Marathon running is a sport for crazy people. Why would anyone want to run 42km, really. A few weeks before Gold Coast my friend Chantel reminded me that the first chap who did it promptly lay down and died. It didn’t stop her running last Sunday though, and she was amazing.
In truth, all of the runners I meet are all lovely people. We long distance runners spend a lot of time with ourselves and our thoughts. For me it absolutely helps keep me balanced. I love the feel of events, the buzz and camaraderie and little pats on the back from total strangers. It's part of what being a runner is all about.
Once you have run one marathon you do one of two things. Say you have crossed that off now and vow never to run one again or you get bitten by the bug.
Last year, after Melbourne, it took less than 48 hours for the strange infection from that bug bite to take hold and I knew I wanted to run more marathons.
It took me a good few weeks to figure out which one I wanted to tackle next but eventually I set my sights on the Gold Coast.
I got the idea in my head that I would like to run a qualifying time for New York 2014 and that is where I set my bar. However, even with my best half marathon time at 1:31:31 and with many solid months of training behind me I was pretty sure that I wasn’t quite ready to clear that bar just yet.
I like to treat every day as a new learning experience. It is fair to say that I learnt a lot about myself and marathon running in the weeks, months and days leading up to the Gold Coast Marathon.
I always knew how important having strong leg muscles was for preventing injury, add a strong core, glutes and lower back to that and you start to increase your speed. I love the style of training I’ve been doing and am looking forward to doing more of it in the coming months.
My nutrition plan that I followed in the two weeks leading up to the Gold Coast worked really well. It was interesting watching my body respond and I woke up feeling perfectly primed on Sunday morning. There are a few changes I’ll make next time around to make the carb loading a little bit easier on my belly. I definitely didn’t hit a wall related to poor nutritional preparation.
My struggles were from general fatigue. The three weeks leading up to the marathon were hectic and exhausting. Steven was away for 10 days, including two weekends, and I had two trips to site in the two weeks before hand. I had far too many nights with less than six hours sleep. However, that is life. I took the opportunity to rest and sleep when my body told me to in the two days I had to relax on the Gold Coast.
I don’t really like gels but I think I will learn to get used to them and put a bit more effort in to finding a good alternative. That little boost to liver glycogen makes a big difference. I have a few ideas of what to use but it’s the packaging that has me a bit stumped.
I was lucky enough to plonk myself down next to one of the 3 hour pace runners on the bus after the race. I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions and will be making a few changes to my training strategy as a result. More speed work, regular 3 hour runs and increased total kms/week. My strategy has been right for me until now but to step it up a notch I need to make some changes. I am looking forward to seeing the results.
That familiar face in the crowd makes a world of difference when you are hurting, so does simply hearing words of encouragement from a random stranger, so do the messages you received before the race wishing you well. It’s all there with you, helping you get through to the line at the end.
Focusing on the end point, visualising yourself crossing the line when all you want to do is pack up and go home. The distance markers always tell you how far you have run, once you reach the halfway mark I think that they should count back the other way! All of those numbers between abut 22 and 36 are tough to swallow because there are so many of them!
Knowing that I wasn’t going to crack the goal I had set for myself I did have to talk myself in to not giving in a few times. I wasn’t comfortable for most of the run, I am pretty sure it was the general fatigue that got me possibly combined with the heat, although that’s not something I consciously found to be bothering me.
Take a look at my photos and with the exception of the photos where I was waving at the camera I have pain written on my face in every single one.
I got through to the end by focusing on my next goals. The Yurrebilla Ultra in September is the main one, but with thoughts of Adelaide 2013 and Paris 2014 surrounding it.
Running Paris in 2014 is very much on my radar. It’s nine months away. Are you interested in coming with me? I am offering custom marathon and half marathon nutrition and training coaching packages for Paris and any other event you might be interested in running.
Paris will be followed by New York in November with a few yet to be decided on events in between. I’ve even been toying with the idea of running New York this year too, but I’ve been having trouble getting Woody to agree to that one!
Are you a runner? Do you have some big running goals for the future? What is the thing you love best about running?
Tatum xx
