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The marathon is a demanding commitment for runners and partners.
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However, the sacrifices can be offset by the benefits.
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However, running can be primarily a connecting or limiting element.
About fifty thousand people are preparing to run the 52nd New York City Marathon. Perhaps you reading are also among the thousands of people who next Sunday will cross the boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan until they reach Central Park and fulfill the dream of having run The Marathon.
The season is open
Preparation for a marathon is contagious. It involves you going through it but it reflects accordingly on those around you. Talks with friends and family always end up addressing the progress of training.
The daily and weekly training hours are many, and sometimes there is not much time or even energy left to devote to other leisure activities. Everything revolves around and is a function of training scheduling.
Sacrifices but also benefits
For those who do not run accepting these conditions is a great sacrifice, as it is for those who are beginning this journey. Acknowledging the sacrifices the partner makes by putting oneself in each other’s shoes will give a whole other value to the actions and behaviors of both.
Your commitment, dedication and perseverance could set an example for those around you who may begin to feel a feeling of deep admiration and inspiration toward you. As a result, there will be more inclination to meet your needs, indulging you on the choice of what to put in your shopping cart, what to eat for dinner, and what to do on the weekend. In other words, real teamwork would begin.
If one then wants to be objective, in addition to the sacrifices, one must also recognize the benefits that running brings to those who practice it, and consequently the benefits from which the relationship benefits. Running has been shown to reduce anxiety states and depression for example. A more relaxed partner is undoubtedly a happier partner, more inclined to make the most of the time left for the couple. It may not be much, but it will certainly be of higher quality.
Life as a couple
All over the world there are runners struggling with preparation charts that include three, four, five running outings a week (not counting the addition of any cross training sessions that are always good to consider) to which a healthy, balanced diet is added.
Runners and partners face the journey to the marathon together because even those who do not run find themselves indirectly having to make their lives revolve around running. In fact, even those who do not run in practice find themselves indirectly experiencing the months of preparation.
Some runners are more inclined to compromise so as not to monopolize the pair. There are those who, in order not to excessively impact the couple’s life, jump through hoops to carry out workouts, waking up before dawn to be home before the other wakes up. Managing everything and everyone sometimes really requires great sacrifice.
Single life
If, on the other hand, you don’t recognize yourself in this casuistry because you are single, you may have happened to have given up making new acquaintances and declined an invitation so as not to be late at night or to have to dine sipping water because alcohol is not covered in the marathon runner’s diet.
On the other side of the coin, there are those who do not intend to forgo conviviality and a new outing, opting to use running as a topic of discussion during the meeting. On the other hand, running is a strong connecting element between people, capable of bringing them closer together rather than pushing them apart. You might even think of combining “profit with pleasure” and combine a first running date!
N.B. Running should never be a limitation but an opportunity to be taken advantage of all round.