtained through running in general. In an older study, back in the 1980s it reported that runners’ experiences decreases in anxiety and increases in self-esteem, as well as improvements in moods. Other literature has pointed out that running can reduce depression and anxiety. On the other hand, some literature has also indicated that exercise addiction can also be a negative aspect of running.
Although there are many benefits to be obtained through running, there does not seem to be much literature out there that really focuses on long distance running. But definitely from my experience it has changed my life for the better and I plan to let it do that again, soon, in the near future.
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https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1744-6198.1980.tb00704.x
