Melbourne has been struggling through a cold winter. Continually cold and /or wet and/or windy or sometimes all three it can make getting out for a long run something of a trial. It has been said that there is never a run that you will regret but it is also true that there are runs that are less fun than others.

What to do when the weather is poor and motivation hard to find ? Go to Mudgee. What? Where did that come from? George was looking at marathons that were available and within a recovery time frame for our overseas trip. Mudgee up in New South Wales came up in conversation and the seed was sown. Not long after it was noted that Dubbo, relatively just down the road also had a marathon the following week. Hmmm.

A plan was hatched to run, catch up with family and friends, run and catch up with family and go home. Nine days, two marathons, three lots of family and one of close friends, several hundred kilometres in the car (probably around two thousand all up) and invaluable experience.

We headed off on the Friday before the Sunday marathon and stayed overnight in Yerong creek south of Wagga. This took about five hours out of the trip to Mudgee. Saturday was up early and on through Wagga, Junee, Young and into Mudgee in time to catch up with Wayno and George, pick up numbers and have a relaxed pasta dinner.

Dubbo Stampede

After a week of visits with Aunty Marg in Gilgandra and friends in Guyra we moved on to Dubbo more educated on rural life and farming practices. This year it is flooding rains now that the drought has broken. Someone should write a poem.
The events in Dubbo are themed around the Western Plains Zoo with the marathon being the Rhino Ramble. A slightly warmer morning of about 8 degrees and slightly overcast. In this case the marathon was a stand alone event so a smaller number on the start line but all running the marathon. It was slightly larger number of marathoners than in Mudgee being around 80-90 runners.

From the start there was only going to be one winner. The first guy took off like he was being chased by lions and was first out of the zoo gate by 50 metres. We only saw him again coming back the other way on the two lap course and he won by many minutes. We ran down Obley road to a turn around, back past the zoo entrance and headed towards town. One notable feature of this event was chalk drawings on the bike path that were really well done and provided a welcome diversion later in the event.
I was tracking along pretty well. I was expecting to feel a bit of tiredness from the marathon a week before and the travelling but I was rolling along as we headed off the bike path on to the dirt river trail. This is a very scenic area with the river on one side but had been chewed up in sections from the rain. At this point I was fourth overall and the third male runner. I knew this wasn’t really viable as I was going to flag at some point but there were prizes down to third place so I decided to run it as hard as I could until overtaken and then take it easy coming in if there was anything left in the tank.

At 30 km, on the dirt, starting to feel pretty sore a nice young man (about 50 yo) finally overtook me. As I watched him slowly edge ahead I drew comfort from the release of the pressure of maintaining a pace that was by now way beyond comfortable. By 36 km heading back to the zoo it was a get to the end job. Sometimes we talk about the bear jumping on our backs at this point but in this case it might have been a rhino and not the little pygmy one either.

In to the zoo and there is a little 1500m loop. It’s a little out of the way until the finish chute. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing as no one can see how much it hurts or whether it’s a good thing because you can shuffle along alone until the last tiny weeny bit. Anyway, across the line in 3.23, finished 7th so a second top ten finish and won my age group. We ran two marathons in two weeks and now the following Tuesday I actually feel better than I did last Tuesday after the first one.

Where to from here

So to summarise where we are at.

1. I’ve run four marathons this year. Canberra, Brisbane, Mudgee and Dubbo.I’ve won my age group (60+) in all of them and finished top ten in the two smaller events.
2. I’ve built from a single marathon in Canberra to half-marathon-half over consecutive weeks in Brisbane to consecutive marathons in Mudgee and Dubbo.
3. I’m in reasonable shape health wise. I’m having a skin spot removed this arvo but apart from that and a little inflammation in my left heel I think I could nearly go around again.

Berlin is now three weeks away next Sunday. Flights and accommodation are booked, shots are up to date and paper work is in order. This will be the first outing for passports that were issued pre covid. Barring the unforseen we should get there and be ready to run. The aim at the moment is Berlin easy, London (the World Age Group Champ) harder and Chicago with whatever’s left.

Getting closer…..

