When I ran my first marathon, one thing that I found interesting was how much better it made me understand my own body. Because you are forcing your body to do something you have never done before, namely logging lots and lots of running miles, you will become aware of all of the little aches and pains that come with the training. But you will also become aware that your body is a machine.

We all know that we are supposed to give our body proper nutrition and plenty of rest. We learned that in elementary school, right? Well, training for a marathon will make you experience the downside of eating the wrong foods and in failing to get enough sleep. A long night of beer and onion rings before a long run simply won't work. Relying on your body to get you through those long runs will force you to make sure you put the right fuel in your tank and that you are getting enough sleep. That was a true wake-up call for me, and a lesson that has served me well since.