Member Spotlight - Wade Critides
Check out iHeartYoga Member Wade Critides’ post on running his first marathon without any running training!
His entire approach to completing the journey was a focused mind, diet, and spirit to overcome anything! We loved seeing Wade in the Studio, iHeartYoga in the Park, and around town getting his mind sharp for his first marathon! You are super-human Wade and we’re so glad we could help be a part of your mental training!
AUTHOR: Wade Critides
Date: June 24, 2019
I ran a marathon on Saturday, June 15th, in Long Beach, California and it was a day l’ll always remember.
My biggest takeaway is that a marathon, like anything in life almost exclusively comes down to mindset. Most people have the physical capability to run a marathon it’s just whether they have the will, desire and/or mentality to do so. A marathon is truly a microcosm of life. It’s about the journey, and at the end of the day, so long as you keep pushing, you WILL get through. You’re reading this right now, aren’t you? That means you’ve made it this far through life, through every obstacle, past every challenge. You’re undefeated.
I ran this marathon because I looked at it as a challenge, a challenge of mental fortitude and belief in myself. I chose to run it without any running training (I had never run more than 5 miles straight in my life!), simply fueling my body as best as I knew how with proper nutrition, my normal CrossFit routine and of course some amazing classes at iHeartYoga!
“It’s about the journey and at the end of the day, so long as you keep pushing, you WILL get through”
Leading up to the race I partook in daily yoga which really put my body and mind in a position to go out and withstand the battle that is a marathon. I snapped a pic every time I did and posted #marathontraining on my instagram account @wellnesswithwade! Everything from the park, to warm vinyasa to restorative, yin and gentle flow – all serving different purposes in the pursuit of one goal. Yoga is a true mind/body connection practice and I love that the practive and the @iHeartYoga community are a part of my life!
But the number one factor was an unwavering belief in myself that I would never quit. I knew I could never quit because quitting becomes a habit and this marathon was bigger than just 26.2 miles. This was not just for me so I could hit my own goal, pass my own challenge, it was more so for you. For everyone else. For anyone else. To show you what’s possible when you attach unwavering belief with perseverance. If my story inspired one person to go out and be the best they can be, to put the best version of themselves out there then I did my job.
