About six months ago, I made the decision that I was going to go all in on my efforts to break three hours in the marathon. I tried several times before to achieve this goal but my training and preparation in the matter was poor. I relied too heavily on natural ability. This time however I went all in. I did tempos, hills, pace runs, long run and more easy runs then I’d choose to count. And I did them all alone in the cold Ohio winter. I did this because it made me mentally strong. After four months of continuous training, I toed the line in Louisville, Kentucky to find out what I’m made of. I liked what I found. This is the story of the journey that day as best as I can remember.
Mile 1
It started as all marathons do: too fast. I don’t know what it is but we marathoners can’t help but go out like sprinters. All around me runners who I knew were not as strong as me started passing me. The 3:10 pace group was on my tail most of the way. I let them control my pass and ran the first mile thirty seconds faster than I wanted to.
Mile 2 - 6
Lucky, after mile one I gain my composure and started running my race. I let all those who wanted to pass me. My time started falling back to what they should be for the race but still my legs felt heavy. This was a feeling for the finally six miles not the first six. Still, I pushed on. I had not run 20 miles on a Saturday in the winter to be defeated this easily.
Mile 7 - 11
These were by far the worst miles of the day. We went through Churchill Downs during mile eight but this was a letdown. We were unable to see the track from the in-field and no one was allowed in to cheer us on. You could have ran me through a fair parking lot and I would not have known the difference. At mile 11, my effort to break three only seemed completely doomed. My stomach became upset and wanted to get rid of the gels I had sucked down earlier. Still, I pushed on just so I didn’t have to tell people I dropped out this early in a race.
Mile 12 - 16
After wrestling with my stomach, I began battling the largest climb of the race. Shockingly, this section gave me strength. I stopped focusing on my stomach pains and became consumed with defeating the hills. With this, the heaviness of my legs began disappearing. I was energized from conquering the slopes and was ready to race to the finish. Also, at mile 16, I made a new running friend and we fed off each others enthusiasm to the finish.
Mile 17 - 24
These eight miles are pretty much a blur. I can remember passing dozens of runners that had started out the race too fast and were now suffering the consequences. I also remember climbing another 100 foot hill around mile 22 and the strength being drained from my legs. However, when this happened, I was too close to my goal to let it slip through my fingers.
Mile 25 - 26.2
I really remember very little of these 2.2 miles except no energy was left in my legs. As has been said, this is where I had run all the training and superficial strength out of me and was running on guts. This is also where my running friend (who only planned to break 3:05) left me to finish 6 second and maybe 30 meters in front of me. I started playing games with myself. Could I catch the next guy before the finish? Did I have enough strength to run to the bridge?
Then I saw it. The turn for the final 30 meters. When I made the turn I was at 2:57 so barring a complete collapse of my body I was going to accomplish my goal. I took every ounce of power I had left and sprinted to the finish.
The clock read: 2:57:28.
Everything made sense. The endless hours on roads with nobody cheering me on. The countless hours around a track with no one in the stands. The tedious easy runs. All those miles had given me the strength to accomplish this amazing feat. Looking back the whole experience taught me a few things I hope to never forget.
Lessons Learned
1) Never give up on your dreams - I have been chasing the three hour mark in the marathon for about 5 years now. It took a lot for me to stay focused and keep going after the goal. Even without breaking three, I run an above average marathon time.
2) Glory comes from preparing - More and more it seems we think that glory happens in a single moment. You forget that it took months and years preparing for the glorious moment. Previously to this race, I had always depended on my natural ability to get me through a race and only did the minimal amount of training. I knew recognize that to achieve your best you prepare 100 times more than you actually act.
3) Have a plan and stick to it - As part of your preparation, you need to have a definite. This will keep you focused on your preparation and give you direction. In previous training, I went with what felt comfortable everyday and never pushed myself too hard. This time, I purchased a training plan that was tailored toward breaking 3 hours. Also, I stuck with the plan even when I didn’t want to.
4) But me comfortable in changing it - However, I recognized that my body occasionally told me I couldn’t handle a workout or an injury needed another day of rest. Throughout training, this happened and I did not make things worse by trying to make up the miles. Also, I recognized that life can get in the way. During training, I got married and went on my honeymoon. I was smart enough to recognize that I would miss several workouts during this time.
5) Things will get better - This is a common thread through all marathons but seemed especially true for me during this race. I honestly did not believe at mile 11 that I would break three hours. Fortunately, I believed in myself (and my preparation) and kept putting one foot in front of the other.
Does anyone else have an event that gave the great insight like this?
