Step 5: Fitness

After now having an idea as to what our goals our and how to get inspiration and stay energized, it would be helpful to know just what qualities of fitness we need to develop in our training in order to face such a great challenge of running, jogging, or walking a marathon.

“When your soul’s qualities
Come forward and start manifesting,
Then not only your world
Of outer running
But also your world
Of inner running
Will acquire a very special significance.”

Indeed, the soul’s qualities are by far the most important and most powerful qualities we need to manifest in order to run and enjoy a marathon. You know what spiritual
disciplines you need to practice to bring those forward. At the same time, running and training towards a goal can in itself be a spiritual discipline. The outer running can
remind us of the inner running and be of spiritual value to it.
Sri Chinmoy says, “The seeker-runner has a shadowless dream of his full realisation-day in his outer running. The seeker-runner has a sleepless vision of his God’s full Manifestation-Hour in his inner running.”

The qualities of fitness that we are trying to develop in our training at different stages are also necessary to cover a full marathon distance. Endurance, strength, stamina and speed are essential qualities we must develop. Endurance comes from the sustained mileage we run week after week as well as the longer runs we do on a weekly basis. Strength also comes from our regular training, hill workouts and any weight training we can fit in anytime in our program, preferably on the easier days or day off. Stamina is similar to endurance except with an increase in intensity or speed. Speed, of course, is how much distance you cover in a certain amount of time.

One other all important element in your training is recovery. Without proper recovery, you will be risking injury which will be counterproductive to the whole training process. Recovery includes rest, stretching, proper nutrition, and as an extra assurance, an occasional massage. All of these five fitness qualities will be developed in the following program to some extent, depending on which ones you wish to personally focus on the most.