Tap Into Your Inner Power Like a Boston Marathoner

The Boston Marathon is the pinnacle of the racing world. It is every distance runner’s dream to qualify. It holds the global prestige as the greatest of all marathons. The field of competition to qualify is anyone in the same age range in the entire world. To qualify, runners compete against other runners from every country on the planet and must match or beat the qualifying marathon time for their specific age group. About 30,000 people run it each year, and 500,000 people line the streets for 26 miles, cheering and celebrating from the streets of Hopkinton to Downtown Boston. 

This became a dream of mine as I started to consider myself a runner. Finally, I decided to hire a coach and attempt to qualify for the big race. I attempted to qualify for the Boston Marathon three times, failing twice. Funny enough, I was 9 minutes short of qualifying on both of my first two attempts. The first failed attempt was because of the Las Vegas heat. The second time my biggest mistake was giving into doubt and not tapping into my power.

Attempt 1: Mount Charleston Marathon - Las Vegas, Nevada (3:29:29)

The race started at 5 am in 91-degree Las Vegas weather. This was up in the mountains at 5:00. It goes without saying it was hot. The route descended down the mountain through a canyon and then opened up into the blazing Las Vegas desert. Most runners don’t do well in the heat, and I especially don’t do well in the heat, but I fared pretty well during the first half of the race.

I sprinted down the canyon, beating my expected pace for the majority of the first 20 miles, and my heart pumped merrily along with me. I was feeling good about my pace… That is until the canyon ended, and I hit the wall. I hit the dreaded wall between miles 19 and 23, and then I just fell off a cliff for miles 24-26 in the blazing summer sun of Las Vegas.

My body started to give out, and the mental game began. My body was depleted and dehydrated. I didn’t fuel well along the race, and my early miles were a little faster than I had trained for. I did my best to push the fatigue from the heat, but the blazing sun won this battle, and my pace slowed all the way to 11:41 from my low to mid 7:00/mile during the canyon portion of the run. Seasoned runners fell prey to the torturous rays. I’ve never seen a med-tent so full after a race.

Attempt 2: Mt. Hood Marathon, Mt Hood, Oregon (3:29:47)

I wasn’t going to make the same high-temperature mistake this time around. Instead of going south from Utah, I went north, where the heat wouldn’t drain the electrolytes from my body. The temperature was 38°F while waiting for the race to begin, and the average was between 57 and 77, on the colder end, which was perfect for running 26.2 miles without overheating.

Once again, I started off great. I was making a good time coming down the mountain, and I even made a friend to run with. My body felt solid, and my heart felt strong. When I made it to the wall, I checked my watch to ensure I was on track to beat the qualifying time. I was dismayed by what I saw. Not only would I not qualify at my current pace, I wouldn’t even get close! Out went my hope and power, and in came the doubt. My pace slowed, and I hung my head in defeat.

After the race, I refueled, rehydrated, reviewed the race, and discovered something shocking. I had miscalculated! I was perfectly on track and would have qualified if I had kept my pace, but instead, I had given up. My runner’s brain miscalculated my pace. I didn’t think I had any chance to qualify and so I let go of my power and let despair overtake the last few miles of the race.

Attempt 3: Big Cottonwood Canyon Marathon, SLC, Utah

The third time’s the charm, they say. And in this case, they were right. I learned a lot from my first two tries. This time, I was not going to let the doubt deter me. I had a plan to tap into my power right when I needed it.

I asked two of my runner friends to wait for me at the 18 and 20-mile mark so I wouldn’t be alone when I hit the wall. I’m very familiar with the twists and turns of Big Cottonwood Canyon, and I was confident in my ability to run it. I cruised down the canyon, happy to be there and eager to see how my plan would pan out.

When I got to mile 18, my friend Ben Schauerhammer joined me. I felt strong but tired. His cheerful face and attitude, I was bolstered and filled with the energy and support I needed. At mile 20, Dana Anderson joined us. Ben and Dana did the time calculations for me so my runner’s-brain wouldn’t sabotage me and encouraged me to keep up my pace.

Each uplifting word from them felt like a boost of energy. Dana gently advised me, “If your legs don’t feel it, use your arms.” In essence, what she was saying was
you feel tired, but there is more in you.

I began to tap into the power within myself and felt tremendous hope and belief that I would qualify. The final two miles were even faster than the previous four. I crossed the finish line with a personal record time (3:17:27) with Ben and Dana by my side. I had done it! I qualified for the Boston Marathon!

Power

Ben and Dana helped me tap into my power—the divine capability within. Their encouragement helped me hold on to hope and believe in myself. True power comes from understanding who you are (a child of God) and a belief in a purpose greater than yourself. It is knowing you can achieve something great. True power motivates us to keep pushing forward when things get hard. It is the strength to stay focused and joyful in our purpose in spite of adversity. Power comes from within.

Authentic leaders are the kind of people who don’t yearn for control but instead push humbly towards a purpose greater than themselves. They seek growth within themselves and other people. They are those who see the divine potential running through the veins of every precious human being. Power is what Gandhi tapped into in order to stand each time he was beaten to the ground. Power is what Dr. Martin Luther King plugged into when he shared his dream for all mankind. Power is the greatness Victor Frankl describes when talking about the concentration camp prisoners who would give part of their meager rations to others.

One of the greatest examples of power vs. control is Cincinnatus, a Roman statesman (and part-time farmer) who took power as emperor to protect the people and ended a war in 16 days. He could have remained as dictator upon his triumphant victory. Instead, he stepped down and resigned his position…not once but twice. Cincinnatus had the power, influence, and determination to protect his people and did not once consider taking control. Those with power are leaders because people will follow. Those who are dictators and have to use control to coerce and force others to do their bidding are almost always overthrown.

Control

Control is the counterfeit of power. Power flows from the inside. Control is exerted on the outside. We try to force our surroundings into the shape we want it to be. Control is an illusion. An honest examination shows us we have no control over this world or our lives.  fueled by fear. When we fear the outcome, we try to take back control.

During my Mount Charleston and Mt. Hood marathons, I was fearful that I wouldn’t qualify. In my effort to gain back a sense of control, I slowed down and gave up on qualifying entirely. That way, it wouldn’t feel like a failure when I didn’t qualify because I was no longer trying to qualify.

Obviously, this way of thinking sounds ridiculous. I didn’t qualify when I gave up, and if I had kept trying, I would’ve at least come closer to success. The problem is that doubt is potent. When you let doubts creep in, it’s easy to forget who you are and the greatness that you are capable of.

Control is an illusion

I love how Jennifer O’Neill says,
“Control is an illusion. You will never be able to control anything, any situation, or anyone without consent. So in actuality, there is no control…”

Byron Katie also said,
“If you want real control, drop the illusion of control; let life have you. It does, anyway. You’re just telling yourself the story of how it doesn’t.” I would rephrase this to, “If you want real power, drop the illusion of control.”

Power is inside each of us, and the fastest way to connect with that power, whether in marathons or life, is to surrender control and tap into purpose. 

Victor Frankl shared one of the deepest statements of wisdom when he said,
“The last of the human freedoms: to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

The only thing we truly have control over is our attitude and our actions - this is power. This is how we harness our power. This is what we are doing when we hope: choosing our attitude to be filled with light, strength, purpose, and greatness. 

When you find yourself at your personal wall, dig deep, let go of control, and find the greatness and power that already lies within you.