By Dr. Aaron Case BSc, DC (November 2007)
The following is a short story about my October 7th Royal Victoria Marathon experience.
Although I had planned my pacing and race strategy for months, I threw it all out the window and almost made a big mistake trying to keep up with a group of runners including the 1st place woman (who finished in 2:46-ish). At around the halfway point of the race they decided to start their 2-minute negative split (second half 2-minutes faster than the first half). At this point, I decided (apparently and in hindsight) to start my 4-minute positive split (second half 4-minutes slower than the first half). So, as they got faster, I got slower and they pulled away very quickly – so quickly in fact I looked down to see if my legs were actually still turning.
The other runners pulling away created a tough mental several kilometres for me when I started to doubt myself. My 4-days a week of running experiment in training for this marathon seemed to be falling short. Although I purposely walked through all of the refuelling stations, my low point came in the late 20s km marker when I started walking in the middle of nowhere with nobody around. However, when I realized that the ‘clock’ is always watching, something primitive kicked in and I started running again – and luckily still accomplished my goal of a sub-2:50 marathon. I found one particular thought very helpful in helping me get back on track. I forced myself to think of how I would feel tomorrow if I allowed myself to give into the discomfort. I don’t think there has ever been a race that I haven’t questioned if I could have run faster (these reflections come in the comfort of the couch the next day). Although I don’t seem to care at the end of the race, I do care the next day. As simple as it seems, it worked for me.
