The first mile is a liar - don't believe it for a second!
I can relate to this because it can be interpreted both ways - A good start doesn’t mean a strong finish and vice versa. It’s typically a slow start for both physically and mentally, one needs to have for the first few miles running behind, rather than weaving around the crowd and suffering its consequences.
Starting too fast too early may wreck your marathon by a good margin and way behind your target. , it can result in a DNF (Did not finish) as well. Going out too fast also makes you much more likely to hit the dreaded wall later in the race; high chances of hitting the wall go out too fast in the first 5k.
One of the most common pieces of advice for marathoners is don’t go out too fast! If you do you’ll suffer later. Some simply get caught up in the excitement of the start (I am guilty of that in the Berlin Marathon) and neglect to monitor the pacing before realizing the mistake. Whereas others plan to bank some time early on while they are still fresh. Yet others adopt a “go out hard and hang on for dear life” strategy. Well, the choice is yours.. :)
So in the Berlin Marathon, I did the above mistakes as I got carried away running my first World Major. Sharing the space with participants in total from 150 nations, thunderous crowd, carnival kind of atmosphere. I did get carried away and ran the initial 5-6 miles way faster than planned.
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| 46,983 participants in total from 150 nations |
I would like to break up my marathon into phases to explain my mistakes and learn minutely.
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| Here I am brimming with confidence just at the start! |
The first 10k, was my fastest 10k for obvious reasons, weaving around the crowd in the initial mile, adrenaline rush! , locals just line up the entire 42.195km and root for you, The locals are the biggest fans of the race and the course is lined with spectators from beginning to end. They love to call out your name to cheer you on. I forgot the count, the number of times my name was called by someone from the crowd, "Come on Asif!" (They read your name on BIB) . Trust me each time my name was called out my speed shoot up 10 seconds faster, and these surges which were not necessary culminated in a disaster later...
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| The crowd, which I weaved around. |
So the first 10k ended in 42 mins, which is faster by a margin of 4 mins (planned target). Well, 4-5 mins don't sound too much, isn't it? Let me break it up in this way.
The first 10k should have been run in 47 mins, I ran in 42 mins. Means 5 mins faster than expected first 10k. If we break this 5 mins further it is 300 seconds, 47 mins 10k is 4:42 min/km pace, and 42 mins 10k is 4:12 min/km pace. So it means, I ran 30 seconds faster in each lap for the first 10k of a marathon distance. There you go! The disaster was waiting to happen in the latter part of the race. 30 seconds faster in each lap does make a huge difference, that too when I have another 32k left to run :)
By the time, I had realized my mistake during the course, I had already run the first half of the race in all the euphoria, amidst different bands all over the course & those cheerleaders with Pom-Pom :P
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| The cheerleaders! |
I ran the first 21k in 1:30:13, which should have been a 1:35:xx (planned one). Courtesy to my mistake in the first 10k, although I ran 2nd 10k marginally slower than the first one, the damage had been done. I made a mistake and the consequence was irreversible.
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| One of the bands along the route. |
From 21k to 30k, I didn't feel any issue, I was firing on all cylinders, or maybe my body was giving indications, probably I did not understand or ignored.
It’s around 30k onward when most runners hit rock bottom. There’s still a significant distance to cover, your batteries are running low. This phase really shows who has mentally prepared to run a marathon or rather finish it!
The initial surges, weaving, and initial fast 10k, body ran out of fuel and went under too much stress. I suffered a bad pull in my hamstring around 34th Km, which caused a great rhythm to shatter and forced me to switch to plan B, to go slower and easier till the finish line, which I should have done in the initial miles. Although I got my PR in a world Major by more than 6 minutes. I ran Berlin with a time of 03:16:09. But I know I have missed a golden opportunity to get my desired time, had I didn't commit those mistakes.
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| Just 100 m to go! |
I will leave it for another day (Race). As they say, either we win or we learn from our mistakes.
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| There's nothing better than a finish line. |
So here I am 15 official marathons down. Which is run across different geographies, in different courses, and some extreme weather conditions, I have learned not all but a few lessons, which I have shared below.
What precautions we should take while running a marathon distance :
Our body is just like a car, the faster you run, the more fuel you burn. When you run at your marathon pace, you start to burn significantly more carbohydrates.
Our body can store enough fuel to run about 2 hours at a marathon pace. This means unless we're running really fast, we'll need to take on a lot of extra carbohydrates during the run.
Our body has a difficult time digesting the carbohydrates we take in while running (in the form of gels, bananas, etc). As our body becomes increasingly stressed, it begins to shut down non-essential functions such as the digestive system. So, while we could be consuming enough energy gels to keep our vitals alive, they may not be getting processed by our body. The best way to combat this unfortunate bodily function is to take on carbohydrates in fluids early in the race when our body is feeling good and not stressed.
Run the first 5-6 km a bit slower than marathon pace, it is important that we stay relaxed while running in the big crowds (especially world Majors) and weaving around runners. Relax and run with the flow until a natural opening for running appears, which usually comes within 5km, you need a hell of a lot of patience for this. I know that It is easier said than done. :P
Surging past slower runners and getting uncomfortable in the tight crowds is an easy way to ruin your race. All the surges and weaving in the initial phase require a lot of energy. (Energy = fuel) so the more energy and fuel you burn up during the first few KMs, the less you’ll have over the last 10k.
If you started the race a little slower, you’ll have a chance to absorb more of the nutrition you take on board.
The last 7-8k of a marathon is tough. and there is no way around it.
If you were conservative over the first few miles and taken adequate fluids and carbohydrates, you’re going to run well the last 10k. However, I suggest implementing some simple mental tricks.
- To keep myself focus, I repeat these lines as mantras “I am fast, this feels good, I am strong, I’m running great." I talk to myself, It literally works for me.
- Keep your mind and body relaxed. Look within yourself and focus on yourself.
- Good form – head straight, arms swinging forward and back slightly, powerful strides.
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| The finisher Medal. |
But it isn't the start that matters. It's the finish line. It doesn't matter how well you start if you fail to finish."
Have Fun!
