Strengths and Weaknesses

You can never be sure. That's what makes the marathon both fearsome and fascinating. The deeper you go into the unknown, the more uncertain you become. But then you finish. And you wonder later, 'how did I do that?' This question compels you to keep making the journey from the usual to the magical. ~ Joe Henderson

The unknown is a very scary proposition. Think back to your first race. Was it a 5K..maybe it was a half-marathon or even a full marathon? When you were standing there, going through the pre-race ceremonies, there is no doubt that most of us had a case of the butterflies. We all were about to do something for the very first time and not knowing what to expect was an extremely difficult emotion to overcome. Many of you right now are about to begin training for the unknown. I would love to be able to sit here right now and tell you everything you need to know. How you will feel at mile 4...mile 7...mile 12 or how your emotional state will be at mile 23 of a marathon. The problem is that I cannot do that! No one can and don't let anyone fool you into believing they can. Running is unique in that it is individual. All of our bodies and minds will react differently each and every race. My experience at mile 23 will be far different from everyone elses. It is called the unknown for a reason. The best advice I can provide you is to trust your training, trust your preparation and run within yourself. The worst thing any runner can do is attempt to compare themselves to other runners (my single greatest obstacle by the way).
As you begin your training you will soon find your strengths and weaknesses. Capitilize on your strengths and work to improve your weaknesses. Don't just take the easy way out. In a very short period of time you will identify what your strengths and weaknesses are. Once you identify them, write them down and dedicate more training to the weaker areas of your running.

Happy Running!