It’s a marathon, not a sprint: Four tips for completing graduate school or a triathlon

“This is too hard,” I told myself. “You’re doing it!” yelled someone I didn’t know.

On Sunday, Oct 17, 2021, I finished my first-ever 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Tempe. Although it might be hard to believe, I often thought about all of you during my Ironman experience. Attempting the triathlon frightened me and made me feel miserable, but also changed me in a profound and positive way — much like going to graduate school changed me years ago.

You’re doing it! Whether you’re beginning your graduate journey, almost finished or working as a postdoc, it is really hard work! It can be intellectually taxing, emotionally stressful and financially, well, inconvenient at best. There are times you can't believe what you’ve accomplished and times you want to quit, but there are a lot of things you can do to help yourself succeed.

Tip 1: Preparation is the foundation for success

Just like you didn't just wake up one day and decide to go to graduate school, I prepared to complete the Ironman by working with a coach and building up my strength and endurance over time. You’ve done the same kind of preparation by completing your undergraduate degree, taking the right courses, and creating a network of people who support and mentor you along the way to graduate school. And I hope you have teachers and advisors guiding you to shape your program of study now that you’re here. 

Just as I was telling myself “You’ll be lucky if you finish this,” someone shouted encouragingly, “Looking strong!” as she passed me. 

Tip 2: Look for support from those you know and those you don’t

The support you develop along the way makes a big difference. It can come from professors, peers, friends and family. They’ll both cheer you on and help you meet your needs — call them your dissertation or master’s support group. 

During my race, the support from people around me helped drive out the negative thoughts that were pounding in my head — whether I knew them or not. I had good friends with me just before jumping into Tempe Town Lake and there were volunteers who gave us water, Gatorade, bananas, snacks and, most importantly, cheered us on throughout the day.

I wanted to quit so many times but the encouragement from my friends and family on race day kept me moving. They helped me fight off the urge to quit over and over, turning my negative self-talk from, “I’ll just finish the bike and then I’ll stop… that’ll be ok,” to “I can do just one more lap on the bike.”

“Keep going!” I heard someone say.

Tip 3: It’s okay to be the tortoise

One of the things that worried me the most was speed. In order to continue in the race, each participant had to meet the time cutoffs, and I knew I’d be close. Graduate degrees also take time – lots of time. Yes, we have cutoff times too (10 years for the PhD, 6  for a master’s), but there is still plenty of time to be the one who is a bit slower than the rest. Completing a graduate degree is a marathon, not a sprint!

As I finished the bike section of the race, I told myself “I’ll just start the run, certainly they’ll pull me from the course because I’m too slow.” And then I started walking. I couldn’t run. It hurt too much.

“You got this. We’re going to pick up those finisher medals.” 

Those few words from a fellow racer motivated me to just keep moving, knowing that I could celebrate at the finish.

Tip 4: Celebrate the victories, even the little ones

Finally, don’t forget to celebrate. You can celebrate the little victories, the major milestones and the big finish. Just visualize that! Celebrate that paper you wrote or the presentation you gave at a conference. Track the major milestones on your iPOS. Celebrate all of those accomplishments. 

It was the small celebrations that helped me along the way – finishing the swim, transitioning to the bike and heading out for the final lap of the run.

 So what I have to say to you is, “You’re strong! You got this! ”