Marathons Are A Mental Challenge
Yogi Berra is famously quoted as saying “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” The same thing can be said for running a marathon. You can train your body with miles and miles of running to get your lungs, legs and body in shape for the 26.2 miles, but that’s only half of the challenge. You also need to be prepared for the mental challenge of the distance.
Unexpected Conditions Can Take a Toll
Running a race for the first time in a town you’ve never visited means there could be surprises. That was the case for me with the Veterans Marathon in Columbia City, IN.
The weather was the first surprise. Mid-November weather conditions in the Midwest can change quickly so even though I watched the weather forecast all week before the race, I knew it could change. Race morning was a cool 23 degrees with a wind chill of 19. I trusted the forecast of full sun and assumed that I would warm up enough a few miles into the race that tights or running pants weren’t needed so I started in shorts. That was a mistake. The sun didn’t come out and the wind increased and always seemed to be in our faces. It was difficult to get my mind off of the cold.
The course elevation was another surprise. The race website had an elevation map but it wasn’t really legible so gaging the scale was difficult. I had the chance to drive the course the evening prior to the race. The two-loop course was mostly on country roads through rural farms and fields with many rolling hills. Most did not seem particularly steep while driving but some were long and other stretches were a series of multiple hills back to back. Of course, during the race the next day they all seemed much steeper and longer.
The combination of the cold and hills had my mind racing (no pun intended). I knew I had run enough training miles and I had told myself I wasn’t racing for a specific finishing time. Removing the pressure of racing for a PR should have helped my mental state. But I couldn’t get out of my own head. As I neared the halfway mark I began to question if I even wanted to run the second 13.1 mile loop.
Adjust As Needed
Even as I was fighting the negative thoughts I knew it was all mental. My legs actually felt okay (although cold) and I was holding a steady pace. Since I wasn’t concerned about a time goal, I took time at the half way point to put on running pants plus another top layer under my vest. I also was fortunate to pick up a pacer as my nephew jumped in to run the second loop with me. The added clothes and distraction of a running partner helped a great deal as we started the second half.
By about mile 18 the hills were beginning to take their toll and I decided to walk a minute or so up some of the hills each mile. I think the fact that I wasn’t pressing for a goal time worked against me and my mind was telling me to walk when my body could probably have gone harder.
Finishing a Marathon is Still an Accomplishment
Fortunately my nephew ran the entire second loop with me and stayed just ahead enough to keep me moving in order to break 5 hours. That is the slowest of my five marathons to date. While I’m somewhat disappointed with the time I remind myself that I wasn’t trying for a goal time, and finishing a marathon is still a significant accomplishment. It’s been four years since my last marathon and at age 62 I may have to admit that the years are catching up with me. That doesn’t mean I don’t have faster races left in me. It just means I may need to train harder and approach them a little differently and work on the mental aspect more than I used to.