My long term average mileage (kilometreage?) over the last 5 years or so works out around 55 km / week. There are a couple of points to reflect on from this. The first is the importance of consistency in building a base to run marathons . We always suggest to new runners to look at the long term, accept that change takes time and give your body time to adapt to an active lifestyle. Secondly, an increase in distance and cycles of increase and adapt give your body the best chance to get used to longer distance without injury. 55km/ week is average. There are heavier periods as we are going through now and then post event there will be periods of lower mileage as we recover. Even recovery is relative. When we talk about a 12 week lead up to a marathon that is on the back of many years of consistent running. The twelve weeks then becomes an event specific program. With this adventure there are three events in three weeks so post Berlin and London are about freshening up and going again. Post number three in Chicago is all about recovery and celebration.

So we entered July with twelve weeks until the first overseas marathon in Berlin. Twelve weeks is pretty standard as a training block for us for a marathon. For three marathons in succession the length of time is OK (we hope) but the volume of work needed to increase to allow for the accumulation of fatigue over three weeks and to check some recuperation strategies.

So July was all about combining an increase in distance with some racing and race paced training. Weeks were 72, 100, 85, and 63 kms. All above the long term average with one big 100 km week. One run in there of 32 km, a couple 21+ km runs and one 30 km race that went really well. Time of 2.16 translates to 3.10 marathon pace if I could hold it for another 12 km. I finished 2nd overall in a small field and won my age group.

There were also a couple of medical appointments in there to befuddle the training program. I still have a curiously low iron that has been investigated, a couple of skin blemishes that need removing (50 years of running in the Australian sun) and there was a blood donation in there as well.

Where to from here? Building, building. Another 30 km run this weekend and then we are looking to running two back to back marathons in Mudgee and Dubbo to assess the effect. Should be fun. From there it is just over three until we depart and four weeks to the Berlin marathon. The trip is shaping up. We have had our fourth covid booster, I will have had all the procedures done that are required at this time and all training will be complete. 90 % of the trip is planned all the way through all of the marathons with just a bit of down time left to fill in at the end.

How am I feeling? Well it’s starting to get a bit real. As with so many of these projects while they sit safely on the horizon everything is peachy. As they get closer there is always a niggly naggly doubt that we’ve forgotten something catastrophic. We’ve done our TSA form, we have nice new passports that we haven’t been able to use since they were issued 18 months ago, we have travel insurance that includes covid coverage. We have trained well and I feel well. It will all be Ok…..

Melbourne in winter. Short days and cold. Not the freezing below zero cold of the northern hemisphere but the grinding chill that seems to go and on. These are the days when Queensland and the Northern Territory send out the siren call of warmth and sunshine. It’s no wonder that so many Melbournites look for a respite of a week or maybe two. We had our time away in May in Darwin. Nine days of sunshine and heat. The downside, if there is one, is that a short break is not really time to acclimatise so runs result in ending up a little puddle of sweat.

Still we managed a couple of 15 km runs and to see a fair bit of Darwin , also a 21 minute parkrun. Returning home we decided to continue on to Brisbane for the marathon. The blog of that is somewhere in the archive. I’m sure anyone who is computer savvy can find it if they would like to read about it. I only mention it to say that I won the 60+ age group there and the medal arrived in the mail the other day.

Back in Melbourne with the London marathon less than three months away as the motivational email tells me. So how do we find the motivation to get out and complete the kilometres needed. I’ve always worked on small steps and achievements and longer term aims and goals. Mid winter is cross-country time, so I ran 12 km cross country at Cruden farm in Langwarrin with my club and then a leg of a cross country relay. Cross country is less about times and personal bests and more of strength and conditioning. There is a camaraderie sharing the fun of hills and mud with team mates and competitors. We have run cross country for many years and so have gotten to know many runners from a lot of other clubs. Good fun but a real slog.

Although winter is associated with cross country I still have a need to keep conditioning for the three marathons coming up in September-October. That means plenty of time on the road. After Brisbane I ran a virtual half marathon put on by the Tokyo marathon organisers. The hope there is one of 50 entries to next years Tokyo marathon which will be randomly drawn from the 1500 or so who completed the virtual half. It is extremely difficult to get an entry for that marathon (see below)so any chance is worth a 21 km run. It also completed a sequence of half marathon, marathon (Brisbane), half marathon over three weeks as a test to see how I could cope with repeat runs.

