We all have dragons to slay. For some people, this dragon is cancer or another health problem. Others face personal problems, financial problems, or weight problems. No matter what form it takes, though, almost all of us have a dragon or two to slay.
I did it! Running gave me the power to slay my dragons. How? When I made the decision to start running, I had beaten cancer twice and I was going through another difficult time in my life. You could say I was doing OK -- not great, but a holding-my-own type of OK.
Encouraged by my daughter, a collegiate-level runner, I joined a running group, not just any old track club. The group that I joined had two purposes: to train its members to run a marathon (yes, a marathon, 26.2 miles!), and to raise money to fund cancer research.
I knew from personal experience that cancer is a very big dragon.
"Well," I thought, "if running a marathon can help me feel better at the same time as I'm indirectly fighting cancer, sign me up!"
As time went on, I began to notice some very interesting side effects of the training that I really liked (especially when compared to the chemotherapy side effects that I was all too familiar with). After training for and running one marathon and beginning to train for a second marathon, I noticed major positive consequences, both physical and mental.
Physically, I am in much better shape than I was before I had cancer, though my red blood cell count is still low in the wake of chemotherapy's side effects. I just feel healthier all around.
I have better muscle tone, and I feel energized all day. I smile more. I am definitely not the fastest runner out there (though I will proudly admit that in my last marathon I was in the top 16 percent for my age group). Regardless of my place in the pack, I have noticed tangible, rewarding physical changes since I began running 36 months ago.
What is almost more beneficial, though, are the more subtle mental side effects. When I run with my team, I am surrounded by positive caring people. Don't we all want to be around people like that? On the flip side, when I run alone, I have the solitude to regenerate my thoughts and rethink the goings-on of my day.
Running truly helps me get more out of every day. Not that I was a dullard before, but now I feel mentally sharper. When I don't run first thing in the morning, I can tell the difference all day; when I start my day with a run, I'm more alert, more awake, more alive.
With my running team I've progressed from a novice runner to a mentor, a person who coaches and guides beginning runners through the training process. Barring injury or illness, virtually all of these beginning runners succeed in finishing their marathons. Being able to help these people succeed feels incredibly rewarding. I see the opportunity to help people as a gift that gives to everyone involved.
Do you know how empowering it is to finish a race, especially a marathon? Do you know how good it feels to help another person cross the finish line? If you can complete a marathon, slaying your own dragons will likely seem a simple task by comparison. Many of those I mentored have gone on to mentor other runners, to support them and empower others with the ability to slay whatever dragons may plague their lives. Together, we are all raising money to fight cancer -- working to slay that dragon.
The more I give to running, the more I get back mentally, physically and even spiritually. I am healthier. I see how far I have come. I am, by all counts, stronger now. And anytime I need a recharge -- or spot a dragon on the horizon -- I put on my running shoes and off I go.
Margaret Matlack, a North San Diego County Realtor, runs with the Leukemia Society's Team in Training program. She is training for her sixth Marathon and is mentoring seven runners this season.
