15/10/2025
Nike Melbourne Half Marathon.
This is up there with one of the most ambitious and difficult challenges I've ever set myself. Not only to complete my first ever half marathon, but to do so in a time that is faster that 50% of all the people who DO complete one.
After a couple years of avoiding all forms of cardio like the plague, I felt the itch for a challenge, and what could be more appropriate than my least favourite form of exercise?
I had a year to go from struggling with a 3km run without stopping, all the way to doing 21.1 at a pace of 5:41/km.
My training schedule was generally pretty simple in theory, with three days a week of running, including a long run each weekend.
What I didn't realise is that training consistently for a year wears you out both physically and mentally no matter how well you schedule rests and intensity gains.
Past the 6 month mark I really began to struggle with recoveries taking longer than they should, balancing with life and general discontent with the ongoing sacrifices.
With two months to go I was getting sick regularly, missing over half of my training runs, especially the all important weekend long runs.
To top it off, 2.5 weeks out of race day I got sick with a cold that refused to clear. Waking up race day I still had a sinus headache that didn't bode well.
Despite my reservations for how I'd perform, I got up on Sunday morning, cycled, walked and took a train to the G by 7am to be ready for the starting gun.
As I crossed the start line I was as warmed up as I could be and vowed to leave nothing left by the time I crossed the finish line 21.1kms ahead of me.
Somehow through stubbornness, feeding off race day energy and pure spite I pushed through not only to the finish line, but with a time of 1:59:41 - less than 20 seconds earlier than my goal time.
My training was suboptimal at best.
My brain tried to convince me I could do it.
But I still go out there, and can proudly say I walked home with the result I wanted a year earlier.
But BOY did I pay for it the next day 😅
