In this essay I will explore the concepts and practice of Stoicism, training to run a marathon, and the connection between them. Stoicism is an ancient philosophical practice founded in Athens Greece around roughly 300 BCE. A marathon is a 26.2 mile road race. I believe looking at Stoicism as a spiritual practice can effectively transform the lives of practitioners for the better. This, in turn, may allow people to find more success in their hobbies and interests by implementing the ideas the ancient Stoics taught. I personally have found my Stoic practice vital as I trained for my first marathon.
The fall of 2022 is when I found Stoicism and I was drawn to the philosophy immediately. It appeared to be a philosophy that really could transform lives and that’s what I was looking for. Epictetus describes philosophy as an art (technē). In the Discourses 1.15.2 “Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for humans, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject matter. For just as wood is the material of the carpenter, bronze of the statuary, so each individual’s own life is the material of the art of living” (Sellars pp.32). It provided me with a comprehensive guide on how to live and conduct oneself regardless of one’s wealth, health, or social status. I also liked the idea of everyone being a part of something bigger. The universe itself being that bigger picture. As everything and everyone comes from the Universe and all things eventually dissolve back into it. “O Nature: from thee are all things, in thee are all things, to thee all things return” Meditations 4.23 (Hadas pp. 126-127). As I continued to read and practice more seriously, I made changes in my life which I felt were necessary to make progress.
One of these changes was how I treated myself and my body. One of the first and most important steps for me was understanding what is and what is not up to us as individuals. As read in the first lines of the Enchiridion of Epictetus, “There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power. Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own. Beyond our power are body, property, reputation, office, and, in one word, whatever are not properly our own affairs” (Higginson, T. W). This idea helped me immensely in marathon training. This is because everything to do with training, other than our will, is not in our power. The weather, injuries, social responsibilities, etc. This thought allowed me to overcome what many may see as setbacks or failure and turn them into opportunities to grow. “Look for it in your volition, friend – that is, in your desire and avoidance. Make it your goal never to fail in your desires or experience things you would rather avoid; try never to err in impulse and repulsion; aim to be perfect also in the practice of attention and withholding judgement. But the first subjects are the most essential” (Dobbin, R. F.). The discipline of desire is the practice of learning to limit our desires and aversions to nothing more than that which is in our power.
As I began to take running more seriously than I ever had, I noticed myself desiring certain results, this led to frustration. I learned there are many things we can do to improve our abilities. Getting adequate rest, proper nutrition, and doing the right kind of training depending on your goals are a few. However there are many things not up to us in the sport of running. Getting faster, stronger, staying injury free, running a race under a specific goal time; these are things that many runners, myself included, would prefer, however, they are not up to us. We can influence the outcome of desires, but influencing does not equate to ensuring. We can do everything right, but in the end the outcome is uncertain and not up to us. By limiting desires while working towards a goal and placing the value of “good” and “bad” not on the outcome, but on my own proper use of my ruling faculty I can maintain good flow regardless of the situation. I was able to put aside a time goal and wished to be faster, which in turn made training much more enjoyable and less stressful.
This is why it is important to examine our impressions, and to withhold assent until you contemplate these impressions further. Attention (prosoche) is the fundamental Stoic spiritual attitude. It is a continuous vigilance and presence of mind, self consciousness which never sleeps, and a constant tension of the spirit. Thanks to this attitude, the philosopher is fully aware of what he does at each instant, and he wills his actions fully. Thanks to his spiritual vigilance, the Stoic always has “at hand” (procheiron) the fundamental rule of life: that is, the distinction between what depends on us and what does not.” (Hadot p.84). By being aware of our thoughts and attitude we can realize when we are thinking or acting in ways contrary to nature, which allows us to take appropriate actions. Sometimes my job requires working overtime, this means I have to give up time from training. I can see things from the personal perspective of me being a runner and wanting to train or I can look at things differently. At work I’m a part of a team, I need to fulfill my duty there.
