Manchester Marathon Week 14 - No Human is Limited
Week 14 Manchester Marathon went on tour to Paris. What a treat.
I last visited Paris in April 2019. Weirdly it was the week leading up to my second marathon in Bratislava – the capital of Slovakia. This confused me a little, as I couldn’t remember running in Paris in 2019.
That was because I didn’t.
In the week leading up to the 2019 Bratislava Marathon I decided, as I was walking the entire city being a tourist after ten years, that I wouldn’t add anymore strain on my legs and didn’t run. Bizarre. This shows back then I was 100% making up my training and my life. No run coach would have approved this thinking.
I remember I flew back from Paris to Glasgow on the Thursday then flew from Glasgow to Bratislava on the Friday. Life was busy back then. On the Saturday I turned into a tourist in Bratislava – welcome more walking. I do remember my legs were super exhausted before the race. Not the best race day prep. Again, why i know have a run coach.
So to the modern day of 2021 - this trip to Paris felt different. I ran. Hurray to that.
Running in any country or city is the dream but running in Paris is next level. Like a movie.
On the first two days I ran along the canal system near where I stayed. Each morning I was treated to blue skies, so I made the most of it. No one wants to be stuck inside on a blue sky Parisian morning.
On the second day, Wednesday, I really couldn’t be bothered as the day before had been a 44000-step day. But I reminded myself of the blue sky waiting, the freshness of the autumn morning and the pain au chocolat that waited at the finish. That morning I also picked a chatty podcast, they are the best to distract your mind from the tired leg struggle.
The run got done. It always gets down, sometimes I need to convince myself more than other days. And yes I treated myself to a pastry (maybe two).
On the Thursday my training plan had a scheduled 16km run. With a longer distance I knew it was the opportunity to run the river Seine where I would run towards, then away from, the Eiffel Tower. Another blue sky day. At the half way mark, as I turned to run back to my hotel, I paused. I sat up on the bridge looking out to the river and the Eiffel Tower. Taking it all in.
If we don’t stop, we end up ticking of each km like a robot. Missing these precious moments - the present. I wanted to feel the sun on my face, witness the glisten of the water in the morning sunlight and be grateful. Grateful I was in Paris, the city of love and some amazing, inspiring architecture and artwork.
This week I have been mindful of my internal chatter. This is when you need to be on top of any doubt and focus on the ‘athlete’ mindset where you believe 100% in your goal and ability.
As I returned to Glasgow on Friday, I was greeted with an envelope containing the Manchester Marathon BIB number in the post. I smiled. The minute I opened it I felt the adrenaline flow through me, and excitement. It felt real. The event I have been focused on for 14 weeks, in sight.
I jumped on my bike to cycle across Glasgow, as I cycled I listed to a run podcast where the Scottish presenter, Jenni Falconer, interviewed the insanely talented marathon runner – Eliud Kipchoge.
That guy is 100% inspiring and by the end I wanted to run Manchester there and then. But it was rest day. So I cycled back home reminding myself to keep flooding my mind with empowering and empowering content.
When I woke on Saturday my legs felt very very heavy. On three of my four days in Paris I counted 44,000 steps. EEK. My planned 9k easy run was constantly put off and I talked myself out of it, until I found myself lace up my trainers late on Saturday night. It was a really lovely run in the end, listening to another podcast.
No one misses a run, not in the final weeks, and not for tired legs. Especially when I choose to be a tourist in Paris.
My Sunday long run arrived and I knew it was going to be lively as I had to run part of it at marathon pace. As I ran towards the Clyde I, literally, bumped into the Kilt walk. Where a whole mixture of people walk, usually wearing kilts, a set distance as a fundraising event. This was exactly what I needed – I felt so inspired – and it showed in my running as I was hitting the marathon pace way earlier than required. When my mind is inspired, my legs just run.
On the return back towards the clyde I was starting to feel the heaviness in my legs. I was shouting “come on” in my head (and sometimes under my breath) when I looked up and saw a rainbow. Sometimes we need to see a sign to give us hope. This rainbow provided the boost I needed. At the 19km mark I bumped into the kiltwalk walkers again. I had 5km left and the only thought that kept me going was of my macaroni cheese date with my friend at 5pm. We both live near a local which serves the best mac cheese. And I also had some cheesecake in my flat. In the end I ran the 23km at marathon pace – the plan was 12km easy and 12km marathon pace. Sometimes you just need to flow with your body, and shout “Come on”!
Now I move into a 2 week taper period where I follow my plan religiously and rest my legs as much as possible. The hardwork is done. Now it is mental preparation and easy runs to keep the legs ticking over.
My Key Takeways:
Runs don’t stop when you are being a tourist, runs don’t get easier with blue skies – you can hack your mind by attaching a pain au chocolat reward to completing the run but you still need to grind out the run sometimes.
That long run on Sunday will be stored away in my cookie jar as a reminder I can run to marathon pace on very tired legs for 23km, so on fresh legs I can definitely push on. When the going gets tough, we rise to the challenge.
London Marathon is this weekend - I will watch from my couch ready to be inspired. Remember, inspiration and motivation don’t come knocking on your door - you create it!
As Eliud Kipchoge reminded me on a podcast this week – No human is limited! Boom!
