There's only one starting line for the marathon but there are three finishing lines.
The starting line is race day. Every one is standing around with all their doubts and questions. Have I trained enough? Am I going to get a PB? Will I win this thing? (Personally I don't think I'll ever be asking that question before a marathon, but the top 3-5 runners are.) Have I forgotten anything? Do I have time to go to the bathroom? Questions abound. But there's an excitement around the starting line. It's also the first finish line.
Many people want to run a marathon. Most never will. It's a huge goal to pursue and one which you can be proud of even if you come last, after all, you still beat the guy lying on the couch. But even for those who want to and set out many still don't make it. I can't remember which marathon it was, whether it was my second or third, but 8 of us said that we would run it. For various reasons 5 didn't make it to the starting line. Some just got busy with life, others had to pull out due to injury. Only 3 made it to the starting line. Starting a marathon isn't running one. I guess anybody can show up - but usually the only people who do are those intending to finish it. The first finishing line is the starting line. You finished your training, you finished you preparation, you finished the first race which is to the starting line.
Then comes the second finish line. This line varies for people but it kicks in around the 32km mark. There's two reasons for this. Firstly, around 27km you start to run out of easy energy, that is, the energy that your body needs to run as easy sources and difficult sources. It takes more effort to convert the difficult sources into the energy your body needs to keep running strong. By 32km you're exhausted and now it's up to how much you want it. The second reason is that most people only train till 32km so once you get there it's new territory for your body. Any new experiences in the body are met with internal suspicion and the body will ask you to stop if it's all too hard - and of course it's hard, you don't have any easy energy left! While I would be reluctant to say that the first 32km is easy I would say that the last 10km is as difficult as the first 32km. However much you have suffered emotionally and physically for the first 32km you will suffer it all again over the next 10km. The comfort of the marathon ends at around 32km - the second finish line.
And then there's the final finish line. That last 10km is a mix of pain and excitement. Pain because you're exhausted, the feet are perhaps blistering, if you didn't prepare well your nipples are bleeding, your toenails are black and your legs are chaffing. Excitement because you have run 10kms lots of time, it's kinda familiar. And the last 200m that's just a laugh. At 42km you have 200m to go and it's hilarious - at least for me. I can sprint 200m and mentally I'm able to do it but the body can't. So, I start the final spring at the 42km mark. Within about 20m the legs fail and I'm back to plodding. But then excitement kicks in again closer to the finish and once again I sprint. Of course, that's not what it looks like. What I call sprinting at that stage is barely faster than a walk but I'm running fast than Bolt in my mind.
Each finish line has it's own hurdles to overcome. But that's the glory of the marathon - it turns you into a finisher. And that's something you can be proud of.
7 weeks to go.
The starting line is race day. Every one is standing around with all their doubts and questions. Have I trained enough? Am I going to get a PB? Will I win this thing? (Personally I don't think I'll ever be asking that question before a marathon, but the top 3-5 runners are.) Have I forgotten anything? Do I have time to go to the bathroom? Questions abound. But there's an excitement around the starting line. It's also the first finish line.Many people want to run a marathon. Most never will. It's a huge goal to pursue and one which you can be proud of even if you come last, after all, you still beat the guy lying on the couch. But even for those who want to and set out many still don't make it. I can't remember which marathon it was, whether it was my second or third, but 8 of us said that we would run it. For various reasons 5 didn't make it to the starting line. Some just got busy with life, others had to pull out due to injury. Only 3 made it to the starting line. Starting a marathon isn't running one. I guess anybody can show up - but usually the only people who do are those intending to finish it. The first finishing line is the starting line. You finished your training, you finished you preparation, you finished the first race which is to the starting line.
Then comes the second finish line. This line varies for people but it kicks in around the 32km mark. There's two reasons for this. Firstly, around 27km you start to run out of easy energy, that is, the energy that your body needs to run as easy sources and difficult sources. It takes more effort to convert the difficult sources into the energy your body needs to keep running strong. By 32km you're exhausted and now it's up to how much you want it. The second reason is that most people only train till 32km so once you get there it's new territory for your body. Any new experiences in the body are met with internal suspicion and the body will ask you to stop if it's all too hard - and of course it's hard, you don't have any easy energy left! While I would be reluctant to say that the first 32km is easy I would say that the last 10km is as difficult as the first 32km. However much you have suffered emotionally and physically for the first 32km you will suffer it all again over the next 10km. The comfort of the marathon ends at around 32km - the second finish line.
And then there's the final finish line. That last 10km is a mix of pain and excitement. Pain because you're exhausted, the feet are perhaps blistering, if you didn't prepare well your nipples are bleeding, your toenails are black and your legs are chaffing. Excitement because you have run 10kms lots of time, it's kinda familiar. And the last 200m that's just a laugh. At 42km you have 200m to go and it's hilarious - at least for me. I can sprint 200m and mentally I'm able to do it but the body can't. So, I start the final spring at the 42km mark. Within about 20m the legs fail and I'm back to plodding. But then excitement kicks in again closer to the finish and once again I sprint. Of course, that's not what it looks like. What I call sprinting at that stage is barely faster than a walk but I'm running fast than Bolt in my mind.Each finish line has it's own hurdles to overcome. But that's the glory of the marathon - it turns you into a finisher. And that's something you can be proud of.
7 weeks to go.
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