In April it was a pipe dream, in May it was a goal, in June I was committed. Today I am marathon runner having completed the Melbourne marathon 2014 on Sunday October 12 2014.

For a quick background how I got to this new title, after taking on a 6km fun run in November 2013 with limited success I set about a establishing a series of goals which led to my running of the Melbourne Marathon in October 2014, less than 12 months into my running career. Most of this information can be found in my previous posts, so now’s the time to give a wrap up of this major milestone.

I’ve often heard people talking of the 6 P’s (proper preparation prevents piss poor performance) when it comes to achieving goals. With this quote in mind I felt I had prepared well for the Melbourne Marathon. I had spent time on Google reviewing different techniques, purchased magazines, spoke to many people, joined a local cross country running club and put in many kilometers running varied terrains in different conditions.
My goal was to finish, hoping to run under 4:00 hours, and if things went to plan cross the finish line under 3.5 hours. The biggest thing I was told to not get caught up with everybody else and just run my own race. My aim was for a 4:25 min/km pace over the first 20kms and to ease back on the second half.

First 5kms – As I stood at the starting line for 30 minutes the nerves were peaking but quickly evaporated when the gun went off. As we were heading down Flinders St my watch alerted me that the first kilometer was down, and my pace was 5:20 min/km. I hadn’t factored in dodging and avoiding a few thousand other runners also running their own race. Already a minute behind my anticipated pace I upped the tempo along St Kilda Rd and managed to get in front of the 3:30 pacers.

5 to 15kms – When we started to round Albert Park lake my rhythm was a little behind my goal but I was feeling comfortable. It was around here I had a little surreal moment when one of the people I had been speaking with on Instagram referred to me as ‘Tattooed Running Guy’. Yep, that’s the first time someone I had never previously met had recognized me purely from my social media presence. We had a brief discussion as we ran and I upped my pace to try and get my initial goal pace back within reach with a little more pep in my step. As I started the stretch along St Kilda beach I moved past the 3:20 pacers and settled in to a 4:30 min/km pace.

15 to 30kms – The stretch along St Kilda beach was picturesque, but long and somewhat lonely as everyone had spread out from the earlier small groups. It was along here I managed to ingest my first (and second) energy gel whilst running. My previous attempts had been whilst standing at a drink tap, these were taken whilst on the move, and thankfully they stayed down. Around the 25km mark I started to feel a slight pain in my left knee, as well as my right quad. Watching a few people making their way to the sidelines in front of me started playing on my mind as they were stretching out their own apparent muscle pains. Knowing the commitment I had made to get into the position I was gave enough motive to ignore the little niggles I was feeling.

30 to 37kms – Heading back to St Kilda Rd the course merged with the half marathon runners meaning larger packs of runners again. It was a moral boost as I was able to start running past runners who were running the shorter course. My mood was also boosted as another social media friend yelled out at the 32km marker and gave me a bottle of water. It was a small gesture on his behalf but meant a lot to me at a time I was really starting to feel the mental pressure, but it was also this point where my pace started to rise out above the 5:00 min/km pace as predicted in my training. With the knowledge the hard yards had been covered I started mentally breaking down the remaining distances to kilometer blocks, reminding myself how often I had ran short distances before. Running through the Botanic Gardens I knew I was close, but my legs were getting heavy, and the mental game was becoming a battle.

Last 5 kms – As the exit from the gardens appeared a young kid was standing on the side of the course offering flavoured ice blocks. Liquid icy gold, I can’t express how good it was to accept one and start eating it and another example of a small gesture which made my day. Knowing I was on the home stretch helped me push through for the last couple of kilometers, as well as spotting another social media friend yelling support and encouragement. As I turned the final corner seeing the finish line I felt a series of emotions lifting me above the mental and physical pain my body had been enduring for the previous few hours. I crossed the line realizing I had achieved the goal I had thought just a pipedream only 6 months earlier. I was ushered to the recovery area and a medal placed over my neck, and as my mind started processing where I needed to go I heard the voices of my family calling from the sidelines. Again, I’m unable to accurately describe my feelings seeing them, but elation and pride were in there.

Recovery time – 42kms is a long way to run for a free banana and apple. After a couple of drinks of Hydralite and water, some of the free fruit, and an assortment of sugary treats brought along by the family I made my way to one of the stalls and purchased a pair of compression calve sleeves. After fitting them I walked back to our accommodation for a shower. It was good to have a lie on the bed for 10 minutes after my shower, and then it was time to pack our goodies in the car and head home. Taking things easy for the day was my major concern, and by the evening I was ready for bed. After months of preparation and planning I was glad when I could shut down for the day with the thought I was now a bona fide marathon runner.

Summary – My final time was 3:23.02 which was better than the 3:30 I felt I could achieve from my training. My calves, quads and knees were a bit sore, and I lost a toenail, but overall came out of the run in good health and spirit. The question is now, what’s the next goal going to be…