Ten years ago this week, I decided to run a marathon. I had no clue what a massive impact that decision would have on my life. My review of that period is going to be pretty dry, but I do get asked often how I got into marathon running. So this, pretty much, is it. 

Some background – In my mind, I was not a runner. I remember nearly dying running a 400m race at primary school. I never ran at school again. Many years later, I was roped in to run a few Corporate Cup series by work colleagues. This involved running a lap of the Tan (3.8k) as a team. I never trained for it, but somehow managed a best time of 14:30 after a few seasons. I was told this was pretty good, but looking at the results and seeing guys running 11 and 12 minutes, I wasn’t so sure. I had no ambitions to become a runner.  

The long road to a marathon -Around 2000, upon returning to Australia after four years living in Asia, I noticed that a few guys at work were going for a run at lunchtime a few times a week. I joined them from time to time, and for the next five years I was regularly running a lap of the Tan or Albert Park lake (5k). I never entered a fun run, and never ran further than 10k, apart from one day when I decided to run around the lake three times. That 14k was the furthest I had ever run. I was 42.

Then I took up cycling! For the next four years, I rode to and from work most days (13k each way), did long rides on the weekend, and did a few events such as Around the Bay in a Day and the Alpine Classic. At the end of 2008 I was moved to my employer’s office in East Burwood. I could no longer ride to work, so I quit cycling. As it turned out, my new office location was right next door to the athletics track at East Burwood reserve. I can’t even remember what prompted it, other than wanting to retain the fitness I had gained cycling, but one day I brought my running gear in to work and went for a run at lunchtime.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get in to the athletics track because the gates were locked, so I ran around the grounds of the reserve, finding a loop that was exactly 1km. This became my training ground for the next year and a half. 

I had no idea running groups existed, or that there were any events other than the Melbourne Marathon and Half. Thinking I should put my training to good use, I decided to do the Melbourne half marathon that year (2009). I was 46. I did some internet research to work out how much I would actually have to train, and found a program that had me running four days a week, peaking with two 18k runs as the race approached. So I ran the half, at my training pace (4:45/km), and finished in 1:39:46. It was the first 20k run I had ever done. I felt that I had achieved a decent time, but was slightly disappointed to see the name Andrew Maher in the results one minute faster than me. Andy is a radio/sports personality in Melbourne, and I knew he was not a serious runner. I had to get better.

Summer 2009/10 – I had vague thoughts of contemplating the marathon the following year, but again had no idea what was needed, nor had anyone to ask. During that summer, my Year 9 daughter Elizabeth started running track races with a school friend, and they had joined a local club, Glenhuntly. Every second Saturday I would take her to the track and sit there all afternoon watching her compete. But I noticed something strange… there were adults running around as well! Old ones like me. Maybe I could join them! I made some enquiries, and within a few days I was a fully-fledged member of the Glenhuntly Athletics Club, which I later found out is one of the biggest and most successful clubs in Victoria. Soon enough I was running around in the baby blue, and meeting guys that had been doing this forever. It was a whole new world!

I shared my half result and my desire to run a marathon one day, and was told I had a 3:30 in the bag! This wasn’t exactly what I wanted though. In the old Corporate Cup days, I had the idea that 3:15 was the minimum requirement to bother with it. But 3:00 was the real goal. 
On the club website I found an old training program that club and Australian running legend Chris Wardlaw had written. It included a 5/10k program, and a half/marathon program, for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. I figured I could handle the intermediate program (since I had run one half-marathon!), and in February that year (2010), I started training 6 days a week heading to the Melbourne marathon in October. That was 10 years ago. I was on my way.

So the year progressed, and I ran to the plan. Didn’t miss a beat. I was eventually talked into entering the XCR (cross country & road racing) season with Glenhuntly, and was introduced to actual racing. I loved it! I decided to enter the Run Melbourne half marathon in July, to see if I had improved at all. I ran 1:27:30, then 1:26:30 at Burnley a few weeks later. This was my real test to see what I might be able to do in the marathon. They say if you add 5 minutes to your half, then double it, you should have your marathon target time. So I decided that my worst case scenario would be 3:03. I distinctly remember mentioning to my Glenhuntly colleague Chris Murphy, that I thought I could have a crack at 3 hours. Noting that I was 47 and this was my first marathon, his response was “I don’t think you can do it”. Game on!
With six weeks to go, I knew I just need to follow the plan, then taper for the last three weeks. It all went like clockwork. I had no injuries, no soreness, no issues at all. No excuses!

10/10/10 – One of the reasons for my decision to finally run a marathon was the date. Not only perfectly symmetrical, but also auspicious for another reason. The first ‘marathon’ was run by Pheidippides, who ran around 25 miles from Marathon into Athens to announce a victory on the battlefield. The year was 490BC, exactly 2500 years ago! I discovered that there was a commemorative medal available to anyone who ran a marathon that year (2010). Of course I was interested!

The race – With a 3 hour target stuck in my head, and no idea that it wasn’t supposed to be possible for a 47 year old running his first marathon, I decided to stick with the 3hr pacers and see what happened. I remember running with the group most of the way, but around the famous “back of the Tan”, I lost contact, although the group was still in sight. I had pretty much given up on the 3 hour target approaching the MCG along Brunton Ave, until I saw one of the pacers virtually stopped, to round up the stragglers. He told me I could still do it if I finished strong. I followed his instructions as I had followed every instruction though the year. I crossed the finish line with the clock showing 2:59:51. Somehow, I had done it!

Now I have to say, I don’t get emotional about running, and this was no exception. I collected by bag from the bowels of the MCG and drove home. The following Saturday I joined the Glenhuntly guys on the track at Frankston, where I ran PBs in the 800m and 3k. At one stage during the day, Glenhuntly stalwart/guru/overlord Trevor Vincent asked me how I went. When I told him, his only comment was “I think you can go faster”. I scoffed, thinking why would I ever do another one!

So, life went on. It didn’t go nuts until a couple of years later.