Running a Marathon Should Make You Feel Like a Badass

Running a marathon should make you feel like a badass. Always. Every time. No excuses.

We’re going to go through some statistics to prove that you are statistically a badass. And then we’ll also talk about how running a marathon might not make us feel like we’re insanely awesome, even though we are. And I’ll just keep telling you how amazing you are.

First, the marathon. It’s 26.2 miles. It’s kind of ridiculous that some guy in Ancient Greece a lot of years ago ran 26 miles, died, and now we’re like yes let’s do that. Let’s make that an event.

26.2 miles. Hours of time. Running. This is inconceivable to some people.

Marathons can be SO FUN and rewarding, but they can also be SO TERRIBLE and hard. I have experienced both type of marathon.

Let’s talk about the statistics that make you a badass:

• 1.1 million runners finish a marathon each year. Only 0.01% of the human population. Even if you aren’t great at math (I’m not), that is an incredibly small percentage of the population that accomplishes this feat each year.
• Less than 1% of people in the US have EVER completed a marathon, says RunRepeat.
• The average marathon time is 4 hours and 20 minutes, according to Asics. We’re out there running for hours. It doesn’t matter whether your time is over or under 4:20; you’re a badass either way. Faster? AWESOME. You are faster than average. Slower? ALSO AWESOME. You’re out there running for even longer, and it’s impressive.
• If you’re a female runner, you have even more reason to feel like a badass. It wasn’t until 1967 that the first woman officially completed Boston. We have not always been accepted in running culture, and now look at us! 30% of global marathon participants worldwide are women (I hope this eventually gets to 50% – or more.)
• A marathon takes around 55,000-63,000 steps. That’s a lot.

Ok, now non-statistics but still good reasons to feel like a badass for running a marathon:

• Marathon training is HARD. It requires a huge time commitment, which takes away from whatever else you’d be doing with your time. Weekly long runs are tough and not always fun. It’s hard to run 20 miles with zero people cheering you on. And the training lasts months. You are a badass for just the amount of running you do during training.
• Running a marathon is hard too. For so many reasons.
• It’s kind of crazy to even think about doing a marathon. But you decided you’re capable of this incredible accomplishment, signed up for one, trained for it, and ran it. You did it.
• The finish line of a marathon is one of the most inspiring places to be. People accomplishing their dreams, barely staggering to the end, crying when a medal is put around their neck. IT IS SO GOOD. Always, always relish these moments. Always feel like a badass even if you feel like absolute garbage.

Running a marathon should make you feel like a badass. Why do we not always feel that way?

I blame a lot of things here. And maybe Brene Brown or someone who studies psychology could speak better to this. Butttt here goes.

Read Next: My First Ultra Marathon or How to Run in the Cold.

I think people don’t celebrate their accomplishments enough.

Maybe it’s because society has told us to not be arrogant or too confident or braggy.

Maybe it’s because life is HARD and we don’t want to let ourselves feel such JOY because we don’t want to risk any sort of downfall.

Maybe it’s because we don’t want anyone to feel bad that they haven’t accomplished what we have.

Stop it. If you don’t want to yell to everyone about the marathon you finished, fine. But you need to celebrate you.

I also think negative talk is easier than positivity.

We’re quick to think negatively and bring ourselves down. If you didn’t get the time you were aiming for or you felt miserable or a bunch of people passed you. It’s easy for us to think we’re not good enough in some way.

Let those negative thoughts go. Focus on your accomplishment, no matter what happened during the race.

Imposter Syndrome?

Maybe we feel like frauds. Like we don’t belong at that finish line for whatever reason.

I ran a 3:45 marathon once and legitimately felt like it was all luck. Luck?! In my brain, I felt like I hadn’t trained for speed and “wasn’t fast.” In reality, I had trained for that marathon during an impossibly cold Minnesota winter, had checked off every long run in my training plan no matter the weather conditions, and had worked my butt off for that marathon time. I deserved and earned that 3:45 marathon.

Ok, I finished writing this post, and then I was reading a Runner’s World article about Molly Seidel. She won bronze for the marathon in the Olympics 2021. She was only the third USA runner to get a medal for the women’s marathon. CRAZY. She is very open about mental illness and her struggles – it’s a really great article, and she’s a really incredible person. But anyways, this is her quote:

“‘I’m this incredibly flawed person who struggles so much. I think: How could I have won this thing when I’m so flawed? I look at all the people around me, all these accomplished people who have their shit together, and I’m like, ‘one of these things is not like the other.’ I was literally in the Olympic Village thinking: Everybody is probably looking at me wondering: Why the hell is she here?”‘

If an Olympic champion can feel this way, anyone can.

But. You. Earned. It.

You. Only you.

We move on too quickly.

If you’re running marathons, I’m assuming you’re a bit of a high achiever. I’m also assuming that once you finish a marathon you might be thinking of the next big thing you want to do, which takes away from what you just accomplished.

Try to feel the glow of the marathon you just finished.

Maybe it’s been a while and you feel like the marathon runner was a “past you.”

Maybe your last marathon was 12 years ago, you’re not sure you could run another one, so you feel like the “now you” is not good enough.

You are still good enough.

And running even just one marathon makes you a badass for life.

Also, maybe you should run another marathon – they’re incredible. Maybe it’s time 🙂

I have some suggestions for races: Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota or The Charlevoix Marathon in Michigan.

RUNNING A MARATHON SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A BADASS.

If you have run a marathon, I need you to repeat “I am a badass” over and over until you really feel like one. You deserve to feel like one.

Our thoughts can do some crazy things, so if your brain is not letting you feel like a badass for running a marathon, know that your brain is incorrect this time. It has let negativity or self-doubt or something bad creep in. Acknowledge that and then continue repeating “I am a badass” until your brain knows it to be true.

I am not entirely sure of the point of this post. Perhaps I needed it to convince myself that I am a badass for running 5 marathons and 2 ultras. Sometimes I question it. And if I question it, I know there have to be others. I want people to know their worth and know how amazing it is to run marathons.

You are an amazing runner and human.

Thanks for reading this post. Please leave any other insights in the comments. And share with a friend who needs to feel like a badass for running or training for a marathon 🙂

Happy Running!

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