First published in 2016 – I wrote this about a year after the race. To say it was a formative experience is a bit of an understatement…
I never thought I’d be a marathoner. I’d done a few 10k and halves, but couldn’t come at the idea that at the end of those I’d have to turn around and do it all AGAIN. I wasn’t one of those crazy people. But when Melissa and I were celebrating with a few beers after the Run Melbourne half in July 2014, the inevitable happened.
So there we were, standing at the top of the Champs Elysees on a clear, fresh, perfect Parisian spring morning with 50,000 other runners. After months of training in Melbourne and NSW, we had made it this far. All that remained was to survive the next 42.2k and we could relax and enjoy the champagne (and croissants, cheese, wine, beers and chocolate. Hopefully all at once).
Those first few steps were nervous ones. But we found our rhythm and at the 1k mark, said our good lucks to each other, having previously agreed to run separately. And then it was just me, the cobblestones and my trusty playlist. I promptly burst in to tears, overcome at the scale of the whole thing, including the literally thousands of people lining the course cheering us on. Including some very good looking French firefighters. I felt better after that.
Distance running gives you a lot of time to think. Along with a LOT of mental arithmetic of distances, pace and speed, I also reflected a bit. I’m convinced that anyone can do a marathon if you have the time and commitment. Other things definitely help: I couldn’t have done it without my trusty running program stuck on the fridge. On more than one occasion, the only thing that got me out of bed to run with a head torch in the dark was that I wanted to tick off another run on that calendar. I joined a running group and found it immensely helpful – for both the commitment to actually do interval training as well as the coaching and advice from those who’d been there before. As a fairly introverted person, the individual nature of training generally suited me but chatting to other runners about their experiences gave me useful perspectives.
Staying injury free was, I think, due to a combination of strength, lots of mobility work, a bit of technique training, having my nutrition figured out (ie not croissants), the structure of my training program and probably a bit of luck. Having a fitness and strength base from Crossfit was also crucial – again for the physical capacity it provided, as well as the mental fortitude to know that it was only the thoughts in my head that were going to stop me from continuing when my body really, really hurt.
I definitely had to draw on this as I hit the 29k mark and my legs felt like concrete, hip flexors stubbornly tight and calves burning. I actually couldn’t see how it was going to make it. Luckily, it was as this point that we emerged from a tunnel and I caught my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine. I made the choice to keep going. We continued alongside the river, eventually reaching the serene Bois de Boulogne on the western edge of the city. After high fiving some friends and family that had come to Paris to support us, I turned towards the finish line. Navigating my unresponsive feet over the final stretch of cobblestones was challenging, but I managed to pick up the pace for the last few ks, and then, all of a sudden, the moment I had thought about a million times was here. I stumbled around, received a finisher t shirt and medal, sat on a kerb and had my second cry of the day. But these tears were sweeter, inspired by relief, accomplishment, pride and exhaustion.
The champagne was chilling, and the pastries that were off limits pre-race were calling out to us. I think we broke some world records for bread and cheese consumption that afternoon, and dinner was a lot of fun – we certainly weren’t the only ones in orange tshirts and medals in the restaurant.
While distance running is generally an intensely individual pursuit, some of my best memories are from the various runs and post race celebrations that have been shared. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is what draws many people to Crossfit.
The camaraderie amongst runners was evident for the next few days as wandered around Paris. We assumed that anyone hauling themselves up the stairs of the Metro stations was a fellow runner, not a vin rouge over-indulger – although let’s be honest, these things are not mutually exclusive. Certainly our post-race celebrations were good preparation for the subsequent 6 weeks spent in Champagne, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Morocco.
So it’s taken a while, but a year later, I’ve gotten excited about running again. Inspired by the Pose method, which, after some adjustment (and destroyed calves) has improved my technique and efficiency in a major way. Running is fun again! Also discovering some intriguing work regarding breathing and recovery which, from the little I’ve done, seems to make me a better athlete. This, plus some time in the pool, helped me survive a few triathlons over summer and I suspect there will be more on that front.
I’ve also fallen in love with trail running, and am looking forward to hitting up some cool places over winter. The mix of freedom and fear that comes from being away from the crowds and bombing down hills a little too fast is seriously addictive. It’s nice to run for enjoyment too, rather than out of a fear of going all the way to the other side of the world and not finish a race. I have a few goals though, and I will also do another marathon one day, with a view to enjoy it, rather than just ‘survive’ it. In under 4 hours…!
Otherwise, I’m figuring out how to balance the belief that humans were built to move and run, with the demands of a rewarding desk job. As with most things in life, it’s a work in progress. My strategy is to seek out and surround myself with people who inspire me to be the best version of myself I can be. Running a marathon taught me lots of things – but mostly, just keep moving. You’ll get there eventually.
What Liz Learnt 