És feliz?: outubro 2017

INTRODUCTION
Those who know me for a long time are well aware that I really like running and that I usually spend a long time doing it. And, I think that most people like me, even if they prefer shorter or longer distances, we all have that will, or desire, that one day we will run the Marathon. Probably every amateur athlete on Earth have an item in his Bucket List that says: "Running a Marathon". The Marathon is like the mother of all other distances in Athletics, not only it means you will push your body to overtake the physiological barrier of exhaustion, but also there is a strong pshycological factor that makes every athlete respect, and almost fear the 42,195m. It is this combination of physical and pshycological challenge that makes running a Marathon so special and magic.

As everyone knows, unless you have some sort of condition or live in a problematic country for example, suffering is normally optional. By saying this, I mean that you can stay fit by running 8km 3 times per week, you don't need to run long distances. To explain my passion for running (from time to time) long distances I am going to quote at the same time two of my favourite writers, Murakami and Somerset Maugham: "Somerset Maugham once wrote that in each shave lies a philosophy. I couldn't agree more. No matter how mundane some action might appear, keep at it long enough and it becomes a contemplative, even meditative act". Normally I run alone, without music, without a watch. It's only me, my breathing and the sound of my feet on the gravel mixed with the nature sounds of Monsanto Park.

After this (loooong) introduction, I am going to write a "Chronicle" about my experience doing the Marathon.

11.09.2017

I was at home doing something in my computer and I realized that I still had 5 weeks until the Lisbon Marathon. I also realized that I always had that goal, and I have ever wanted to do my first Marathon in Lisbon, my hometown, because of the special meaning the city has to me. So, without giving it much thought, I registered myself.

Five minutes later I start wondering if it was a good decision: people say that you need some 3 months to prepare yourself to the distance. But well, now I have already paid 45€, no way I am going to waste my money!!

I set 3 (pretty accomplishable) goals for the Marathon, according to my physical fitness and previous experiences in Half-Marathons:

1) To finish it

2) Not to suffer too much

3) To finish it below 4 hours

12.09.2017 until the last week before the Marathon:

I design for myself a training plan mixing swimming, running (long and short distance) and also some strenght exercises with weight-lifting. I have previous experiences from sports like swimming, running, rowing, cycling, so even though I am completely amateur I have a good knowledge on training.

By mixing activities I never got bored, and it also helped a lot in preserving my body, especially my joints.

I also focused on making long trainings instead of gaining power and speed.

On a typical week I would do: 2 times strenght exercise; 3 times swimming combined with a 8-10km fast running; 2 times "slow" long-distance running (1 during the week of 18-20Km and another usually on Sunday morning with weekly increasing distance until 2 weeks before the Marathon, it was something like 25-30-33-38Km). When I did the long distance training I also prepared myself for the possibility of suffering. Actually I think that I did put more focus on that than on running itself. On those Sundays I trained drinking the minimum amount of water, and always without any kind of energy bars.

One week and a half before the Marathon I did my last intensive day: I swam 1700m, then I rested for 30minutes, and finally I ran 30km in 2h31min.

After that I slowly started to decrease the amount of exercise I was doing.

Last week before the Marathon:

Monday: I went for a 45minutes very slow run, and when I was stretching, don't know how, I just feel a huge pain in my right groin. It seems to be a groin sprain. Ohhhh, cmon... I am not going to miss the Marathon with a pathetic injury made at home. I decide to exclusively rest during the next two days, put some ice and take some anti-inflammatory drugs.

Thursday: I try to go running, 9km, no pain at all. But I still have doubts that it won't hurt after longer distances. I increase my daily intake of carbohidrates.

Friday: I go swimming, slowly also. No pain. I start to gain confidence. I go to the Sports Expo and get my bib: I will be the 3514!

Saturday: I wake up early and start eating carbs and more carbs. During the afternoon I go for a 20minute run. No pain again. I have almost 1kg of Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and I only drink water suplemented with magnesium, potassium and sodium for the whole day. I try to go to sleep but I am already getting a bit anxious.

