Observations from the Road
The annual Cape Town Marathon was held this past
Sunday in and around the Mother City. With last year’s event being held in stormy
and wet conditions, we could not have asked for better conditions on the day,
making personal best times highly probable across the board.
I had been
looking forward to this event for quite a while, especially after having this
year regained my competitive hunger, for one of a better term. This hunger
pertains specifically to road and cross country competition, two sports that I
have been part of since my pre-teens and both of which retain and special place
in my heart for their continued grassroots and accessible nature.
Having a hunger to compete can be double-edged sword though; the satisfaction and stimulation of close competition definitely has a sort of knock-on effect, where initial success can spur an athlete of any level on to greater things. This is healthy as long as there is some sort of restraint that is exercised. Having the strength and discipline to actually hold back at various times when you are just raring to go can often be extremely difficult. I can’t remember how many times that I have seen an athlete decide to come out of retirement and launch headlong into an impressive training schedule and perform at extremely high level for a few early season races, only to lose motivation later season and disappear into the woodwork never to be heard of again.
My
commuting-based “training” (read: slow movement) has complemented my
competitive instincts well; loose, unstructured and easy-paced daily running (with
walking) and strength work combined with weekend cycling is most enjoyable free
from the rigors of a rigid template. This approach in turn has seen me fresh
and eagerly anticipating the limited about of races that I have participated
this year, with some great results.
It is perhaps
interesting to note that all of this movement and racing have been done with no
watch, heart rate monitor or any other form of gadgetry. Just me and my
thoughts trusting my intuition and going completely by feel. It is thus a bit
ironic that the marathon in question sparked heated debate amongst some
contests about its apparent longer distance, apparently by some 400m. This
would have made the race approximately 42.6km in length. Add to this the fact that
some of the kilometer markers were allegedly out of place led to complaints on
various social network sites about participants having their pacing strategies
thrown out of synch and so on.
Whilst a big
city marathon certainly needs to have its house in order regarding the finer
details such distance markers, I found it quite amusing as to how reliant
people are on quantifiable gadgets and the like, timing everything to second in
their quest for the perfect race. I must admit that if I were to be wearing a
watch a noting every single kilometer split, I most certainly would have been
thrown out if my splits were all over the place. Needless to say that I would
rather not know. That is why it is so important to rather train your own body
clock and develop your instincts in relation t time and perceived effort. I had
absolutely no idea of what my elapsed time was anywhere on the course. In fact,
I almost loathed any athlete that I was running in close proximity of to blurt
out a split to a fellow competitor during the race. Luckily that never happened
and the first time that I saw a clock was at the finish line.
As with many
races of such length, the mind can wander so here are some random observations
I made during the race:
- As with all of my running, I strictly applied the “run-walk” protocol every two kilometres. It is important to note that the walk is not a break but rather a “reboot” of sorts at fast pace for 15-30 steps. This equates into breaking the race up into 21 two kilometer segments, which is as mentally refreshing as it is physical. Applying the “run-walk” philosophy involves loosing ones ego and embracing something which at first seems off-beat but in time pays big dividends.
- Having done all of my running in New Balance Minimus shoes since June, I continued the minimalist streak in the marathon without any issues. This would have been unthinkable less than a year ago but it just goes to show that one can adapt if you just give it a little time and proceed with caution. If I were to training conventionally (regular trackwork, tempo runs etc), I most likely would have donated my New Balance Rainbow Warriors to charity a long time ago. Interestingly, I was passed by a well-known runner in the closing kilometres who was running a pair of Vibram Bikilas. Eina, although looked rather comfortable.
- Perhaps the most impressive performance in my eyes was that of 48 year old John Horn. The guy is bulletproof, reinforcing this fact with a superb 2hr39min performance. Having got to know John a bit this year during the local cross-country season, he is as tough as nails but also very pragmatic about his preparation. After one particularly tough race a few months ago, he commented how his long runs were the key to his preparation for the Cape Town Marathon. How long? Rarely longer than two hours and mostly on the beach, which perhaps explains his longevity. Shortly after that race, he proceeded to embarrass athletes half his age with an awesome eleventh-overall placing in the tough John Korasie 30km.
My
legs were rather stiff and sore from the 20km onward, extending to about three
days after the race. A combination of standing in a cold pool or cold shower
followed by a hot bath certainly provided some great relief. Good food and
sleep also contributed greatly to my recovery. Perhaps the biggest recovery
tool was the ten or so massage treatments that I performed on clients in the
days immediately following the event. There is definitely some sort of placebo
effect in helping others with their aches and pains. After the first few
treatments I could definitely feel a distinct easing in my legs. With the
tightness pretty much gone now I’m trying to focus on restraint as opposed to
thinking when the next race will be. A famous Kiwi marathoner once said that an
athlete should take one easy day for every mile raced, which equates to around
three-and-half weeks post marathon. Something to take heed of indeed.
