Lesson from the Marathon #1

Proverbs 11:2 (New International Version)
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 (New International Version)
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

As I wrap up 2 days of post marathon gluttony, I'm already contemplating what I have to do different in my next marathon attempt. My plan is to run the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio, in September, because the medals are really cool. This marathon is similar to the Akron and KDF, it ain't flat.

Anyway, back to the lesson. I had a game plan. That was to run the 1st half of the KDF moderately, conserving myself to push reasonably hard through the middle of the race and hopefully leaving enough in the tank not to falter in the later stages. Instead, I threw the game plan out the window.

I felt strong and confident at the start, and after a slow start in traffic, picked up the pace to recoup the time, but instead of returning back to my planned pace, I stuck with the quicker pace. Boy oh boy, was I proud of myself. I was on top of the world, I was bullet proof. There I was, out ahead of the 3:40 pace group, loosing ground to them briefly when I took my pre-planned walk/refuel break at the five mile mark, but catching them after my break and building a bigger lead than I did in the first five miles. Man was I proud, "Look at James, he's a bad man. Don't you wish you were cruising along at his pace? Move it to the side slow pokes."

I took a well thought out and measured game plan that was based on my training experiences and threw it out the window based on the confidence I felt in the moment. In a future lesson I'll detail the price I paid for my pride and arrogance, but for now, trust me when I say I paid.

Lesson #1. You always feel strong when you're on top of your game. Better to trust the plans you made when you were tired and defeated. They will provide a clearer picture of where you are and what you can handle. When you think you've got something "licked", that is when you are actually at your weakest. Remain humble.