BIM 2009—The Final Countdown

Well, it's been about 4 months since I started training to attempt the 42.2km in the Borneo International Marathon 2009 which will be on this Sunday. Although I've been training religiously according to the textbook schedule, I have never actually conquered 42.2km up to now. So I don't really know what to expect on Sunday. What I've been through, however, is running up to about 35km, and I must say that it was a struggle to complete even that distance.

Over the last couple of days, I've been talking to people who've done the full marathon before, and I received quite a lot of tips. But obviously it still boils down to mental strength one way or another. It's strange that although this will be my first time, many people have asked me if I set a target. Well, yes, I do have a target.

Completing The Distance:

Naturally, whatever happens, I'm determined to complete the marathon for as long as I can still move my legs. The BIM, just the second time being organised, has a generous 7-hour time limit for the full course. Right now, no matter how badly I run on Sunday, I am confident that I can finish the race much sooner than 7 hours. But perhaps there is a slight psychological advantage to know that I have such a big time cushion, just in case things don't really work out the way I have planned.

5 Hours & Below:

I set this target as the timeframe that I should be able to finish the race. I still respect the distance, and I'm not being over confident here. All I'm saying is that based on the training that I've gone through over the last 4 months, I see no reason why I should not achieve this target. If I can achieve this target, I would be happy.

4:30 - 4:45:

This is what I would describe as the more challenging target, but I think if I run intelligently, it's not exactly beyond reach at my current physical condition. This target is therefore my primary focus this Sunday.

Under 4:30:

A number of my friends have suggested that I can achieve this. I don't know how they arrived at this opinion, but somehow I can't see myself crossing the finish line in under 4:30. I feel this way because of what I went through when I ran the 35km. I remember when I finished last of the 35km, I was thinking to myself that even if I could continue, I would have been running at a much slower pace. This Sunday, I won't be all out to achieve this target. Instead, I will focus on the 4:30 - 4:45 target. Nevertheless, if at the 30km point I see there is hope to achieve 4:30, then I might want to go for it. If I tried to focus on achieving 4:30 from the beginning, I might jeopardise even the 4:30 - 4:45 target.

What Can Go Wrong:

From the comforts of my home, the above looks very nice. But actually so many things can go wrong.

Firstly, of course the dreadful cramps in the legs. My friend, Teo, suffered this last year beginning from KM 25. He endured the pain up to KM35 before finally giving up. He ended up in an ambulance and did not arrive at the finish line at all. With 4 months of training under my belt, I would really be disappointed if it happens to me too.

Secondly, it started raining last night, and this morning we had quite a storm. In fact, it rained practically the whole day today with only very short breaks in between. It's not a good sign. I've contacted some friends about the rain, and apparently they will all still run in the rain. So I guess I will run in the rain too if it comes to that on Sunday. It won't be amusing though—I can see myself dragging my blistering feet in my soaking wet shoes. It will surely affect my target.

Finally, this flu is still disturbing my plan. But I'm confident I will be well again by Sunday. Then again, flu or no flu, the show must go on!

Preparation Up To The Marathon:

There is nothing much more to report about my preparation. I ran the 13km last Sunday, and I felt very tired. I wasn't very happy with my run, but I hope that's because of my flu. Yesterday evening, I ran a mild 5km. Another slow 3.5km first thing tomorrow morning, and one final 3.5km on Friday morning. That's all the running I'll be doing before the marathon.

On Friday, I'm starting to carbo-load. Some people have suggested starting on Thursday, but I've decided to really start on Friday. Well, perhaps a bit more potatoes on Thursday is good too. I should have my glycogen reserves fully loaded by Sunday morning.

I didn't bring any water or power gels on me for the 3 half marathons I've joined last year. But this year, too many people have advised me to bring at least power gels—just in case. So perhaps this is not the time to be stubborn. I will need to figure out the best way to bring 2 power gels on me. I don't have any pockets in my shorts.

Post Marathon:

This part is a bit amusing. Even before the marathon day, Dr Helen has embarked on planning for the post marathon celebration dinner! She proposed that a bunch of us marathoners treat ourselves to a glorious dinner at The Four Seasons in Damai on Sunday evening. We can share our experience before, during and after the run. I thought it would be fun, so I told her to count me in. But then I suddenly thought of the possibility of failure. What is there to celebrate if I failed to finish the race? (Smile)

Yesterday evening, I bumped into Andrew at the Likas track. And Dr Helen was there too. They're now talking about including wines too! And it seems that Andrew will be joining us! So now we have quite something to look forward to after the torture on Sunday. I hope they have enough space to store our crutches while we enjoy our dinner at The Four Seasons.