The Mindful Marathon: Where Running Meets Meditation The 2025 Los Angeles Marathon, set to celebrate its 40th anniversary on March 16, 2025, is shaping up to be a monumental event in the city's sporting calendar. The marathon's iconic 26.2-mile course will guide runners from the historic Dodger Stadium to the finish line in Century City, showcasing some of LA's most famous landmarks along the way. With over 25,000 participants expected, the event has already sold out, highlighting its enduring popularity. The marathon weekend kicks off on March 14 with a two-day Lifestyle Expo at Dodger Stadium, followed by the LA 5K and Kids' Running Events on March 15. The main event on Sunday will feature both the full marathon and a charity half marathon. The race day will begin early, with the wheelchair division starting at 6:30 AM, followed by the women's elite group at 6:40 AM. The men's elite and general participants will set off at 7:00 AM, with the charity half mar...
People say I'm living the dream. I'm Emma, 34, working at a multinational company in Frankfurt. From my apartment window, I can see the city's skyline, a view that reminds me daily of how far I've come from the small town where I grew up. I have a good position at work, a comfortable lifestyle, and the freedom to enjoy my life with my partner while maintaining my independence.
But six months ago, something felt off. It wasn't burnout - I was managing my work-life balance quite well. It wasn't loneliness - I had friends and a loving relationship. It was something deeper, an inexplicable emptiness that would visit me during quiet moments, especially on Sunday afternoons when the world seemed to slow down.
I remember sitting on my balcony one evening, looking at the sunset over Frankfurt's skyline, and thinking, "Is this all there is?" I had checked all the boxes society told me would bring fulfillment, yet something was missing.
The turning point came unexpectedly over lunch with my Korean colleague, Min-ji. I must have looked troubled because she asked if everything was okay. Before I knew it, I was confessing these feelings I hadn't even shared with my closest friends. Instead of offering the usual "but you have so much to be grateful for" response, she simply nodded and said, "Maybe you need to sit with those feelings."
That's how I learned about meditation. Min-ji shared her own story and recommended an app to get started. I still remember my first attempt - sitting on my yoga mat, feeling slightly ridiculous, constantly checking the timer. Ten minutes felt like an eternity.
But something made me try again the next day. And the next. Gradually, those awkward ten minutes became the most precious part of my day. I found myself waking up earlier just to have this time with myself before the city awakens.
Now, meditation is as essential to my morning as coffee. I've created a small ritual: I wake up while the city is still quiet, wrap myself in my favorite blanket, and sit in my reading nook. Sometimes I meditate for five minutes, sometimes twenty. I've learned there's no "right" way to do it.
The emptiness that brought me to meditation hasn't disappeared entirely. But now I understand that it wasn't something to be fixed - it was trying to tell me something. Those quiet moments that once felt uncomfortable have become opportunities to check in with myself, to breathe, to simply be.
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