15.10.2017 - The Day of the Marathon

6 am: wake up time

6:10: I am drinking my third coffee and my fourth toast with jam and butter and second banana

6:15: I am listening to some relaxing music and reading the Expresso (Portuguese newspaper)

6:20: I do one of the most important things before a race - use the toilet! Like a boss 😎

6:35: I attach my bib to my shirt; I put refreshing cream on my feet; I protect my nipples with some bandage (no one runs the Marathon without nipple protection!!)

6:40: I am now eating jam without anything

6:45: My weight is 68.7Kg

7:00: My brother takes me and my father by car to Cascais to the Starting Line (My father also registered for the Marathon, and my brother didn't register but ran with us for the first 11Km)

Here you can see the course of the Marathon: it started in Cascais, then we headed to Guincho, then back to Cascais, and always by the seaside and the riverside until Praça do Comércio in Lisbon

7:30: We arrive in Cascais, it is still dark. The temperature is already 20ºC. No wind. I start to worry: possibility of too much heat is high; there is also the groin thing. But the urgency to pee (after all that coffee and liquid ingestion) clears my mind.

7:40: I swallow my energy gel with 125mg of sodium (WTF?) and caffeine

Better than one Pastel de Nata

7:50: I line up for the start. I realize that I am one of the athletes with less gear, and probably the only one that doesn't have a watch. I spot two hot girls, and make plans to make conversation with them during the race.

Lining up for start

7:55: Both girls are with a personal trainer, so I give up on my plans.

8:00: They give the Starting shot

8:02: I pass on the Starting Line and I finally start to run.

Km 1: Both hot girls overtake me with a fast pace... Maybe too fast for their level of hotness I think

Km 1,5: I meet my father and brother (We lost each other before the start)

Km 2: I overtake the guy that is signalling the finishing time of 4h30

Km 4: I overtake the guy that is signalling the finishing time of 4h

Km 4,5: My brother starts making video-calls to our mother

Km 5: I see a group of malnourished african people running already towards Lisbon with a really fast pace... Oh wait, they are the stars in this activity

Km 5,5: the first refreshment station, I take one sip of water

Km 7: We are already running towards Lisbon, now there is some fresh wind 😊

Km 7,5: I overtake hotgirl#1, she doesn't look so hot now with a sweaty red face, she is Hungarian, a guy tried to make conversation with her and just fell down 😁

Km 8: My brother is now taking selfies to send to his girlfriend

Km8

Km 9: I overtake an 80-year old man, former Portuguese Marathon National Champion, obviously wearing a Sporting Clube de Portugal kit!!

Km 10: the second refreshment station, already 59minutes of running, I feel that my legs are somehow rigid, don't feel very comfortable with my posture, I need to relax

Km 11: My brother leaves us, and we are finally back in Cascais

Km 13: I am still with mixed feelings about my physical condition, but I push myself forward, and try to think about something else, like how fun Hugh Hefner's life may have been.

Km 12,5

Km 14: The first third of the race is completed, there is a climb and I don't even notice it, my pace is constant, and I overtake lots of runners that have to slow their pace for the slope. I am now feeling fully warmed-up, fully relaxed.

Km 15: I overtake hotgirl#2... she looks dead... maybe she could look for another type of personal trainer, one that doesn't look so much like a gym-addicted-zumba-teacher-douchebag-with-a-skin-more-hydrated-than-a-girl.

Km 17,5: We are between Estoril and Parede, the ocean seems perfect for a bath. Oh, there is a refreshment station with an unexpected power gel...Niiiiice! (this wasn't anounced)

Km 18: I am feeling really good now. My posture is perfect. I am running in the most efficient fashion possible. There is a rock band playing a Portuguese classic rock song, I sing loud with them, and feel the adrenaline. They cheer me up! I give them a thumbs up!

