Four months after the cold marathon

For the past weeks the Ironman website has been releasing some short videos featuring interviews with pro-athletes, each time about a certain subject. One of the last ones they released was about strength/pain/suffering in endurance sports. At some point of the video (see it at the end of the post), the 2 time ironman world champion Chris McCormack (Macca) says something very interesting:

“Speak to someone after the race, and what is the first thing they talk to you about? They don't tell you how wonderful they felt at 4 miles. They go "oh men, the 10 miles, I did not think I was gonna finish". So they all grasp on to that moment, that painful moment. So, that is the whole reason we do it; that is the drug, is that pain. Whether you believe it or not, that is the purity of endurance race that is why we are all here. We are all asking ourselves the question of how we react, how we do with ourselves at that moment”.

I am not a big fan of Macca and his big mouth, but he does says interesting things sometimes. It's really funny how pro-athletes, and amateurs alike, treasure that painful moments in the races or training sessions. And those are the things we remember the most when looking back to our performances.

Today it's been exactly 4 months that I ran the 2012 Stockolm Marathon, a race edition that was later described by the organization as a race in “cruel conditions” (unseasonal 3-4 degrees C, blasts of wind up to 18 meters/second, and a persistent rain made the race the one with the worst weather conditions in the history of the Stockolm Marathon). 

Although I suffered a lot during in the last 10km of the course, after hitting the wall, and was in a quite bad condition when I crossed the finish line (I was very weak, cold, and shivering all over), I really have good feelings when I think about that cold day in the streets of Stockolm. And I still get goose bumps when I watch the video “Run run run” (see it at the end of the post) with images of the race, which was released on the official website the day after the race.

Of course I do prefer to run in good weather conditions and I always wish that my body will respond optimally during the whole race. I would rather choose to have a good race and improve my personal best for the distance than have to endure a tough race. The point is not the suffering itself, but how you deal with the conditions of the day, and how you push your body to the limits without messing up with the whole race. It is also what you do when external or internal factors are messing up with your race. It is about not giving up when you body or mind wants to do so. It is about surviving. And that is why I love endurance sports.

I am now counting down to my next challenge: the 2012 Amsterdam marathon. In 19 days I will be again at the start line of a marathon, and I am really looking forward to it. The challenge: run a sub 3 hour marathon. Can't wait to taste the “purity” of the marathon, once again.

Ali'i Drive: Strength

 Run, run, run (in the streets of Stockolm)