“I trained 4 years to run 9 seconds...” These words by Usain Bolt echo every runner’s journey. Anyone who has ever pursued any sport knows that the hours of training you put into a single game are transformative, even beyond the track. It can change you in ways that carry you past the finish line, shaping how you live your best life.

Lacing up

The only bad run is the one that didn’t happen, they say. Training for a marathon or any running event requires you to show up, every single day - to level up your fitness, steadily and consistently, to perform optimally on race day. Running regularly has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, and reduce the risk of hypertension and stroke. But this daily discipline is as much to build physical endurance, as it is to gain mental resilience. The mental toughness you acquire in the process strengthens your willpower, which experts believe is like a muscle— the more you work it, the stronger it gets, and can be applied to achieve goals.

The Domino effect

The willpower to show up every day, fuels other lifestyle changes: you go to bed early to wake up in time for a training session. You start eating clean, cut down on processed and junk food that affects your performance and incorporate science-backed nutrition into your diet to support your physical activity. Over time, these healthy habits evolve into a wholesome routine.

Runner’s High

Running is a mental sport.

“Just 5 more minutes to go... keep going… you got this!” You need that voice in your head to boost you when your body starts giving way. Overcoming hurdles, like tackling a steep slope, or pushing through muscle soreness, helps build self-regulation. Interestingly, a study in which runners were asked to freely articulate their thoughts via microphones, reported physical pain and stiffness that reduced intensity the longer they ran. Interestingly, the athletes used a variety of mental strategies, including breathing techniques and cheering themselves on, to overcome discomfort and optimize their own performance.

Staying the Course

Growth is not linear; it’s a winding path with crests, troughs and plateaus. And running teaches us just that.

Training shows us that there is great value in being patient and persistent. Not all rewards are immediate; we account for setbacks, injuries or simply days when we struggle to find our rhythm or fall short of expectations.

Running teaches you to take these “off” days in your stride. How much has your stamina improved over a month? Is your pace increasing, week on week? — you begin to ask the right questions, look at the larger picture, celebrate small victories, embrace challenges, and acknowledge that ups and downs are par for the course. This ability to zoom out can help one gain perspective and make more balanced choices and decisions in other aspects of life, too.

Off-the-track effects

Many of us don’t run marathons, because we don’t think of ourselves as runners. But the lessons we gain from training are about so much more than the run. They stay with us way past the finish-line, moulding how we see life. Once you commit to the journey, there’s no looking back. With each step you take out into the world, you know one thing in your heart: once you’re an athlete, you’re always an athlete.

Disclaimer: The information mentioned in this document is only suggestive /for patient education and shall not be considered as a substitute for doctor’s advice or recommendations from Abbott. Please consult your doctor for more information.