Running a competitive marathon has been on my to do list for quite a long time. I’ve run 2 in training and done plenty of half marathons, but never a real full marathon. Finally, I’ve gotten it off that list as of last Sunday. I successfully completed the Melbourne Marathon in 4 hours and 12 minutes, and I hope to run it again next year in a far lesser time and with fewer injuries.
I have kept a twitter page at http://twitter.com/vaishnavsr and this blog over the last 6 months informing everyone of my training and progress.
The Challenge
Looking back at my first real marathon, I can say that it is a difficult, but very doable challenge. Running in a big competition has its advantages compared to just running 42 kms on your own, which I did in June. For one thing, the roads are blocked off for the event, so you can focus on the running without stopping or worrying about traffic, bicycles etc. There are pacers who run alongside everyone allowing individuals to pace themselves for a desired finish time. Lastly, when feeling tired, you just have to look around you and realize that everyone else is also as tired as you are and that you are not alone in trying to cross this challenge. The wall on the Melbourne Marathon Facebook Group has plenty of inspiring stories of folks who faced their worst and did their best to complete the event, including one of Pauline, a woman who completed the race despite a possible stress fracture in her foot.
Personally, I found that the first 30 or so kms quite alright. Its the last 10 or 5 km where a person’s true strength and stamina, both mentally and physically, are put to the test. In my case, my tendinitis made it difficult for my left knee, but as mentioned above, I was not the only person running with an injury. I took a 20 minute break to stretch on the sidewalk and it helped a bit. Besides that, I felt my muscles tightening up, but not cramping. This is due to them probably working overtime and it could have been avoided with better training.
Hydration was not much of an issue since there were drink stations every 5 or 10 kms providing Gatorade. There are also people handing out chocolates and jelly beans to feed sugar for that extra energy, which certainly helped.
What I learned
I have found through this marathon and even through life, the largest battlefields and biggest challenges bring out an individual’s greatest strengths and weaknesses, sometimes all at once. In this marathon, I saw a fit, well built young man start off in a quick sprint only to collapse and get stretchered off by medics 30 kms later, while an elderly grandfather ran at a constant pace and with no assistance, finished in under 5 hours. You really can’t judge a book by its cover.
I saw those who had trained well and breezed through the marathon in under 3 hours, as well as those who toiled and endured to finish in 5 hours. I believe that the latter had the same winning mentality as most successful people that I’ve come across in the working and business world. These folks are determined to see the task through to its completion, when they could have always given up at any point and walked off the track. I believe their actions signified ultimate professionalism and dedication, something even I’ve lacked at many times in my own life.
Ask yourselves this: “How many times have we worked on an school or university assignment or client project report up to 90 or 95% completion till the end, then given up and just winged the last 5% before submitting it in?”
As many of my friends and family know, I also set out to raise $1000 for Train for Humanity by running this marathon. In the end, I was only able to raise $95, which makes me realize how hard starting and running a non-profit must be in our capitalist, cash intensive world.
Acknowledgments
While I did the training, I have to extend thanks to several others without whom this challenge would have been a lot harder. All my friends, those nearby and far frequently followed my twitter blog and several even donated to my page on train for humanity. Many folks on facebook commented on each of my running posts. While it only took 10 seconds to comment, it made a big difference and during the 4 hours, these little words of encouragement stayed on my mind whenever I felt like slowing down.
When I had patellar tendinitis, I posted a quick query on facebook and Matt, a friend who was also a physiotherapist, called and gave me a free consultation during his busy lunch hour. The exercises and methods he suggested helped me a great deal in getting back into training when the marathon was less than 2 months away.
I also thank Muhu for coming with me all the way to the MCG on the morning of the run and Bev for driving my car back after I was flat out following the race. I also thank those several supporters who lined up along the entire race route to cheer their family and friends. Though I was a complete stranger to them, they cheered me too and even attended to me when I had to stop for a few minutes to stretch and relieve the knee pain.
The appeal
I have done the marathon and I am not of any athlete-esque ethnicity or nationality. Heck, for that matter, I was not even an elite high school athlete. All it takes to run a marathon for most people is about 18 months of regular weekly training. I would recommend anyone, regardless of age or current physical condition to try running at least once a week. There are other benefits too besides the obvious physical well being. If you regularly play another sport such as tennis, hockey or even golf, running can greatly help to improve your game. It raises your stamina and your concentration levels, so you don’t make many mistakes even after hours of playing. The late stages of a game is where most average players lose points while pros keep their focus and win the match.
And if the running is something you enjoy, then you can always take it to the next level by running longer distances such as the half or full marathon like I did. I started running due to boredom and through it I found my weekly self time to let my mind wander free. When I run or swim, I get the same effect as meditating and through my body is tired, my mind is refreshed. I’ve always had a rush of ideas on everything from media, poetry to engineering inventions after a good run. In our current crowded cities, just finding a quiet space to sit down and think without interruption is difficult. Running could help people find that space even in an increasingly crowded world.
Just remember to leave the mobile phone behind before you head out.
I joined Train For Humanity in April this year and I was so excited about the idea of combining getting fit and social media in the name of social good that I signed up to run a marathon, even though I couldn’t run more than 3 miles at the time. It wouldn’t be so bad if I had a year to train. But I only had 10 weeks. I know - foolish!
