9 Life Lessons I Learned From Running The London Marathon
When I signed up for the marathon, I thought I was training for a race.
What I didn’t realise was that I was training for life.
Every early morning run. Every micro-failure. Every stretch of discomfort.
They revealed deeper truths about commitment, presence, leadership, and resilience.
And I want to share those truths with you — because they’ve shaped how I now move through the world.
How I work. How I hold space for my clients. How I lead myself as a man, father, and creator.
These are not lessons I read in a book.
They were earned, kilometre by kilometre.
Here are the 9 reflections I’ll carry with me — not just for my next race, but for the rest of my life.
1. The Power of Commitment
The moment I signed up, something in me changed.
It wasn’t just a task on my calendar — it became a deeper decision.
And that decision created internal alignment.
I got a coach. Trained consistently. Took recovery seriously. Showed up on cold, dark mornings.
Because when I fully commit, I follow through. I become the man who follows through.
The moment we decide with conviction, the world inside us reorganises around that commitment.
The clarity comes after the decision.
I reflect on these questions:
Where else in my life am I still half-in? Where in my life am I flirting with change — instead of committing to it?
2. Integrity Is Forged in the Rain
Some of the most defining moments of training came in the darkness.
When it was cold. Pouring. And I did not want to head out the door.
But I’d ask myself:
How will I feel after having done it?
And that was enough.
Because I knew — on the other side of discomfort was the feeling of power.
When the answer is “ALIVE,” I knew it was in alignment with me.
After coming back from those runs in the pouring rain, I felt like a warrior.
That’s integrity. And that’s leadership.
The small promises you keep when no one’s watching shape the big outcomes everyone sees.
I reflect on this:
Where in my life am I not showing up as I said I would?
3. Micro-Failures Make You Unshakable
I failed a lot during training.
From the way I took energy gels in one go that destroyed my stomach…
to runs that ended in taxis because I needed to go to the toilet… (there were plenty of those).
But each “failure” became feedback.
Every mistake became a lesson. And those lessons compounded.
By race day, I was prepared at a level I could never have imagined at the start.
All those learnings fed into the most optimal start on race day. I couldn’t have planned or prepared any better!
I reflect on this:
Where in life am I holding back because I’m scared to fail?
Failures are what we are gifted with in the form of lessons and learning.
I didn’t learn much from my successful runs.
4. The Real Win Was Before the Start Line
After the race, my wife asked me the question: “Are you proud of what you’ve achieved?”
She noticed I felt a bit hollow because I didn’t achieve my target time.
It made me reflect…
Crossing the finish line was powerful.
But what I felt most proud of?
Who I had become before I even started.
The consistency.
The discipline.
The mornings I could have skipped — but didn’t.
By the time race day arrived, I already knew I’d finish the race strong.
Because I had become the man who could.
It got me reflecting:
Where am I too focused on the outcome when the real prize is in the becoming?
5. Pain Means You’re ALIVE
My intention before the race was to feel alive and present.
The feeling of aliveness is what we all yearn for.
Being alive also means feeling all the feelings.
At 27 km, my legs were cramping. The heat was strong.
But I chose not to resist the pain.
Instead, I let it in.
And in that surrender — I became more present than I had been the whole race.
There’s something sacred about pain when you stop resisting it.
It wakes you up. Brings you to the moment. Makes you feel alive.
It got me reflecting:
The goal isn’t to escape pain. It’s to meet it with awareness — and let it open you.
6. Resilience Is a Transferable Skill
Every kilometre built more than fitness.
It built capacity.
Not just physical — but emotional and mental.
And I’ve noticed it everywhere since.
In hard business decisions.
In family life.
In moments where I used to react — I now respond.
Because I trained for this.
And not just in the gym — but in my nervous system.
It got me thinking:
Where in life am I avoiding discomfort?
The more you can face, without collapsing, the more powerfully you can lead.
7. Letting Go = Finding Joy
I trained for a 3hr 30min finish. I was on track.
But the heat got to me. My body started to break down. I knew I had to let it go.
So I did.
And what happened surprised me.
I started smiling.
Taking in the crowd. Soaking in the moment.
I found joy — not in the goal, but in the experience.
It got me reflecting:
Sometimes letting go of the outcome creates space for what you were really chasing: aliveness.
8. Joy & Pain Can Coexist
One of the most beautiful paradoxes of the marathon was this:
Even in the pain — I felt joy.
Not the kind that comes from ease.
But the kind that comes from depth. From meaning. From presence.
We think joy comes when things are smooth.
But true joy is born from being with what is — fully, without resistance.
Reflection:
Your heart can stay open, even in the fire. That’s real joy.
9. Honour the Crash
No one talks about what happens after the marathon.
A few days in, I crashed. Hard.
Hormones all over the place. Energy flat. Nervous system scrambled.
It was like I surfed a big wave that inevitably came crashing down.
I didn’t expect it. But it reminded me of a deeper truth:
Every peak has a trough.
And if you want to play the long game, you have to honour your recovery.
Life is like surfing waves — after the high, you have to be prepared for the crash/lows.
After the big win… the big launch… the big breakthrough — let yourself land.
Recovery isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.
You’re not built in the sprint — you’re sustained in the stillness.
Closing Reflection
This wasn’t just a race.
It was a mirror.
It trained my body — but it also taught me how to lead myself more deeply.
A marathon doesn’t change you. It shows you who you’ve been all along.
Every step I took, every voice I overcame, every run in the rain, every quiet act of discipline —
they were all reflections of what was already within me.
And maybe that’s the greatest gift of all —
to finally meet the version of you that’s been waiting on the other side of your own limits.
So now I ask you:
Where in your life are you being called to step up — with more commitment, more presence, and more trust?
We’re all running marathons — in one way or another.
And how you do one thing… is how you do everything.
Let’s lead from within.
Jaineel
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