2019 was the year of me turning 40, so I was determined to run 4 of the biggest marathons around Australia. Starting with Canberra in April, Gold Coast in July, Sydney in September and Melbourne in October. I was also attempting Canberra and Gold Coast for the very first time.
I was off to a great start very early on during the year and was able to work on my speed using Parkrun and track sessions. Over the weekends I was able to push the longer distances and seemed to recover quite well during the week.
When Canberra Marathon weekend arrived I was feeling confident in getting a good time. The weather was perfect for running. There was a coolness in the air without being too cold and no wind. When I started, I felt very comfortable running just over 5 mins a kilometre. The marathon course was one of my favourite ones. There is a tough section of the course that starts at the 27 km mark and goes until about 35 km which feels like it will never end. I really enjoyed seeing other club runners along the way. I finished the race strong ending up with 3 hours and 42 minutes.
Next on the calendar was the Gold Coast Marathon, which was around 3 months away. My training was a bit stop start, as I picked up a slight groin strain and managed to come down with the flu. It was also a boys long weekend where Paul Rodgers and I had a great time.
My groin strain started a couple weeks after Canberra, and was probably due to over training and should have been recovering. Groin strains are the worst, it felt like my entire leg was lame and lifting caused a bit of pain. A couple weeks of rest did the trick and I was back running stronger than ever.
Two weeks out I managed to catch the flu and was feeling really weak. That’s what you get when you have a long commute in to work and rely on public transport. It was touch and go, and only when I landed on the Gold Cost the Thursday before I was a starting to feel better. To test my body out, I did Parkrun on the Saturday and pushed quite a bit to see how my body responded. I was pleasantly surprised with my result.
The biggest factor of the Gold Coast weekend was the really bad weather. The wind was blowing a gale and we had that typical tropical rain. On the morning of the race, the weather did not seem as bad, the wind was not blowing but the rain was threatening. Ten minutes before the start gun, while lined up at the start it bucketed down. Everything was soaked, I was especially worried that my feet were so wet.
As the race started, I was monitoring my times and felt amazing. I was so consistent averaging between 4:50 and 5:00 a kilometre. The course is so flat I started to feel like a 3:30 marathon was on the cards. Things went for awesome to terrible within 2km, as I crossed the 32km mark. I started feeling out of breath and could not run anymore, and started to walk. I then felt my damp sore feet and all of this put me in bad head space. The 3:40 group past me and then the 3:50 group past me. I started thinking that it was not going to be possible to break 4 hours. Finally with 2km’s to go I managed to start jogging again and finished 3 hours 58 minutes. Crossing the line I had tears in my eyes, it had been a very emotional finish.
Sydney Blackmores marathon was in September, and the weather can often play a big part in this run. I was able to maintain my training and also was not sick at any point of my training. There were also a number of club mates that were taking part, so the energy from the club was awesome.
About a six weeks before the run, a couple clubs mates and I got some longer runs in, the longest being out to Menangle and back which is about 35km. Every weekend we managed to get a long run in and added in a hills session. The hills sessions was really tough, where we ran all of the hills on the Eastern suburbs. Trust me there are a couple big ones that will make your heart explode.
On race day, the club met at the train station and proceeded to Milson’s point for the start. The early morning was pretty fresh, and great for running. The first 21km’s flew by and went to plan. I started feeling a bit tired around the 27km mark, but still managed to keep a good pace. The toughest section of the race is Pyrmont, for some reason it always catches me and this year was no different. With around 8km to go I had a walk for about 500m and managed to start running again, albeit at a slower pace. The problem is that the heat seems to catch you off guard, and you get a bit dehydrated.
The finish is a spectacular one, there is not a lot of space for the crowds so everything is quite loud as they cheer you on and what could be better than finishing at the Opera house. I was hoping for a better time, but was still happy with 3 hours and 48 minutes.
My last marathon for the year was Melbourne, and probably my favourite course. This was the second time doing the run and decided to not push for time and do it with my mate Paul Rodgers. He did not have a great time in Sydney and wanted to redeem himself. Melbourne marathon is only a month after Sydney, so you are already in pretty good shape.
The kids stayed with Granny and Grandpa. Lauren, Paul and I headed to Melbourne for the weekend and wanted to enjoy every minute. We ate great food and took in all that Melbourne had to offer.
As the start gun went Paul and I set off maintaining a good steady pace. The goal was to get in just under 4hrs. Paul and I ran side by side through the streets, along Albert park towards St Kilda. As we reached the halfway mark Paul could not keep it up anymore and had to walk, I kept on going and stayed just ahead of the 4 hour group. I enjoyed every minute of the race as the support along the way was awesome, weather was spectacular for running and the course is fast and flat with a couple little hills.
The best part of the course is turning at Flinders street station and running towards the MCG. As you get closer to the stadium the crowds get louder, and then you enter the tunnel which opens up onto the ground. It’s a spectacular sight, and the best 400m you will ever do in a marathon taking in the atmosphere.
Cunningham 