June was 253 km at just over 60 km /week and now we build for a couple of weeks. First week of July had 25 km on Saturday followed by 16 on Sunday. Next weekend is parkrun Saturday or relays if we have a team followed by the 30 km Sri Chinmoy event on Sunday. We’ll look at 2-3 high mileage weeks (anything over 80km / week is high mileage for me) and have signed up for the marathon in Mudgee in August and then maybe Dubbo the week after and that almost leads us into Berlin,London,Chicago.

A big emotional hurdle was reached with the shortest day passing. There was no sacrificing or bonfire but just the feeling that winter may end is positive. It’s only a minute or two longer of daylight each day at the moment but because we do so much of our running either early, just after sunrise or late, near sundown each extra minute is precious. We use the local bike path a lot and there are no lights on there so every bit helps.

Tokyo Marathon

Of the major marathons Tokyo stands out as the most “foreign”? The closest in terms of distance to Australia, Tokyo because of the difference in language and customs was the most interesting of the major marathons to run. The Japanese people are a delight. We spent an evening discussing the upcoming event with some businessmen having Friday night drinks, answering questions that were then translated into Japanese and then back again. A nice lady offered us help to the subway when it looked like we had missed the entrance with much pointing and smiling. The marathon is through the heart of Tokyo. It is at the end of winter and was a very cool 7 or 8 degrees and light rain when we started. There are a couple of out and back sections which are great because you get to see the leaders and marvel at how they don’t seem to be going much faster (but they are). At about 32 km the race approaches the Imperial palace before another out and back section. Looking up at the imposing gates it’s very clear that you are not in Kansas.

Of the other major marathons three are in the USA and one in London so all english speaking. The other is Berlin which although German speaking very much has a European vibe such that it feels very comfortable. Tokyo sits out there on its own in that sense. Entry into the Tokyo marathon is quite difficult. There are not the age related time qualifications available that there for Berlin and the US marathons. Run under 2hrs 45 and you’re in. So the ballot is the most available means of entry. Unfortunately the odds of getting in are about 12-1. Thus the virtual as another chance as mentioned above.

How’s it going

I’m pretty happy with where I’m at. I still have a bit of soreness in my left heel but that’s an ongoing issue. I have an investigation going on into low iron stores but it doesn’t seem to affect my running. (or maybe it does and I should be well under three hours . hmmm). All up very positive at the moment. Thanks for reading.

Brisbane marathon 2022

This one wasn’t on the radar earlier in the year but after Canberra I was pretty keen to continue the build up to the three marathons later in the year. We’d committed to a holiday break in Darwin for 10 days in May which was fantastic and reminded us of just how cold and miserable Melbourne gets in winter. What it didn’t allow for is the long runs necessary to prepare for a marathon. I managed several runs of 12-15 km and a pretty sweat soaked parkrun before returning to Melbourne and completing a Virtual half marathon in 93 minutes the week before Brisbane.

So, we toed the line along with the half marathon runners at 6.00 am on Sunday morning, still dark and about 9 degrees C. Pretty good conditions for distance running.

The first challenge is the climb up the Storey bridge. An icon in Brisbane it sits well above river level necessitating a short sharp climb on the North side but a longer more gradual climb from the south. Two laps of 21 km means four climbs.

Coming off the bridge there’s a nice little section along the River walk and then back into the burbs but at about 11 km there is a nasty little climb that immediately had me worried for the second lap. Bit of suburban running out to New farm and then return. Didn’t have to go up the nasty hill on the return which was nice. I was still running comfortably and had a momentary lapse of reason when I saw the 3 hour pacers on the way back. I thought if I could negative split this might be the day when 3 hours was in sight. Silly me!

Went through the half in 92.30, quicker than I’d run for 21 km the week before. I’d been trying not to get caught up with half runners who were finishing and therefore going harder.

Second lap, up the bridge, down the other side, turnaround seems a bit further away, down the steep down off the bridge onto the Riverwalk going ok. Hit the nasty hill, had a drink, chugged up the hill and started to really feel the effects. At between 33 and 34 km the wheels started to come off. Anyone who read my previous blog on ”the wall” this was one of the bear jumping on your back ones. So from here it becomes a mind game. I negotiated a couple of extra kms out of the legs but when the 3.15 pacers came past I couldn’t hang on to them. One extremely difficult rise up off the river at 41km and then into the finish. In at 3.16.04. I dropped about 20 places over the last 10 km and about 8 minutes I think but finished 60th of 569 and won my age group, 1st of 12 old blokes.

