Is Life a Sprint or a Marathon?
"Think of a 100-meter sprinter. Think about his or her body. Sprinters are usually extremely muscular and stocky. During a race their bodies are usually very tight and tense; their teeth are gritted, their veins are bulging and they have looks of determination on their faces. What is their breathing like? A 100-meter sprinter wouldn't take a breath during the race; the breath would take time and energy, and the sprinter simply doesn't need to — the race is 10 seconds or less and anyone can hold the breath for that long.
Now I would like you to think of a marathon runner — somebody at the other end of the spectrum, engaged in the same activity, but whose approach is totally different. What kind of build does he or she have? Marathon runners are extremely lean; they carry no fat whatsoever. The state of their bodies during a race is completely different to that of a sprinter. They have very little tension in their bodies. Tense arms or shoulders or even a furrowed forehead require energy that could otherwise be used to aid their runs, so marathon runners hold their bodies in a fluid and relaxed state. What is their breathing like? Long-distance runners take slow, deep and rhythmical breaths. They breathe deep into their belly, maximizing the amount of oxygen they are inhaling, which in turn keeps them relaxed and helps to fuel their run.
"Could marathon runners run a sprint? Yes, they could. Not at anywhere near the pace of a professional sprinter; however, they can and do sometimes sprint during a marathon, perhaps when jostling to overtake another competitor or to reach the finish line at the end of the race.
"But what if, as the sprinter lined up on the starting blocks ready to run his 100-meter race, we informed him that we have decided we would like him to run a marathon at the same pace and intensity that he would run 100 meters. Could he do it? Well firstly, he couldn't hold his breath for that long! But, joking aside, the strain he would put on his body pushing himself that hard would eventually cause him to collapse and possibly even have a heart attack. He is not capable of running a marathon the same way he would run a sprint.
"If we were to approach life like a sprinter, by pushing ourselves as hard as we can for as long as we can, we would face the same fate that he does. Not only would we not reach the finish line, chances are the illnesses of our lifestyle would strike us down long before we got there. Our approach to life should be that of a marathon runner: to develop a sustainable and maintainable pace, and to speed up when faced with a challenge for a stressful situation, always returning to our long-distance pace. Stress is useful for those short bursts and the sprinter uses stress constructively. However, if you want to keep going for extended periods of time, being relaxed will make it easier to do so. Life is a marathon distance, but every now and again you will be expected to break into a sprint. Far too many of us live our lives like 100-meter sprinters attempting to run a marathon; but develop the stamina and endurance of a long-distance runner and you will ensure that you happily and healthily keep yourself moving through the marathon that is your life."
