I’m up for this marathon. More so than for London. I’m shocked by these levels of enthusiasm and excitement. Unnerving. But it’s early days, and perhaps fatigue and boredom and injury are lurking just around that corner up ahead.
There are major differences between this campaign and the last one.
- The mindset, the entire psychology has changed. Last time, I was preoccupied by fear and doubt, and intoxicated by a sense of wonder; the enormity of the undertaking. I’ve finished with them now, and today these obsessions belong to others: those next in line. Those who watched the race on TV in April and said “Right, next year I really am going to do it. If that fat bloke can manage it, I can too.” This time I know I can make the distance. I’ve done it, and I can do it again – properly this time.
- Last time I wanted only to finish the race. Last time it was the “whether”; this time it’s the “how”. I still won’t be a fast runner in October, but by then I’ll have been running for almost a year and I should be capable of getting round Chicago in under 5 hours. That’s the target.
- This time I’ll be running for charity. News when I have it. I’m still finding it hard to persuade someone to take money from me, but I’m determined to get that right this time. “Getting it right this time” could be the theme of the Chicago campaign. I have a secret. Something I’ve not mentioned here before but here it is: I didn’t enjoy London as much as I expected to. Many describe their first marathon as the best thing they ever did, or the best day of their lives or whatever. I didn’t feel that. I didn’t feel that because of the amount of walking I had to do. Yes, my frequently-stated aim was to finish the race, and that was achieved, but I felt dissatisfied about having to walk for much of the last third. I felt gloomy about my blisters and my bashed-up toenails (still blackened and battered today, 60 days later) and my seized-up calf muscles. Next time I want to run the marathon (not just do one), and finish in a reasonable time.
- I’m fitter now – or will be. This first week or two will be a bit uncomfortable but I’m starting further along the track than I did last time, and I hope I can enjoy the long runs more this time.
- I’m lighter now. It’s true that I’m ten pounds heavier than I was on the morning of London but I still weigh 30 pounds less today than I did when I began the last training programme, in December.
- I’ll be doing some stuff in the gym this time. My god, proper cross-training? Whatever next? Last time I ran 4 days a week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, and did nothing else. Saturday was supposed to be a cross-training day when you do other activities; I decided that trailing round IKEA in M’s wake just about qualified, or walking from the BBC car park to Loftus Road on matchdays. Monday was an optional cross-training day in the gym or on the bike, or a day to yield to the wizardry of the sports masseuse. But I did none of that stuff. This time I will.
- This time I’m not going to be so obsessional about eating and drinking. I’ll pass on the chocolate and the donuts but I’ve decided that good English beer is stuffed with nutritional goodness, and should be part of my preparations. Friday is going to be a day of rest and, er, relaxation – at least until the closing stages.
None of this stuff is prescriptive. I’m not declaiming that this is what you must do to run a marathon. I don’t know what you must do to run a marathon. I know what I must do, but no one else. Common sense says that much of what is right for me will be right for others, and I hope it may provide information or food for thought, or even inspiration, but I’m not here to tell you how to approach the goal you have.
I’d also emphasise that these are some of my thoughts about approaching the running of my second marathon. I don’t want to present this list as “things I wish I’d known first time round” (even though that may be true for some of them). The first race is finished and gone; this is a new one, and demands a fresh eye. Some of the things I will do differently for Chicago couldn’t have been done last time – for reasons of logistics or physical fitness.
Equally, some of the things I’d like to do and to experience this time round are no longer available: the sense of achievement from finishing my first 3 miler without stopping; the first times I ran 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 miles. I remember them all. The first half marathon in Reading; then 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, and finally 26.2 miles. Those presents have been opened and the joy of the surprise has gone, and can never come back.
Tonight I did the same run as Tuesday: 3.67 miles. Got round about 30 seconds faster though I found it a bit of a struggle in places. I’m tiring slightly perhaps. In the last 5 days I’ve had 4 runs plus a half hour on the exercise bike. Time for a rest. Tomorrow’s Friday, and a day for gentle relaxation and a gallon or so of ale.
Saturday will be another anxious morning as the tension builds towards England’s 2nd round match with Denmark in the World Cup. My confident prediction is a goalless draw, with England going through after a penalty shoot-out. The thought is unbearable. Let’s hope that my cardiac arrest will not be serious enough to prevent me from resuming next week.
