adidas Auckland Marathon Lessons & Video

Whose the clown now?

It has taken me some time to compose my thoughts, pictures and videos of my experience running in the adidas Auckland Marathon.  I created a video that I think will give you a sense of what it feels like to run a half marathon. I also want to make a point of clarifying that I don’t recommend you do EXACTLY as I did.

For the record, I want to re-state that I do not believe running a marathon, or half a marathon, on 30 days notice is a good idea. Set reasonable goals. I posted a marathon health update earlier this week presenting new research indicating that the stress of being under-trained is hard on your heart. You are not stronger because you finished. Yes, I get it sounds completely hypocritical coming from me. But experience is a good teacher.

I had 30 days in theory to train for a marathon but less in reality. (I decided upon a half marathon later.) My first day out, I went running 9 miles. This was up from previously running 5 miles a week inconsistently throughout the NY summer.

I use my body for a living. I know my limits. My ankle had been irritating me on and off throughout the Summer. I noted it but I didn’t treat it. Let me share that the bold 9 mile run I went on, out of the blue, took me off the road for a week.

I felt fine in every capacity but later that evening my ankle began to irritate me and within 6 hours I could no longer walk on it. Now imagine, I am a teacher. I have a program, KINETIC Sculpt™, that I must lead daily. There was no time to let my foot rest. I feared if I continued running on it, I would tear my achilles as it began to hurt too. So I stopped all running until the pain went completely away.

I then started again with light running for 4 – 6 miles 2x a week. Because I couldn’t go distance I ran with a 15lb backpack on. This way when I took that backpack off for the real thing, I would feel lighter and be able to maintain my endurance. I ran everywhere I could even if it were a simple errand. I needed to make each run as intense as possible.

By my 20th day, I began to increase the mileage and my longest run was 10 miles. I knew if I could get my ankle strong enough to weather 10 miles, I was good for 13.1. My last week upon departing NY for Auckland, I did not run again. Once, I landed I decided that I had done all I could. No extra mileage was going to make my run better or worse. What would be would be.

1. I suggest you want to do at least one major race, or a few small ones first, to gain some perspective around racing. I never had the experience of running amongst 7,000 people before and I was trying to process the excitement, the competition and my doubts all at the same time. When I was running the half marathon, it was very mental. The sound of thundering footsteps all around me was echoing in my head. I felt like I was running in a pack of horses and if I stopped I would be trampled. Suddenly all those nagging questions of Life began to creep into my head.  My lack of training began to eat away at me gradually.

2. Because I had not had enough training runs, I was uncertain how fast or how hard I could push. I continued to second guess myself throughout the entire race.

3. Know the course. I was in a foreign country. I tried to map the race out and went to see it but it didn’t help. I was racing a race measured in kilometers and I think in miles. I had no idea how fast as I was running, where I was or how much was left.

4. To thyself you must be true. I told myself to enjoy the run and not worry about time. Famous last thoughts… once I was in the game, I became competitive as hell. There was a man dressed as clown. He was the pace setter for the 1:40 minute runners and all I could think throughout the race was “Don’t let the clown pass you.”

Gradually, the mantra became:
“Don’t fall too far behind the clown.”
“Oh my god, how’s the clown doing this run talking the entire time?”
“This clown can open a can of runner’s whoop ass on me if he wanted to.”
“Sh*t, the clown is actually older than me under the makeup. Whose the clown now?”
“If you stay with the clown you’ll be in the newspaper.”

At the end of the race, I found the clown and I thanked him for getting me through. He was the man who let me know where I was and how much of the race I had left. He really was a motivation, inspiration and a focal point. He was my silent hero.

When I approached him, he was being interviewed by a reporter. He looked me in the face then grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to look at my back. Then he said, “Oh, I recognize you now.” It makes sense since I was always a few steps in front of him or beside him. All I can say is you will never know the form your guardian angel will come in.

5. I was running with a camera in my hand trying to document the event. Then the battery died and I was running with a dead camera. I wonder how fast I could have run if I had not worried for the camera. I don’t regret it but unless you really don’t care and are simply happy to finish then don’t do as I did.

6. Organize your songs and time it to your run. I organized a playlist of songs I loved but I didn’t order them. At the wrong time the wrong song would be playing and it would annoy me. I then was fumbling with an iPod to change the tune.

7. When your body is being stressed the strangest thoughts will arise and you need to to be able to put them aside. I wished during the race I had stopped to meditate before I left my room. I would have visualized myself running each mile in my head.

8. 2 days later my legs are still sore and my left knee, unexpectedly, hurts. I read a story today on The New Zealand Herald website that a 32 year old marathon runner was warning of the dangers of under-training. He finished the marathon in 4 hours with severe leg cramps but woke up the next morning unable to use his legs. His legs were simply shot and too sore to move. He had to take off time from work. As for me, I have no history of left knee pain.

The adidas Auckland Marathon is a beautiful course but it is a lonely one. It is hilly and some hills are steep. Once you get into Auckland, it is completely flat but it’s also isolated. You run beside the ocean on one side and on the other side is traffic. Seriously, when you are in pain and pushing your limits, it is hard to enjoy the view.

There are not many people out on the route cheering you on. The New Zealand people are very reserved and they don’t cheer boisterously. They stare quietly, sometimes applaud, sometimes wave, and they smile. That said, it is an extremely well run race. The organizers are top notch and the volunteers were a dream.

Afterward, I was asked by Janna Alexander, the Events Marketer for The Heart Foundation, about the experience of running over the Harbor Bridge. I stared at her and said I couldn’t tell her. I don’t remember. I remember being on the bridge but all I could think was “when is this sh*t going to be over?”

Final Time: 1:35:22

Saving the Best for Last: I raised NZD$2,681.01 for The Heart Foundation.

adidas Auckland Marathon 2010 from Erwin Gonzalez on Vimeo.