I risk and increase my pace to catch the guy that is signaling the 3h45 of finishing time, I can't even see him, but I assume he isn't far away, and I still have 24Km to catch him...so it is not a big increase ahah.

Half-Marathon: We are in Parede, the ocean now seems like heaven, I try to avoid thinking about that but it's impossible. They have a Cooling Station here with water showers, it feeels so gooood!
I am already with 1h53minutes, almost 10 minutes ahead of my goal (actually the first time I did a Half-Marathon I did only slighlty better than that... but now I still have another 21Km to run). I think it is a good idea to adjust a little bit my pace, decrease it a little bit, to a pace that I will be able to manage until the finish line.

Km 24: We leave Cascais and we enter Oeiras, I start to feel corrupt as the recently elected local Mayor. Besides that I still feel strong and unstopable (probably also like Isaltino Morais feels). I overtake a guy running barefoot (WTF?)

Km 25: There is a small descent with tree shadow to Santo Amaro, it feels like heaven again. I join a group of portuguese runners and use them to protect myself against the wind. I overtake a guy running backwards (WTF?)

Km 26: My father starts to fall behind, and I got tired of the conversation with the other runners, I increase my pace again and have another power gel with uncertain amount of sodium, aminoacids and callories. I now have no more supplements with me, and have to rely on the refreshment stations provided by the organization

Km 27: There is band playing Roxanne by The Police. Again, I sing with them, feel the adrenaline. I start cheering up people watching the runners, and they cheer me up back. Probably they think I am an idiot (but... who doesn't?)

I am probably the sexiest runner on Earth 😂

Km 29: I overtake a former colleague from university. He is walking. I start to notice more people walking. Actually, practically everyone stops in every refreshment station, but I don't, I am strong 😎

Km 30: I am already in Cruz Quebrada. Lots of people here cheering up the athletes, I feel strong, but have to start watering my legs so that they don't get too warm. It is already 30ºC.
I already have 2h40minutes. I am pretty sure that I will finish below 4 hours, and probably I will be around the 3h45minutes.
I realize that I am not sweating anymore. My skin is covered with crystalized sweat. I have to be careful because if I touch my eyes it burns.
An old guy is enthusiastically applauding the athletes. I tell him to go grab me a beer. He answers: "If you still talk you should be running faster"

Km 32: Finally I leave Oeiras, I stop feeling corrupt, and I enter Lisboa. There is another cooling shower here (HEAVEEN!!) and the last power gel given by the organization.
Right now I feel overly confident that I am going to make it, I know this route really well until the finish line. I also eat half banana and drink a little bit of Powerade.

(For non-Portuguese readers, the recently elected Mayor of Oeiras is a guy that has been in jail because of corruption, that is the only reason why I felt corrupt in Oeiras 😂)

Km 32,5: I see a guy lying on the road with cramps. I ask if needs help. Fortunately the paramedic arrives immediately and I don't lose time or stamina.

Km 33: I make a partnership with a guy from Vendas Novas (Alentejo). We start chating about running and our lives. We run together until Belém. The chat was important, because we kept a steady pace, and none of us noticed the kilometres passing. It is so hot right now, every 3 kilometeres I am throwing a bottle of water to my legs.

Km 35: Already 3h07minutes, and still 7km to go. I do the math, if I increase the pace to 5min/km I still have 35 more minutes to run; if I keep on 5:30min/km it is 39 minutes... 4 less minutes of this... maybe it is worth increasing the pace, and I will also get rid of my new best friend, that started to be boring. I increase the pace.

Km 35,5: I realize that if continue on this pace I may have some problems later on. I decrease my speed to previous speed. My legs enter again in some kind of auto-pilot, I think I no longer command them. It is even complicated to change direction abruptly. I keep watering them. I overtake another runner almost stopping, and I tell him to continue and follow me "Cmon man, don't stop"

Km 36,5: I am in Alcântara. I see a fat Police officer with a booored face. He clearly has the look: "I wish I was at home drinking beer and doing nothing, instead I am here seeing these huge amount of men running". I tell him: "Cmon man, run with us, it would be good for your belly". He doesn't like my attitude. I am afraid he comes after me, I increase the pace.