So overall? I would have liked a stronger finish but have to be realistic about the preparation and poor pace judgement. White line fever strikes again. I was 1 and a half minutes quicker than in Canberra in April and am still around the competitive level for my age, so several positives. I still think there’s a quicker one in there so we’ll keep working. From the adventure standpoint I demonstrated that I could run a solid half marathon and back up a week later with a marathon. A bit sore today Tuesday so need to look at better recovery to get the third marathon. At the same time there is no time pressure forthe three marathons in Sept -Oct so a bit more pace discipline will help.

Memories of Chicago 2016

Chicago is a very pretty city sitting on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 2016 we flew in from Dublin having completed the Berlin marathon. There was a two week gap between them which we filled in with a visit to a friend in Poland and a couple of days in Dublin. Unfortunately I picked up a fluey bug in transit somewhere (I still blame the bus back to Berlin).

We stayed with family in Chicago and enjoyed the city getting out for a run and generally seeing the sights of the North side. The marathon ran out of town up past where we stayed before traversing several of the neighbourhoods including a quite raucous run through Chinatown. The event finishes adjacent to the start and features a very relaxed after party in the park. I had a similar experience to Brisbane but much slower. Started well, ran until I couldn’t go as hard and finished in 3.28. Hoping to go better this year.

Chicago is probably considered the third of the three majors held in the United States after Boston and New York but it has it’s own appeal. It is scenic, flat and fast and a little easier to get into than the others. There is also a beer at the end. Chicago can also be deceptively cold. In October when the event is run even sunny days can struggle with warmth.

Cheers.

Ask any marathon runner what they fear the most and for the overwhelming number it is ”hitting the wall”. So what does that mean and why do we fear it? If we go back to some basic physiology we eat to provide energy and we store some of that energy away for when we are not eating. Carbohydrates (sugars) are converted to glucose and then stored as complex chains of glucose (Glycogen). Fats are stored via a different pathway and are less available for short term energy requirements.

So we run. After somewhere between 30-35 km at my marathon pace, two hours for some people, a random amount of time for others all of the available glucose is used up. Glycogen stores are depleted and energy runs out. We have now hit the wall.

What’s it like? Not fun. I can describe two methods of hitting the wall neither pleasant.

One. The short, sharp catastrophic ”Oh dear” method of hitting the wall. This one can sneak up and has been described as having a bear jump on your back. Can occur within 400 metres. Running along thinking that this is going ok suddenly evolves into painful legs, laboured breathing and fevered recalculation of how long it is going to take to finish. May or may not have cramping associated just to add to the challenge.

Two. The long slow descent into twilight. I have found this one tends to come after too optimistic estimates of finishing times. Having started too hard and being in a good place at half way or beyond the pace starts to fall away and then slows and slows and slows. It is a more insidious occurrence but no less painful. No amount of goodwill or desperation makes it better.
How can we avoid the wall?
Some runners believe in a conservative pacing strategy, others swear by a nutrition plan. I’ve never been a fan of gels and tablets and drinks during marathons. My tummy tends to rebel after the end if I’ve gone hard and everything that went in reappears. Not pretty. I also don’t like sports drink spilled down my shirt. It’s a bit of a skill to run and drink and if I’m going to wear something I’d rather it was water than sticky drink. The difficulty I have with pacing is that to run conservatively seems pessimistic. At this stage of my career I still hope there is another good one in there sometime. I’m not sure I can make up time in the back half, so I tend to go a bit hard and hope.

One interesting aside from hitting the wall is that, in my case at least, my mind stays active and knows what’s going on but my body does not respond to any of the great running cliches. No pain, no gain? Just do it? Mind over matter? In reply we get, How about F*** off and we go to the pub? What I have found more useful is to come to an agreement with my body along the lines of ”if I don’t try to push you will you get me to the finish line and then we’ll go to the pub ”? So far that has been a deal that has gotten us to the line.
As with so many things the challenge is to keep everything in balance. I have paced the Melbourne marathon a couple of times so I know that in 2021 I could run 3.40 reasonably comfortably carrying a flag and running even splits. (Past performance is no indication of future performance (in superannuation and marathon running)). In that case, although tired at the I didn’t feel that I had hit the wall. Let me add at this point that it doesn’t matter how slow you go 42km is still 42km and will leave you worn out. Hitting the wall is the icing on the cake.