With four weeks until my marathon, I began dealing with an unexpected ankle injury. The injury was not from an accident; rather, one day, I woke up and my ankle was very sore. Walking exacerbated the pain and it seemed to come and go at random. This lasted for over a week. I frustratingly thought to myself “Why is this happening to me!?” The following passage from Marcus Aurelius sums up perfectly the attitude one should have.“Has something happened to you? Good! Every event that comes your way has been linked to you by Destiny, and has been woven together with you, starting from the Whole, since the beginning (IV, 26, 4)” (Hadot p.221). By remembering that I am a part of a much bigger picture and going back to the view from above, I can keep my attention focused. I remembered that my body is not my own and all I can do is choose the appropriate action depending on my role in the present. I had to make a choice whether to continue following my plan as scheduled, pushing myself through an injury, and potentially making it worse, or, figure out how I could continue to train and rehabilitate myself without running.
This is also when I realized that moderation is also vital in the running training process. Overdoing it and pushing yourself harder is not the best method. I don’t have to hit every single session and it’s okay to change things up as needed. By biking, pool running, or taking an extra day or two of rest, I can make progress towards my goal of completing the marathon. This is where I began to reach out to friends and other runners. Stoicism is a social philosophy. People are meant to work together “For we are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth” (Hadas, M.). I had to ask for help and advice. I wasn’t sure what to do, I had never formally trained before and definitely would not have considered myself an athlete. I learned various methods of rehabilitation, I implemented different forms of cross training, and ultimately was able to rehab and continue to build my fitness as the marathon drew nearer.
When the day of my marathon came, I was ready to attempt the feat. I had done everything I could in power to prepare myself physically and mentally. Ten thousand other runners were all brought together in hopes of accomplishing a single goal. Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to run a marathon and while it is an individual effort, nobody runs one alone. The support of thousands of volunteers, marathon staff, family, friends, and other runners are what makes a marathon possible. A joint effort between individuals is what sums up the marathon in my experience and that is what Stoicism is. “The Stoic position is that whenever we think and act rationally, we think and act with universal and collective processes and outcomes in mind.” (Johncock p.64). This event brought people from across the world and offered them a chance to flourish. The running community is what I enjoyed most about this journey. Initially I did it for a personal challenge. But over the course of training, I’ve made new friends through running and have been inspired to give back by helping other newer runners who were in my position a year ago, volunteering at events that I’m unable to actively run in, and overall just trying to become a better person everyday.
In conclusion, the practice of withholding assent, examining impressions, and rejecting the immediate value judgments that are formed lets me maintain equanimity in the face of challenges and hardships. Allowing me to make progress towards the one thing that is up to me, building an excellent character. The marathon was the most physically demanding thing I had ever done. There were times when it felt impossible, pain in the body, your mind telling you to stop. However, with the support of my family, friends, and thousands of strangers all gathered together. I was able to accomplish something that seemed impossible a year ago. Through injuries, lack of motivation, balancing my responsibilities as a husband, friend, and employee; Stoicism was my guide and without it I feel that I would not be in the same place I am today.
References
- Dobbin, R. F. (Trans.). (2007). In Discourses. Book I.4.11-12. Oxford: Clarendon.
- Hadas, M. (1965). In Essential Works of Stoicism (Bantam Matrix Edition, pp. 111, 126-127). New York, New York: Bantam Books.
- Hadot, P., Davidson, A. I., & Chase, M. (2017). In Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault (pp. 84, 221). Essay, Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
- Higginson, T. W. (Trans.). (n.d.). The Enchiridion by Epictetus. Retrieved from https:// www.gutenberg.org/files/45109/45109-h/45109-h.htm
- Johncock, W. (2023). In Beyond the Individual: Stoic Philosophy on Community and Connection (pp. 64). Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, an imprint of Wipf & Stock Publishers.
- Sellars, J. (2006). In Stoicism (pp. 32). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
