Richmond Park Marathon general background:
- I was due to run the Halstead and Essex Marathon but I had an Achilles injury, which put me out of action for a week. So it was touch and go with the recovery whether I could take part in Richmond at short notice. I’ve got to give thanks to Gareth Davies, Richmond Park Marathon Race Director for letting me take part.
- The Richmond Park Marathon is a scenic and challenging route, it was a great experience. There was one particular chap at the same point on each lap who was so encouraging throughout. That was a huge lift.
- I’m happy with a sub 4 hour considering the challenging course. My time was 3:43:04 with a half marathon PB of 1:41:34.
Lessons learnt:
- There was a tough hill on each lap. At the last lap I looked at the hill and convinced myself that if I started walking I would be saving myself energy, I convinced myself to take the easy way out. As I was walking towards the hill, another runner, who was running towards told me to start running and it will get easier. He could see that I was working within my limits and I wasn’t pushing. He was 100% right. Towards the end of a marathon my performance has historically tailed off when I’ve hit the wall before, and this played on my unconscious mind. But I hadn’t hit the wall now?? And I was slowing down and telling myself to conserve my energy. But this runner made me challenge this assumption. I had to start from were I was, so I put one foot in front then repeated. Then I had some momentum. Looking back at my last four mile times I can actually see when I subconsciously told myself I had hit the wall, and then afterwards I could see when I didn’t believe this, as I ran a negative split for my last four miles and finished with a 6.5min per mile surge in the last 800m and finished strong.
- So my question for you is, what negative subconscious thoughts are holding you back in your comfort zone? And what steps can you take now to challenge this?
“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
Maya Angelou
Why am I running 4 marathons?
- My challenge for 2016 is to run four marathons in one year starting in Manchester and ending in New York, to highlight that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.
- However the statistics are similar in America. Please support Gamut’s ALONE Campaign which revolves around community and helping one another through the difficult times. No matter what you may be going through, the good, the bad, or the ugly, know that you are not alone. We all struggle with something and can help one other. It’s ok to feel pain and so important to look directly at it and face your true self. The more we all face things head on and the more we grow, the more empathy we feel toward others, and the more we love and accept ourselves. #GamutALONE
So 50% of my 2 in 4 goal achieved, so on to the next one…The Robin Hood Marathon.
Thanks and regards
Marathon Marcus
Marcus Runs 