The Major Marathons -Boston

All of the major marathons have their own unique features. Boston is the oldest of them with the first being run in 1897. It is an event for runners which sounds odd for a major marathon but can be appreciated when you arrive in Boston and people in the street ask if you are there for the marathon. The event is held on Patriot’s day, a public holiday and is a point to point marathon. This is another unique feature as all of the city yellow school buses are drafted in to move runners out to Hopkinton from where we run back into Boston.

Boston is surprisingly accessible for anyone who can meet the time qualifying. For us overseas they accept many of the AIMS certified marathons in Australia as qualifying events. That includes all of our capital city marathons and Gold Coast and several others. AIMS is the Association of International Marathons who can certify that a course is the correct length and isn’t too downhill or designed with a generally prevailing tailwind and so on.

The course in Boston starts downhill for the first 4-5 km before passing through a couple of small towns. People gather on front lawns and through the towns to cheer and encourage runners. The atmosphere is always very positive. At 21 km runners pass through the ”scream tunnel” as girls from the Wellsley college gather to cheer. Into the suburbs there is a right turn at the fire station and on to three hills. The third of these is Heartbreak hill. To be honest I didn’t find these hills all that hard but they do come at a difficult point in the event.

Where Boston really stuns is the crowd support coming into town, 3-4 deep and loud. The last two turns put runners up a little hill on Hereford street and then left on to Boylston. This is fantasy land for runners. 800 metres, slightly downhill with the finish kite in sight all the way. People on the grandstands cheering. A sobering reminder is passing the spot where there was a bombing during the running of the 2013 marathon.

One of the great unknowns in Boston is the weather. When I ran in 2015 it was about 7 degrees C. Two weeks prior there was snow on the ground. In 2017 it was 23 degrees C getting on the hot end of desirable for a marathon. It should be remembered that marathons in these cooler climates start later to give the day time to warm up. In Australia we start at 6.00 or 7.00 am to avoid heat and any danger of support (a theme for another blog).

The day after the marathon we went for a recovery walk and to take in the history of Boston. There are many highlights like Paul Revere’s home and sites involved in the American revolution. Each year Samuel Adams brews a special Boston marathon beer. In 2015 it was a very nice golden ale. In summary I think if you asked any runner to name one marathon it would be Boston.

I had a pretty good training block leading up to Canberra marathon this year but there has been a dearth of lead up races, the last of which was Two Bays, a 28 km trail race back in January. It’s also been a busy time personally as I transition from work to long service to retirement. So things were a bit unsettled as we contemplated aims and desires.

The easiest way to look at these is to set some parameters. What would I consider a par score, below par or above par? Curiously, when we consider that par is a golfing term, below par in common usage would an undesirable outcome whereas in golf below par is a good thing. Anyway, my aims for this year look a bit like this.
Same as last year 3.13? I had a really good run last year so this would exceptional if I could do that again. Above par.

I well know that it is easy to drop 10-15 minutes over the last couple of kms if we hit the wall (the subject for another blog) so I think below par would suggest an unexpectedly poor run. 3.30 plus a poor finish. I paced 3.40 in Melbourne and ran it fairly comfortably so I reckon not being able to race it in time would be below par for me. So there’s top and bottom.
Average of that is about 3.25 so hoping to do a little better I’ll call 3.22 as par.

The course is not an easy one with lots of rolling ups and downs but it is quite scenic running up around parliament house and then around Lake Burley Griffin.

We gathered for a 6.15 am start, right on dawn 15 degree C and after a rev up from Rob DeCastella, the marathon legend we were off. First km too fast, settle a little around parliament house, charge down to the lake. Through 5 km still a bit quick but rolling, probably working a bit more than desirable. Up the hill at 12 km and then we head down one of the peninsulas that jut out into the lake. This was as comfortable as I managed for the whole event. Unfortunately there was still another half to go. Went through the half in 93.48 so still on 3.10-3.12 pace. There will be payback somewhere in the future.

