Take it easy!

"I'll be back in 41 minutes", I told the security guard as I left, confident that I'd effortlessly improve my time on this 8km run by at least a minute compared to the run last Tuesday.

I started out at a relatively high speed. 500 meters later my lungs were starting to hurt, but as I had my mind set on the 41 minute mark, I kept pushing the pace up. 2 kilometers in, my legs were heavy, the breathing uneasy and everything felt wrong. I was tired and I suddenly realized that today was only going to be about completing. There was no way in hell I was going to improve the time.

After about 4 kilometers there was a really steep hill with 600 meters of tarmac from the bottom to the top. I've been up and down it numerous times the last couple of years and today was one of the hardest. When I arrived at the bottom of it I still struggled with the breathing and the legs felt like they were made of concrete. I kept running though; concentrated on just keeping a steady and even pace, however slow and embarrassing it felt. 400 hundred meters up the hill a merciless side stitch added to the fun. I slowed down even further, trying to ignore the pain and kept running, refusing to walk.

I arrived at the top of the hill hunched over in pain from the side stitch and gasping for air. A bunch of kids called out "Mzee! Mzee!". Mzee means 'old man'. Marathon Madsen must have been a sorry sight.

A kilometer later the side stitch was gone and I started to feel more comfortable. After yet another kilometer I felt good and when I passed by the same kids I had enough energy to mumble 'little fuckers'. Towards the end I felt great and my running was smooth, breathing was easy, the pace was good and the legs were light.

I finished in 43 minutes and 6 seconds, which is a disgraceful time. I was furious with myself for not having taken it easy the first couple of kilometers. I know better. The first 3 kilometers are for warming up only and that has to be done at a relatively slow pace. Start too fast like I did and pain and suffering is guaranteed. The body simply needs a slow start, that way it performs much better.

Lesson learned: Take it easy in the beginning of a run!

Marathon Madsen