Completing a Marathon
My first marathon
Its been 6 years since i ran my first and only marathon. (Thats me in the blue t shirt and cap) . The word run is used in a loose sense, as it was walk :run combination that got me through the 42.something kms. After all the euphoria, the pride and the resting on the laurels, and a sense of checking off a box ( run a marathon..check) this is what I would advise anyone wanting to complete 42 kms on foot in one go..
1- Motivation : be very clear to yourself why you are doing it. If you are not clear, it will be impossible to commit yourself to the training over the coming year. For me, it was a combination. I had completed a few half marathons by then. was going through a rough phase in my personal life and needed a healthy outlet, a vague idea that running is like meditation and that it would ease all my mental woes.. Right or wrong, these got me through the year's training. Which brings me to point 2.
2- Have a plan. Whatever and however you want to do it, make a plan and commit to it. If its a running group you have joined, great, Join it and commit to the coach's plan. If like me you like control over what you do, then research, take a deadline to stop your research and then commit to it. Once you commit, its your plan.Own it. As i said earlier, I walked ran. It was a concious strategy. run 3 min and walk 1 min, in a loop. Its sounds easier than it actually is. Jeff 'the penguin' Bingham is its founder. Some people sneer at the walking part, saying whats the challenge? Well if their challenge is run 42 km great..my challenge was complete 42 km in time to collect the finishers medal and not get injured. Have your goal and then the plan to suit that goal. Its your goal and not anyone elses. Be proud of it and own it.
3- Plans are not immutable. Life happens. Injuries happen, significant events happen. These have a place in your life. relationships are more important than the pencilled in 28 km run that saturday. So, be open and flexible. This is not an excuse to skip training out of laziness. I got injured and learnt to swim as an alternate to the period of non running, I skipped one long run to attend a wedding. Its a fine balance between being committed to the plan and obsessed with the plan.
4- You dont have to do it alone: A few days before the run, a had the good fortune to connecting with two guys on a running blog. We met up a day before the run, and did the marathon together. We are still in touch and good friends. We ran together till 32 km and that was the effortless part. We split up over the last 10 km and I will always remember that as the toughest part. So again, you dont need to go alone , choose company when its available.
5-The beginning is fun cos its fresh and the end is fun as you see an end to the suffering in front of you. The middle is the toughest and this is where your training, mental strength comes through. People describe the euphoria of completion. For me, the middle phase and how I did there defined me as a person and runner. The year long training is like the middle phase. The inital fun has worn off and the end seems far away..well enjoy this, as this is the marathon.
These are fairly generic observations that apply to any endevour in life and I am glad that the marathon helped me recognize them.
Its been 6 years since i ran my first and only marathon. (Thats me in the blue t shirt and cap) . The word run is used in a loose sense, as it was walk :run combination that got me through the 42.something kms. After all the euphoria, the pride and the resting on the laurels, and a sense of checking off a box ( run a marathon..check) this is what I would advise anyone wanting to complete 42 kms on foot in one go..
1- Motivation : be very clear to yourself why you are doing it. If you are not clear, it will be impossible to commit yourself to the training over the coming year. For me, it was a combination. I had completed a few half marathons by then. was going through a rough phase in my personal life and needed a healthy outlet, a vague idea that running is like meditation and that it would ease all my mental woes.. Right or wrong, these got me through the year's training. Which brings me to point 2.
2- Have a plan. Whatever and however you want to do it, make a plan and commit to it. If its a running group you have joined, great, Join it and commit to the coach's plan. If like me you like control over what you do, then research, take a deadline to stop your research and then commit to it. Once you commit, its your plan.Own it. As i said earlier, I walked ran. It was a concious strategy. run 3 min and walk 1 min, in a loop. Its sounds easier than it actually is. Jeff 'the penguin' Bingham is its founder. Some people sneer at the walking part, saying whats the challenge? Well if their challenge is run 42 km great..my challenge was complete 42 km in time to collect the finishers medal and not get injured. Have your goal and then the plan to suit that goal. Its your goal and not anyone elses. Be proud of it and own it.
3- Plans are not immutable. Life happens. Injuries happen, significant events happen. These have a place in your life. relationships are more important than the pencilled in 28 km run that saturday. So, be open and flexible. This is not an excuse to skip training out of laziness. I got injured and learnt to swim as an alternate to the period of non running, I skipped one long run to attend a wedding. Its a fine balance between being committed to the plan and obsessed with the plan.
4- You dont have to do it alone: A few days before the run, a had the good fortune to connecting with two guys on a running blog. We met up a day before the run, and did the marathon together. We are still in touch and good friends. We ran together till 32 km and that was the effortless part. We split up over the last 10 km and I will always remember that as the toughest part. So again, you dont need to go alone , choose company when its available.
5-The beginning is fun cos its fresh and the end is fun as you see an end to the suffering in front of you. The middle is the toughest and this is where your training, mental strength comes through. People describe the euphoria of completion. For me, the middle phase and how I did there defined me as a person and runner. The year long training is like the middle phase. The inital fun has worn off and the end seems far away..well enjoy this, as this is the marathon.
These are fairly generic observations that apply to any endevour in life and I am glad that the marathon helped me recognize them.
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