Is it possible to have too many nerves? A few months of preparation come down to this last week, and avoiding any pitfalls that will prevent me from achieving my goal…
Monday 6th October – Today was all about preparation. I have checked and double checked my clothing for the day, made sure I laid out everything I may be taking and all is in good condition. Thankfully it has all checked out OK. Tonight was yoga, and my youngest daughter came over with me to the class. She enjoyed the class, although isn’t sure about taking her time with the postures. I am hoping I can set a good example to my children with their fitness and assist them in living a healthy life full of correct choices.
Tuesday 7th October – Spin session as usual, except the instructor has chosen an old somewhat familiar mix this week. I am finding the spin is a good chance to raise the heart rate for an extended period of time without having the impact on the body which occurs during running. (21.3km @ 51:36, Avg 84rpm / 189 watts)
Wednesday 8th October – This morning I woke to confusion on whether to run a shorter distance, slower pace, or not run at all. My decision was to run a slightly shorter course at an easier pace. My one concern in running the easier pace is if my body becomes accustomed to it will I be able to return to the speedier pace when required (14.73km @ 1:07.54) Last night of yoga pre marathon and I definitely felt calmer exiting the room. Plenty of well wishes from fellow practitioners for this weekend’s run, nothing like a bit of added pressure knowing there are other people who expect big things.
Thursday 9th October – Last chance for a training session of high heart rate prior to the weekends run. (26.5km @ 63:47, Avg 84rpm / 171 watts) I have been eating pasta for lunch each day, trying to boost the carbohydrate intake gradually instead of just one large meal the night before. Today I weighed myself for the first time in a few weeks to find I am a little over the weight I expected, but with over 3 hours of running ahead of me I think I will be losing some of the excess weight Sunday.
Friday 10th October – Easy Friday morning run today, more about turning the legs over and keeping the body in shape than trying for any records. (11.5km @ 51:53.2) My biggest fear over the past week has been on injuries but I have remained clear from any major issues. Besides a few niggles in my left knee, my only other concern has been my calves have pulled up a bit tight after some of my runs. Spending time on the foam roller and regular yoga sessions has helped keep me in reasonable shape.
Saturday 11th October – Today was a sleep in, no running, no early morning training sessions planned, just rest. At lunch time I gathered the family in the car and we drove to Melbourne, where I have booked accommodation around 1km from the start line. After checking in we walked over to the starting area where an event expo was held to collect my showbag and look at other stalls. Next was a walk into the CBD to look around followed by stopping for a meal at a restaurant where a mate is the head chef. He produced some amazing food for us to eat, although I don’t think it is the standard menu for elite athletes the night before a marathon. The wrap up of the night was a tram ride and walk back to our accommodation in preparation for the big event. After getting my entire gear ready, and checking it relentlessly, I lay down in the bed and mentally thought through the day ahead. After an hour of thoughts of both training and potential outcomes I finally fell asleep.
Sunday 12th October – Today is the day. I couldn’t keep this down to just a paragraph so follow this link here for all of the details.
If you’ve followed the journey as it’s been written, I thank you whole heartedly, if you are reading through this in retrospect to the event, I hope I’ve managed to either enlighten or entertain you. Without the support of my family and friends I couldn’t of completed half of the things I have been able to in my fitness transformation from not being able to run 5km right through to lacing up my runners for a crack at a full marathon. Either way, thanks for reading my ramblings, and feel free to contact me or leave a comment with your thoughts.
Thanks again, and hopefully I see you out running at either an event or on a training run somewhere soon… TattooedRunningGuy
Overall distance – 47.8km spin class , 26.2km training run. 42.2km marathon run.