J'lm Marathon Training #13

Monday, 15 March 2010

Well, this is it. The moment of truth approaches. The race, scheduled for 18 March, is right around the corner. Here is how I have been preparing:

1. Got myself a knee brace. It is adjustable, so it fits well. I went running with it last night and ran 5km without feeling any twangs or twinges in the knee. Perfect.
2. Last Friday I took a run at 10am. I decided that I really should practice running at the same time of day as the race. Boy, what a different kettle of fish (no carp jokes!) The sun beating down as I jogged impacted greatly on my performance and I was an absolute gonner after only 5km. I hear it might rain on race-day, so perhaps that will save me. In any case, I'd better remember to adequately liquify liquidate hydrogenate hydrate myself before the race.
3. I spent last week camping with my bro in the Galil/Golan, one day of which was dedicated to hiking, climbing, jumping and swimming through a very challenging trail. 7.5hrs of near non-stop leg-workout, with a maniacle sprint on the highway at the end (wearing backpacks and with hiking boots on), just to prove we were completely nuts.
4. Salads. Yep, for this week I'm on a strict diet of undressed salad, possibly with tuna and egg for protein and such. I don't want to overdo the dieting thing, but I'm keen to feel as light as possible on race-day. I have lost quite a bit of weight, but still feel a bit top-heavy. I don't know if this will make any difference.
5. I'm not doing anything. Nothing. I've decided not to go running this week at all. I did a not-so-fast 5km run last night as my training grand-finale. The hot winds blowing through Ramat Beit Shemesh at 9.30pm were difficult to deal with, but I didn't want to push myself too hard, so I completed it in a reasonable, but slow, 28:59.

I've been actively training for this race since 1 November 2009, but my fitness kick started about March 2009 when I joined the gym and hit the treadmill. So I suppose that this race is a year in the making. In my first J'lm Marathon Training blog-post, I said the following:

I'm going to train for the 10k Jerusalem marathon. My new aim is to do 10k in 45 minutes. That's about an average of 13.3km/h. I'll pound the pavement and wear out the treadmill until I reach my goal. Then I'm going to find out what the times were for the top 100 people in last year's race and I'm going to aim to match it.

Well, it aint gonna happen exactly like that, my friends. My best time is about 26 minutes behind last year's winner. I blame it on my injury in February 2010, which set me back about two months (see J'lm Marathon Training #10). I'll be lucky if I break 55 minutes, let alone 45 minutes. But, who knows? I trained on a pretty tough course. Perhaps the Jerusalem 10km will work out easier. I've heard that the adrenaline, excitement and atmosphere helps to push you to your limits.

And, don't forget, "I am a self-motivated, goal-oriented, success-driven, fanatical-fitness-freak (it helps)". A mere knee injury can't take that away.

The one thing that the whole training experience has taught me is: If you want it bad enough, just go and get it. Don't let things such as physical weakness stand in your way. I quote myself:

It will hurt, the pain will yell at me to stop, my senses will shout at me to slow down. But I will not capitulate to imaginary voices. My muscles will burn, my legs will ache and my lungs will gasp, but I will settle for nothing less than magnificence.

As I run through the streets of Jerusalem, I will think of these words I penned all those months ago. I'll remind myself of the seemingly neverending 1.2km HaYarkon uphill. I'll think of the countless times I pushed myself up the torturous Yarden, leg-burning 700m climb. I'll think of the times I battled the wind, defeating it with sheer willpower.

• Pain: does it matter? No bloody way!
• Fatigue: does it matter? No bloody way!

I will beat my best time. I will run smart. I will be an aggressive, voracious running animal. I will not give up. I will not give in. I will be victorious.