This is my client Richard running Sunday's London Marathon. As you can probably see from the photo, he loved it.
Richard is a friend of mine and came to me specifically to help him with his strength training for his first marathon.
He had done the Chester Metric Marathon before. I am sure he won't mind me saying that it didn't go as well as he had hoped. He decided to make sure that the Marathon went much better.
With my guidance, Richard decided not to set a time goal for the Marathon. Instead the goal was to enjoy it and take in as much of the atmosphere as possible. This is exactly what he did and he managed to finish without feeling dreadful. (He did need help from his wife to get back to the hotel, but that is totally understandable!)
Rich did so well with his training because he enjoyed the process. He spent time researching training plans, nutrition, kit, etc. He also kept his training at a manageable level to work around family and work commitments.
It would have been so easy for him to fall into the trap of beasting himself every session in order to chase after a specific time goal. He would not have enjoyed the training and probably wouldn't have enjoyed the marathon either.
The moral of this story, and a good life lesson, is to enjoy the process rather than becoming fixated on the outcome.
Congratulations to Richard and everyone who ran a marathon over the weekend. You are all now members of a very special group of nutters!