As we crossed over the Commonwealth Ave bridge at 24 km we were caught by the leaders in the half marathon. Having them blow by took a bit of wind out me. I thought I was going ok and having them race by while I was starting to fatigue was a mental blow. Suck it up sunshine, there’s still plenty of running to do. On to the long and winding road that is Parkes Way. It is a slog out to the interchange and back. There is the lake on the left on the way out and the right on the way back so it might be scenic but by now it is really starting to be head down, bum up and get this done. The half runners have a turnaround about a kilometre and a half before ours so we get a bit of quiet time before joining them again. By the time we rejoin them the half runners are relatively slower than us so there is a more positive vibe working through them.
So to the Kings Ave bridge. 37 km down, definitely slowing, the 3.15 pacer came past and I was getting tired and sore. 5 km to go, a spot where the course designers play one of those nasty little tricks and run us away from the finish and around a loop with a little hill in it. Ouch. Fortunately around here Anne and the family had gathered to cheer. Every bit helps at this point. Push, push, try to maintain 5 min/km or better, keep the 3.15 pacer in sight, consider whether 3.20 is possible, acceptable, desirable. Up the pinch and see the finish kite. There’s no sprint in the legs but maybe we can run through.

Finished in 3.17.09.

Today is Monday. I’m a bit sore but not as bad as I thought I would be considering how I felt at the finish. I was pretty spent and had several beers and a debrief with the others from our training group and then was in bed by 9.00 pm. It was a 4.45 am start.

Looking back am I happy? I think so. This was my seventh Canberra marathon and was smack in the middle regarding time. I have three quicker and three slower. I’m older by another year and these things aren’t getting any shorter. My preparation was patchy with a lack of racing and hard, long runs. on the other hand I am only four minutes slower than last year and that falls well within the error limits for marathon running. I don’t know where I finished relative to my age group, the results don’t give that detail but 3.13 was enough to win the age group last year so 3.17 must be competitive. Finally 3.17 qualifies me on time for both the Boston and New York marathons which have fairly stringent conditions. Many marathoners spend their entire careers trying to qualify for these events and never do. So I think satisfied will sum it up. I reckon there is still some life in the legs yet and a good cross country season and consistent winter will see Berlin, London, Chicago as achievable.

Easy week this week and then we evaluate the next block. I think I need one more marathon before September. We’ll check the running calendar and see what fits. Thanks for reading.

Warning Philosophy ahead.

If

As all scientists know a good hypothesis starts with if. If I observe this then this is the outcome. If the outcome is not what I expect then I must modify my hypothesis to accord with the outcome.

If is a very useful word, it gives us variability, it gives us choice and it gives us a chance to vary our future. If I buy that property, if I take that job .. or not. These are all choices that we make and that guide us in our lives. In some ways if will define our lives. As I get older I can see that some decisions I made were comfortable and not as daring as they may have been if I had been braver. If I had made those decisions I may be wealthier or more famous (or notorious) but would I have been happier, I’m not sure. I’m content with where I am.

If is also useful to reflect. When I was boundary umpiring I was extremely fit but I was occupied by a job, family a new home and sport. If I had run my first marathon at that time could I have broken three hours? My PB sits at 3:07 at 61 years old. Now at 63 is it out of reach if…?

Only

The context of if changes dramatically when we add only. Not a particularly onerous word by itself, only indicates loss or regret when conjugated to if. If only I had taken that job, if only I had moved cities. In the context of running we think of if only as doubt. If only I had put in one more hard run, long run, fun run, any run then I would run better. This is an unprovable hypothesis as are so many. There are too many variables to put a good or bad performance down to only one aspect.

Do

To summarize, if only is a waste of time and effort. Do or Do not, as Yoda would say but own the decision and own the outcome. We head off to Canberra this week for the marathon on Sunday. We will run. We expect to finish. We hope to run well. Whatever happens will happen. There will be no if only..

Where we’re at this week.

As part of our long term strategy there are fixed points along the way. One of these is the Canberra marathon in April. Wayne and George have run the marathon ten times and so are now considered Griffins. This is the title earned by that group. This year will my seventh and so I hope to join them in a couple of years time.

