People are always asking me what I think about when I’m running long distances. Usually I’ll be just thinking about how I’m pacing or what is coming up next in the course. Often I write my blogs or work on my books. As a matter of fact I wrote these very words on the weekend as I was running the Melbourne Marathon. No I didn’t voice record this on the run or carry my laptop, instead I had a conversation in my head, as if reading these very words out loud from the page. I then repeated and edited as I went occasionally checking my watch for a time check. Only now am I putting those words in print for you to read.
I am a great believer that sport reflects life and that with each run or basketball game there is a valuable lesson that relates to another area of my life. So what did I learn from this years Melbourne Marathon?
I did my first Melbourne Marathon in 2007 in a time of 3 hours 23 minutes so this time I was more prepared in one sense but as you will read, less prepared in many others! The reason for my four year gap in marathons was basketball commitments and niggling injuries. The truth is that I could have completed the distance in previous years, but I knew I would not do it in a better time. The competitive side of me didn’t want to do a slower time than I knew I was capable of.
This year I decided that I would complete the distance no matter what. Again the preparation was far from perfect with problems with my ITB and a busy schedule that included flying back from Sydney only 14 hours before the race began. But so what, the circumstances for anything are rarely perfect. The weather was near perfect with the only a few widy sections along the beach that made it that little bit harder.
In my lead up to the race I ran 27km in about 2.5 hours, then 30km in that time, and then 32km, as well as shorter runs in between. With each run I got stronger but I knew that on the day the race does not begin until the 32km where the body is pushed into the unknown.
After I slow first kilometre where the pack sorted itself out I got into a good rhythm running at 4:40-4:50 minutes per kilometre which had me on track for a 3 hour 30 minute marathon. I was allowing to slow down and finish in ten minutes more than that. All was on track until the 30km mark. I could feel my stride shortening and a kilometre later when I hit a hill I felt as if I would fall over as my legs started to buckle. My breathing, heartrate and everthing else was fine. Overall my legs didn’t have the k’s in them. I trundled home in 7 minutes per kilometre, stopping at drink stations to have three drinks instead of one to finish in 3 hours 51 minutes.
So in some ways it was disappointing, but then again it was only 10 minutes slower than expected. The result was a fair reflection of my preparation and I had just completed my second Melbourne Marathon, something to be proud of!
So the major lessons, many of which I knew before I started.
1) You get out what you put in, If I had trained more my legs would have been used to the stress I put them under in the race and survived longer.
2) Pace yourself, maybe if I had gone at a slower even pace I could have got further up the road before my legs gave way. Maybe not, which is why I ran at a pace slower than I normally run but not so slow as I didn’t feel in rhythm. N doubt some would have failed to go the distance because they went too hard, too early.
3) Anyone can run a marathon, there was an 83 year old man competing, what is your excuse? All body shapes and sizes compete and all you have to do is finish to be a winner!
PS Check out my progress with upcoming marathon messages here!
Chris Bellesini
Remember, You Too, Can
Choose Your Own Success
