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Marathon Delirium
By Will Turner
It’s a drug. That intersection of pain and pleasure. A place where you test your limits and discover yourself. A place where you have undeniable proof that your mind is your most powerful ally or your fiercest enemy.
She, of course, asked me if I was ready for the SunTrust Richmond Marathon which was just days away. I told her that I’ve had some major setbacks. I’ve had a knee problem since July that won’t seem to go away. I reduced my training to one day a week for several months – making sure I got in that all important long run but little else. Not exactly a prescription for marathon success.
Michele very wisely pointed out that maybe I should sit this one out. She went on to say that inflicting permanent damage on my knee would not be worth the price of one day of running. I, of course, went into a series of rationalizations…my knee isn’t getting worse (it’s just not getting better); my knee isn’t swelling or giving me acute pain (it’s just a constant dull ache); and it only hurts half the time (when I land on my right foot).
To my credit, I stammered, “And besides, I’ve decided that I’m just going to run this one for fun. I’m going to take my time and enjoy the experience with the other runners and spectators, walk if I need to and not consume myself with beating a certain time.”
But as the race looms closer, I realize that I’m running because I don’t have a choice. I’m like many other marathoners who may be perceived as more obsessed than smart. We endure humbling pain in pursuit of what appears to be fleeting ecstasy. But if you’ve ever run a marathon, you realize that there is so much more to the experience.
You realize that it’s a race that doesn’t start until you’ve gotten to mile 20 when you’ve reached that intersection. That place where you just want to stop, but you’ve come too far and worked too hard to give up now. That place where every fiber of your body is protesting in an angry and unrelenting chorus.
You realize that it’s a race that puts you in a community of other like-minded “members of the club.” It’s a strange and eclectic breed by any standards, but one that I’m fiercely proud to be part of.
And you realize that it’s a race that changes you, deep down in your core. And you’re a better person because of it.
Will Turner is the Founder and President of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group, an international sales training and consulting company. Will is a sales expert with 25 years of sales, marketing and sales management experience. Will created the Sales Magnetism program and co-authored Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. He can be reached at or 804-254-4122.