Let's say marathon running is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.
Add another 15 to 20 percent: the mental game.
It's hard enough training your body to withstand the ordeal of running 26.2 miles. It may very well be harder to train your mind to withstand three, four, five hours of upright movement. When I first starting distance running, this was my biggest hurdle. I couldn't figure how anyone could run even an hour and not get bored and give up. My longest runs wound up being little more than four or five miles.
But I found that steady practice allows a runner to push those boundaries, both mind and body. Five miles becomes eight miles, and suddenly eight miles seems normal. And then becomes 10 miles, then 12 miles. Soon four or five miles seems too short, not even worth lacing the shoes for. A runner gets used to the longer miles.
Somehow I'm now able to run 14 miles straight, and another few miles after that while hobbling along, and pausing for breath all too frequently. And an hour is a bare minimum. Lately I've been pushing two hours at a time, though still not confidently. It struck me last Sunday that my mental training hadn't even begun. How was I supposed to get through the NYC Marathon in three and a half hours (my overly optimistic goal) or four or five hours (my more realistic target, at this point) if I could barely stay focused for two hours?
On my Sunday run, I ignored my pace for the most part, other than to make sure I wasn't going too fast, and kept my mind focused on mental endurance. It helps to get the body into a zone, kick the legs and arms into autopilot, so that running becomes almost like a trance state. Hard to pull off, but it helped me shore up this other facet of my training.
In fact, after two and a half hours, I think my mind was still in shape to keep going a while longer. Unfortunately, my legs — in particular my ankle — wouldn't allow it. I pooped out at 16 miles, walking much of the last couple miles.
The mental game is on. Now back to getting the body in gear.
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Dave,
You are absolutely correct about the mental aspect of the marathon, although I think your percentages might be low. I believe that negative thoughts -- esp. in the last six miles -- sap your strength more than any hill does. Keep on going man, and prepare both the mind and body.
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