Above: Marshall Dahneke certified for the Boston Marathon by ending the Utah Valley Marathon with a time of three hours and 26 minutes.
Marshall Dahneke is operating the 2023 Boston Marathon to lift funds for therapeutic massage remedy analysis and group service in honor of his daughter, Jacquelyn, who handed away from breast most cancers in early 2022. His column particulars his private well being journey, evokes therapeutic massage therapists to dwell a more healthy life, and promotes The Jacquelyn Venture to lift funds for therapeutic massage analysis and particularly breast most cancers group service initiatives. Go to The Jacquelyn Venture’s dwelling web page for an summary of the challenge, sponsor highlights, and a donation hyperlink.
I’ll run the Boston Marathon subsequent April as a 58-year-old after qualifying alone deserves. How can I probably accomplish this, particularly after three many years of sedentary dwelling and never focusing alone wellness? Is it doable to make such an abrupt course correction and change into an endurance athlete at my age?
Bodily endurance is when somebody constantly performs a sure exercise for an prolonged interval with out exhaustion. Like operating 26.2 miles in three or so hours! Constructing endurance entails growing our power and stamina to have the ability to repeat the identical actions over longer and longer intervals of time, with out inducing damage.
Wait, does this sound acquainted? What’s therapeutic massage remedy if not an endurance occupation, standing for hours on finish whereas utilizing bodily power to use simply the precise drive in simply the precise locations to deal with shoppers?
If I don’t put together and practice correctly for Boston, I gained’t have the ability to keep the wanted pace over that distance whereas avoiding damage. Likewise, with out satisfactory and ongoing consideration to your wellness, power and stamina, you too shall be unable to go the gap in your profession by avoiding damage and burn out. Each of us are on a mission to be endurance athletes with a view to accomplish our aim of changing into our greatest selves and serving to to make the world a greater place.
Beginning as we speak and over the approaching months, I’ll share my insights on what’s working for me on my wellness journey which will allow you to as we try to enhance our endurance and high quality of life.
I initiated my very own course-correction in early 2019, weighing in at 230 kilos and centered on issues apart from my very own well-being. I vividly bear in mind operating one among my first 5K races later that 12 months with one among my sons—and watching with envy as he FaceTimed his girlfriend whereas I gasped for air.
Since 2019 I’ve dropped 85 kilos and declare with chest-pounding old-man satisfaction, I can now outrun that very same son in any race. Setting swagger apart, my journey is just not accomplished. I’m simply celebrating enjoyable milestones alongside the way in which as I pursue even larger endurance and larger longevity.
The next are the foremost wellness matters I’d prefer to unpack with you within the coming months which have enabled my transformation to this point, any of which you’ll be able to select to embrace in your journey and, when in scope of apply, suggest to your shoppers:
- Making certain at the least seven to eight hours of restful sleep each night time
- Feeding our physique the vitamins it must carry out as desired, repeatedly
- Ensuring we train commonly to construct and keep each power and cardio
- Making the most of instruments that may leverage our efficiency
- In search of out mentors, advisors and coaches to each information and maintain us accountable
- Combating by means of and overcoming accidents (particularly as we age)
- Giving ourselves the time and area to adequately recuperate
- Growing a resilient mindset to beat inevitable obstacles
I do know, this checklist can really feel daunting—and for me, an overarching enabler is the thought of integration, or discovering methods to include way of life modifications in ways in which don’t add yet one more to-do to my life however merely change, and even improve, one thing we’re already doing. Small modifications will compound over time into substantial outcomes.
We don’t want extra in our life, typically we simply want higher!
I invite you, and shall be so honored, should you be part of me on my journey of changing into an endurance athlete as I put together for and run the Boston Marathon on behalf of the therapeutic massage occupation. I invite you to embrace any way of life modifications I unpack that make sense for you after which mannequin and share these as applicable together with your shoppers.
And, as I invite manufacturers (many from exterior the therapeutic massage area) to sponsor this fundraising marketing campaign, please embrace them and their assist of our occupation. Please give them the warmest therapeutic massage welcome.
Let’s face it: We’re all simply attempting to change into endurance athletes within the best sport of all—life.
[Visit The Jacquelyn Project’s home page for an overview of the project, sponsor highlights, and a donation link.]
In regards to the Writer
Marshall Dahneke is the grateful husband of Michelle and proud father of six fantastic youngsters, a lover of therapeutic massage, former CEO of Efficiency Well being, 2016 Therapeutic massage Corridor of Fame inductee, and aspiring endurance athlete discovering his method to a greater lifestyle. Join with him on Fb.