Overcoming Adversity Like a True Athlete

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Marathon Training forces you to face adversity. You must overcome fear, fatigue, and frustration. The journey is tough but also life changing!

Even the best runners stay engaged in this conflict:

As a runner, I deal with fear almost daily. To prevent fear from defeating me, I have to fight back against it in my mind. Reminding myself that I am doing what I was born to do—that, win or lose, embracing the challenge is still worthwhile. Kara Goucher, Olympic Runner

Here are three simple ways to overcome adversity . . .

1. Get Up When You Fall!
After my first marathon I struggled with a knee injury and had to take a few weeks off from running. During this time I let exercise and healthy eating fall by the wayside. I felt awful. I let life get in the way of my goals.

It would have been easy to stay in my self-imposed pit of depression and not get back up again. But even though it was hard to regain my fitness and rehab my knee, I still chose to get up again. I started doing yoga regularly and running again when I could. I didn’t let my circumstances and choices keep me down. Now I can look back at that period of life and value many of the lessons I learned.

2. Fight On When It Hurts!
The simple truth is that training for a marathon will hurt. Pushing your body to run long distance will be uncomfortable. There will be moments when you want to give up. In those moments I draw inspiration from other runners . . .

Glenn Cunningham: Both legs were severely burned in a schoolhouse fire at age 8. But he didn’t let that stop him from becoming an athlete. He went on to become the NCAA and AAU champion in the mile and won the Sullivan Trophy for athletic achievements and sportsmanship. Despite a toeless left foot, he set a world record in the mile in 1934 with 4:06.7 and took the silver medal in the 1,500 meters in the 1936 Olympics.

Ray Ewry: He was stricken with a form of paralysis in childhood and confined to bed and then a wheelchair. Due to his determination he gained use of his legs through daily exercises. He won Olympic gold medals in various standing jumps in the early 1900’s and held the record for the most medals won in Olympic competition (10) for many years.

Wilma Rudolph: Stricken with scarlet fever and double pneumonia at age 4 she lost use of her left leg. She learned to walk with the help of a leg brace at age 7. Through therapy she continued to gain strength in her legs and by the age of twelve she was able to run. And run she did! Rudolph won three gold medals in the sprints in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. So legendary was her performance that she was known throughout the world as the, “Fastest Woman in History”.

3. Keep Your Eyes On Your Goal!
In many races that I’ve run I’ve seen people in shirts that say, “Team 4:13.” This refers to the Bible verse in Philipians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Really it’s all about finding your inner source of strength and pressing on to your goals.

Focus and taking action will bring you to the results you want. Success is not necessarily about getting big results or big achievements, it is about the process of taking one small step at a time. When you look at your marathon training plan remember that you just need to take one run at a time. Keep going in the right direction each day and you’ll reach your goal.

Also Mentioned In This Episode

• Kara Goucher’s Blog
• [Video] Ben Davis’ 120 Pound Journey
• [Video] Walter Breuning, America’s Oldest Man (114)

Don’t let temporary setbacks discourage you. Choose to believe that every day is a good day. You can get past any roadblock if you simply stay focused.

1. Get up when you fall
2. Fight on- even when it hurts
3. Keep your eyes on the goal