Km 36,6: I realize the police officer is too fat to even think about running after anyone. I decrease my pace back to the 5:30min/km. The other runner, comes to me and thanks me for giving him strenght. He is from Poland, Wroclaw, and invites me to go there to run the Marathon. He manages to follow me without stopping until the finish line.

Km 38: We are in Santos already. I start to remember the vast number of nights I've spent in this area when I was younger in bars and clubs, losing all my dignity. Maybe this Marathon will give me some dignity back 😎.

Km 38,5: I still feel OK, however I start to imagine lots of hot naked girls alongside the road, applauding me with enthusiasm and giving me their phone numbers. From time to time I even close my eyes.

Km 39,5: I realize I am not a Sultan, and there is no one applauding me. I start demanding applause from people alongside the road. I do everything to keep my spirits high. I remember a teacher I had in University that kept saying: "In the end, resilience is all that matters"

Km 40,5: I see the only woman that went there on purpose to cheer me up...my Mother! Thanks Mom! I jump of happiness 💪😁🙌

Km 41: Cais do Sodré. I see my brother here, he is almost throwing a pole away shouting my name. As the owner of this blog called "Último Quilómetro" or "Last Kilometre" (http://ultkm.blogspot.pt/) says, and I will translate and quote: "We all run for the magic quest of reaching the last kilometre. However, tomorrow there will be another last kilometre to run. Life is a daily race of last kilometres, until the moment we reach the ultimate last kilometre. Let's make each last kilometre the happiest one of our lives". Exactly what I did. The last kilometre of a Marathon is a mess of emotions. I wanted to finish fast, but I also wanted it to last longer, to enjoy the moment, the happiness. Lots and lots os people applauding us. They almost block the road like in those mountain stages of Tour de France. It's a mess. I want to hug everyone.

Km 42: I still have those 195 metres to run, I pass below the Arch of Rua Augusta, it is magical

Km 42,100

Km 42,195:

3 hours 46 minutes 46 seconds - my personal best💪

First hour after the Marathon
1 bottle of water
1 ice cream
Stretching
1 bottle of Powerade
Stretching
1 Peach Juice + 2 meat croquettes
Stretching
Take train home
1 bottle of water

When I arrive home, my weight is 65,8 Kg
I keep drinking everything that I can. I am f*cking thirsty!
First time I have to go to the bathroom: 6pm... almost 12hours after the last time, hope my kidneys will recover

24-hours after the Marathon
My legs are kind of less flexible than normal
I also take like 5 seconds to change from sitting position to standing
But the worst is to walk down some stairs
After a walk in the centre of Lisbon I start to feel better

48-hours after the Marathon
I go out and run for 30 minutes. A new cycle begins.

As Murakami says, it doesn't matter how much experience he may have, when he runs the Marathon all this phases happen:
- First, until 25 km, a person feels really cool, and may even start thinking of improving one's best result
- Second, between 25-30 km, a person start to notice that doesn't have enough energy, and start adjusting expectations
- Third, after 35 km till the end, "why am I doing this? I Hate everyone!"
- Fourth, after finishing, let's do another and start planning where and training

I didn't pass exactly through all these steps. Mainly, because I was running it for the first time, and I made some kind of conservative goals for this day. I respected a lot the challenge ahead of me and I always ran a little below of my top limit. Probably, that's exactly why I enjoyed it so much. I also managed to accomplish all my initial goals.

I hope this experience may also inspire someone else to become a Marathonist, and I now want to run a Marathon every year in a different city in the World. Remember, we don't run the Marathon, we DO the Marathon.

PS: I also leave a playlist for those that want to try it with some music
https://youtu.be/IA1liCmUsAM