The Canberra marathon starts outside Old Parliament House, does a lap of New Parliament House and then does a big loop around Lake Burley Griffin finishing just down from the start. The reason we take on the 8 hour drive and the 7 am start is that conditions are usually good with cool temperatures and it gives us a marathon before winter sets in.

This week is one of the tougher ones. A couple of weeks out and we’re trying to get lots of kilometres in but at the same time not cause too much damage. My aim for the week is to complete 100 km of running. Sunday was a long run of 31 km which will be the longest run before Canberra. I’ve completed a progressive increase over the last couple of weeks of 21, 25, 28 and now 31 km. There comes a point where the distance becomes secondary to the time on feet so although we mightn’t run all the way out to 42 km we will spend the same amount of time running as we expect on marathon day. My 31 km was a touch under three hours of running. I’m hoping to finish Canberra around or under 3 hours 20. We’ll see.

Tuesday was track night 8 km of warm up and then 2 sets of 5 x 400m with a 100m float recovery. All done at quicker than marathon pace. A couple much, much quicker. White line fever strikes again.

Wednesday I try to break down to 2 runs. This Wednesday was 10 km around Lysterfield park and then another 10 km later on up on the bike path. Thursday back in the park for another 12 km and Friday which I don’t usually run was a further 11 km down around the roads in Rowville. We have a family wedding on this weekend and I’m not sure when we can fit in a run so better to get it in the bank now than miss out. Saturday is Parkrun and that will get me to 101 km for the week. Job done.

So, is it that important whether I make 80 or 90 or 100 k at this stage? I think there is what may be a placebo confidence effect. When I get to the line on marathon morning there are always doubts. The biggest one is always , Have I done enough? If we can reassure ourselves that everything we wanted to do is done, the boxes are ticked, then if not confident at least we won’t be assailed by niggly, naggly doubts.

Some days are rainbows and unicorns. Others are just rainbows.

Sometimes when we mention to people that we run marathons we get either of two responses.

The first is ”I could never run that far” and the second is “I would like to do that one day”

Let me start with one of those self deprecating statements. There’s nothing special about me. I enjoy a beer and red wine, I breed budgies, I went to work for forty years and am now preparing for retirement. As I said, nothing special. I also have a running habit. I’ve run forty marathons. To some people that’s amazing, to many people it’s so what?

If I asked you to move yourself without mechanical aid from the top of Mount Dandenong to Station pier in Port Melbourne, at the end of that you would have completed a marathon. Yep, 42km and overall downhill. Now for many people that is not a realistic goal but for a surprisingly high number it is achievable. The first consideration that many people don’t talk about is how long should it take ? For me, less than four hours. For a really good marathoner less than three hours. For a world class marathoner closer to two hours. For someone who has never run or even walked the distance it could be anything. Walking pace is about 12 minutes/km so 42 kms would be 42 x 12 = 504 minutes or about 8 1/2 hours without breaks. Be realistic, there is only one Kipchoge for a reason. I am not him. I can live with that. You should too.

For many, the first obstacle is the expectation. ”I wouldn’t want to be the slowest” or ”what if I can’t finish” What if you can? What if you can’t? In the words of Yoda ”if no mistake you have made, losing you are. ”

So what does it take to run 42 km ? I’d suggest before even starting to think about a marathon, start putting aside 30 minutes a day for three days a week and walk or walk/jog to start to build the habit. It can be done at any time of the day but a regular time makes it easier. It’s amazing how people will work around your habit if they know it’s important to you.

Find a friend, join a group. They are out there. Find your nearest Parkrun. You will soon see that runners come in all shapes, sizes and speeds. Discipline is much easier in company. You wouldn’t let your mates down when you know they’ll be waiting for you, now would you.

Time. The first consideration of a marathon program is time. I have run an average of 55 km / week for the last 6 years. Even at what is a fairly brisk overall training pace of 5 min / km that’s 275 minutes a week or 4 1/2 hours of running time every week. That doesn’t count getting changed, getting to and from or getting cleaned up afterwards. It isn’t necessary to jump immediately into these sorts of figures but be aware that there is a significant investment.

We break up our week these days into track work Tuesday, Longish run Wednesday, recovery run Thursday and then competition or long run Saturday and recovery on Sunday. David tends to seven days a week but I find I get too tired so five days suits me better. I am also findinng breaking up my Wednesday into two runs is beneficial.