Sorry, this is not a technical post. I just wanted to share with you my experience of running my first marathon.
It’s been two weeks since I crossed the finish line of the 2022 P’tit Train du Nord Marathon. It was my first marathon, and I still can’t believe that I actually did it.
The decision to run a marathon was ambitious and some kind of stupid. I didn’t have a solid plan, not even a training program. I was running for a few years, but I was just someone doing things to increase the oxygen level delivered to my brain. I was running 5-10km a few times a week, completed 2-3 half-marathon just for myself and likes in Strava, and that was it.
Why I decided to run a marathon?
Let’s go back to my first long run; it was a half-marathon during the Covid-19 lockdown. I had a meeting that day with my manager, i was mentally prepared for promotion, but I’ve got nothing but promises. I was demotivated and felt so bad. I went running; step after step, kilometre after kilometre i took a decision that i had to run the 22kms. The idea was simple if i can make 22km, i can make everything else in my life. So i did it, i couldn’t walk the next day. But i did it! By the way, i got a promotion a few weeks later ;)
I’ve started to run more ofter and longer. I started to like it. It was some kind of addiction for me. Running during winter, biking at summer. I was doing it for myself, for my health, and for my mental stability. I was running for fun, but an idea of challanging my body and mind was always in my head. I was thinking about running a marathon, but i was scared of the distance, of the pain and of the time. But thanks again to my ex-manager Mark, i’ve signed to the 2022 P’tit Train du Nord Marathon to run with him… and my wife! I was so excited she accepted this challenge to training with me!
Timing
Worldwide, the average marathon time is about 4 hours, 21 minutes, according to Asics.
Just to be aligned with the statistic i did it in 4:20:30. I’ve started slow and was increasing pace to reach my personal target 4:44:**
Fun story about the timing. On the bus to the start line, i was sitting with a man older than me. My first impression was he is about 50 years old. We started to chat. He came from Ottawa, and his target for that marathon was 4:30. He wanted to be qualified for Boston. The way he impressed his passion for running motivated me. He was talking about his local running club, giving me advice on how to run and, in general, was a very positive person. Back home, I’ve checked the time, which corresponds to age and gender. He is 75-79 years old! I hope he will be able to run Boston Marathon in 2023. Unfortunately, i will not be able to run with him, i’m not qualified for Boston. But who knows, maybe i will meet him again in the future.
Next steps
Looks like i have found a passion. I’d like to run marathons in different cities and continents. Will work on my speed and endurance. Will try to become qualified for Boston Marathon, Chicago and New York. Then will see, i hope to run the Berlin marathon and maybe the Tokyo marathon.
I will keep you posted.
