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WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
It is
heartening to know that distance running events ARE going to be
around forever and a day. Events such as the City to Surf,
Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon and the Gold Coast Airport
Marathon continue to attract record crowds each year. The Boston
Marathon is now 108 years old and wouldn’t it be fantastic to be
around to celebrate the Australian icon events turning 100!
You only
get one crack at it
One of the
main factors which drove me to train with commitment and
dedication and to strive to achieve my optimum in races was the
fact I ran with the relisation I was only going to have one
crack at running my best. I constantly reminded myself that the
20 year window of opportunity I was in was not going to be
repeated and that my eternal energy would diminish over time.
To cross
the line first was a huge encouragement to dig deep but I also
just wanted to run as fast as I possible could. My window of
opportunity has now well and truly passed and, combined with my
reduced running workload, I now struggle to run 1km flat out at
the same pace I managed to average for 42.2k. I ran as fast as I
could during my prime though, mission accomplished.
Charlie
dreams about breaking 4hrs
I was
talking to a runner, who was in his mid 50’s recently and he
advised me he was running the Gold Coast Airport Marathon and he
had a personal best of just over 4hrs. Charlie (to be honest I
never got his name, but let’s call him Charlie) advised me his
goal was to break 4hrs and if he was successful he was going to
get his finishing certificate framed, display it in his home and
put out a challenge, offering $1,000, to any of his brothers who
could successfully better his time.
I
continually discover parallels between runners of all levels.
Charlie, without doubt, is more than aware that his
opportunities to break 4hrs are not forever ending. If Charlie
does manage to break 4hrs he will achieve what will feel like to
him a ‘top shelf’ life accomplishment.
Sunday CAN
deliver a 'top shelf' accomplishment
The beauty
of an event such as the Gold Coast Airport Marathon is that it
offers the same opportunity to runners in a number of events and
for some individuals completing 10km without having to stop and
walk will be an Everest in itself, a memory to last forever.
I am
looking forward to the Gold Coast event and the excitement it
generates. I have the privilege to be the Pied Piper for the SUB
3hr runners which is a challenging yet rewarding task.
The finish
line is filled with emotion
What I am
ultimately looking forward to though is watching the runners
cross the finish line and to witness the feelings of
accomplishment. To witness runners who finally took advantage of
the window of opportunity and can walk away feeling complete
contentment saying “mission accomplished”.
Life is
full of challenges, some we can’t avoid and totally detest and
some we welcome. If you are running at the Coast on Sunday,
cherish the fact you are active and can run. Take pride knowing
you have prepared and set yourself a voluntary challenge.
I
sincerely wish you all the best and I hope you are truly
rewarded.
Cheers
Pat
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