Triumph over adversity

The physical benefits of distance running are self-evident. Since I took it up last April (although it was around June time that I first hit 6 miles), I've conditioned my body towards a lean build, putting on 4kg in weight, lowering my resting heart rate and enjoying generally good health throughout. However, this is all very much a welcome bonus to the true benefits of this sport.

There's no question that running is a journey of the mind more than anything else. Training takes care of the physical side, but to run for 2 hours without rest regularly requires a deeper appreciation of the the joy that running can bring.

I owe a debt of gratitude to running, for it has taught me lessons to take off the roads and incorporate into all apsects of my life. In particular, it demonstrates first hand how we can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles, as long as we have enough belief and dedication. As I was limping the final leg of a 16 mile run on Monday, I wondered how I am ever going to add another 10, given how exhausted I was. Then I recalled that only 7 months ago, I was revelling in my first 8 mile jog, thinking then that it was a huge landmark. And indeed it was. Now I'm able to run twice that. With 11 weeks and much training ahead, the issue of running the full 26.2 miles is not today's problem. For now, I can bask in the triumph of completing my first 16 miler, in a fluent time of 2h 08, well within my target of 2h 15.

It's not the triumph alone that is so rewarding, but the fact that there have been times where I've doubted I was capable of such distances. Weak bones, asthma, pancreatitis and more tells you I'm not exactly your textbook athlete. So when injuries occur and pain reveals itself, I find myself consumed with this doubt. It is in these moments that I turn to inspiration. Especially during a run, when at times it seems easier just to give in, I think of some of my role models and the example they set.

The history of running is full of incredible figures. Abebe Bikila, the original and best of the African distance runners, always comes to the forefront of my mind when I think about running. To win the marathon gold in the 1960 Games was astonishing for many reasons, not least because he ran barefoot from start to finish. But even more inspiring was his defence four years later, smashing the world record and stunning the crowd by immediately warming down with a series of dynamic stretches. He took distance running to the hugely competitive and popular level it's at today.

Bikila is only one of several people I look to for inspiration. What running has given me is the ability to see the greatness in everything and everyone (for the most part). Not just runners, but everywhere around me I see people battling great adversity and emerging triumphant. In this sense, running is the perfect metaphor for life. There will always be barriers; the challenge is not in removing them but rather confronting them head on and achieving great success on the other side.