Watching Others Succeed

It goes without saying, but sometimes it seems like the most rewarding activities are enjoying the success of others after seeing them work so hard for something.  Marathon training is one of those things, although training for anything takes hard work and dedication.  Most endurance sports are individual sports in that you alone are responsible for the success on race day.  While this is true, since I can't run a race for you (we might call that cheating), there are many more aspects to a successful day that one's ability to making it across the finish line.  Certainly, in a group training program like the Distance Training Program, the success lies in the effectiveness of group dynamics and the impact of getting a large group of people to run every week, week in and week out for the duration of the program.  So while running is an individual sport, many people certainly play a part in each person's success on race day.  And to be able to watch an individual go from A to Z over the course of a training program and to be able to see them realize their goals - there isn't a much better reward than I can think of than that!

I love the feeling of having a great race and the glow of success you feel afterwords.  That is what we all strive for.  But having gone through another season of coaching and connecting with the runners, I can't think of a much better feeling than I have right now.  This weekend was the Marine Corps Marathon (surely, you knew that) and the majority of our runners were training for it.  After being there the morning of the race and seeing how excited they were to run, it gives me great satisfaction to see that excitement pay off.  Lots of PRs were set, some of which included 20+ minutes in time improvements, while others simply reached their goal of finishing their first marathon (hopefully the first of many more to come).  In every case though, it brings a sense of fulfillment in simply being able to play a role in their enjoyment.

So even though the program is over and today is Monday, which means going back to my "normal" work routine, it is a pretty good day if I may say so myself.  And hey, the next training program starts up again in about a month....hopefully, this feeling carries over till then!