"Whilst running the marathon, the heart comes forward and all the barriers of impossibility are destroyed"


Throughout my childhood I always knew that I wanted to run a marathon but the question was always a big how. It just seemed such a distant goal, even more so whenever I ran 2 miles.

Then one day out of the blue grace descended and although I had had surgery on my ankle and   was out of action for most of the year, all the barriers came down in my mind and with three weeks training I completed my first marathon, the NYCM in 1994.

 

The Self Transcendence marathon in Rockland State Park is an absolutely beautiful and special marathon. However before the event my mind and body were frightened and terrified, a couple of weeks before the race, I developed intense tightness and pain in my legs. I think my body was trying to beg for an escape! Also, all I wanted to do was sleep until it was all over.

 

The day finally came and I dragged my body to the start. We lined up on the starting line and then this amazing feeling came over me: I was not doing the running but was an instrument and the distance had already been done for me. The siren went and I began to run. I became inundated with an overwhelming sense of gratitude, which only increased as the miles clocked up and the goal of 26.2 miles became closer. I felt how far I had travelled and how different and distant the earlier miles were.

 

We ran a 3 mile loop, so every lap one could see the mileage signs of miles already covered: 9, 13, 16, 19 etc. and therefore see how the experiences, emotions and difficulties of the earlier miles had been overcome. It is like that in life; as we travel towards our goal of greater joy,   harmony and inner freedom, we feel that problems and hurdles fade into the past.

 

The most powerful thing about running the marathon is that the philosophy of self transcendence becomes a reality for each and every competitor. Even if we do not come up with a P.B. the mental barriers of distance are transcended. Whilst running the marathon, the heart comes forward and all the barriers of impossibility are destroyed, the qualities of oneness, enthusiasm, joy and gratitude become all pervading.

 

Sahana Gero