It’s a Sunday on the 25th of August 2013 and it’s 6 am. I am standing at the start of the Perth City to Surf Marathon. How did I find myself here? Well, it’s a short story really. I completed my first marathon the year prior (the Perth Marathon) and I think my exact words afterwards were, “never again, once is enough”. After that run I decided I would join a run club as I was seeking a social aspect to my running…which is where BT RunClub came in. After my first session with the club I came home to my partner and told him I had found my people; people who love running as much as me.

For the first six months after joining I was just happy running with others, I didn’t focus on any races. Then an idea (‘let’s do another’) popped into my head and it grew from there. I decided this time round however I was going to do it better. I was going to train harder and smarter (i.e., I was going to make each run count and stick to specific times for recovery runs, marathon runs and fast runs rather than doing them all at the same pace). I also decided I would focus on nutrition and hydration (half a banana and few lollies in the first marathon did not quite cut it; I am still stunned by the power of those GU Energy Gels). With both these in check I aimed to run a faster marathon than my last (which was 3 hours 35 mins 35 seconds).

So I trained. Give me a plan and I’ll follow it to the letter, which is exactly what I did.  By the end I was feeling confident knowing I had done the work but also a little sad as I had loved every minute of it. When it came to taper week I struggled big time, I was used to running 60-80km per weeks not 28 kilometres! By Saturday; the day before the race, I was antsy. I couldn’t sit still, I wanted to run.

So here I was on Marathon Day. Up at 4:30am. Somehow I had conned my partner (who. let’s just say, is NOT a morning person) into getting up to drive me and a few others from the club in (including my Little Mexican, Simon, more on him soon). As I was eating breakfast, up gets my partner. My first comment to him was “great day for running!”. All I got back was a death stare.

Standing at the start line I couldn’t help but smile. I was ready and I was going to enjoy this. For the first few kilometres all I was focused on was settling in. Little Mexican had given me the advice of running the first half faster, and being confident and aggressive early particularly due to the hilly nature of the second half. This made me nervous. I was worried I would blow up. We decided on a pace in the 4:40’s per kilometre for the first half and then try to hang on. After a few kilometres I had settled at this pace and was just trying to soak it all in, appreciating the fact that I was running (that taper week really did work wonders). First 10 kilometres went along nicely, on the loop back from Crawley I saw some familiar faces – Ben, then Barry, then another Ben, Josh, Elliot and Greg which momentarily took my mind away from the running. For the majority of the first half I was running by myself. There was a little pack in front of me and one behind me, with me in the middle.

Around the 17 kilometre mark I started very much looking forward to meeting me Little Mexican, who was due to jump in with me at 22 kilometres. I had the St Georges Terrace Hill to contend with first. At the bottom of this hill I looked up, said to myself I have done this hill so many times in training and then told it to come at me, and it did. My reward at the top was seeing Gill and Kelly; my regular running pals; they were smiling and cheering me on which gave me a boost. Next minute off takes my Mexican and there he is beside me. So what is a Little Mexican?…well, a Little Mexican is not a Mexican person, rather  a person who runs beside you for part of a race and does whatever is necessary to get you through. This Little Mexican is like no other. He is prepared with my GU Gels and water bottle. When I want water/GU he says, “yell out” and he even opens my GU for me (I could get used to this).

Kings Park started well, a little bit of undulation but nothing too bad. I started noticing I would run quite well up the hills and even overtake a few others, however on the downhills they would all overtake me. I really need to learn to run hills better. Little Mexican ran slightly in front of me. I devised an idea that if I request water Little Mexican would have to slow down to give it to me; my Little Mexican is too smart for that. He held out my water like a beacon of light, I had to run faster to get it! Clever. By this stage I had started tipping water over my head. I am not sure why but it felt amazing so I kept doing it.

Kings Park was starting to do my head in by the 28th kilometre. Then Lovekin Drive came along.  I can’t say I enjoyed this hill at all. I was expecting the other three major hills in the course but unfortunately had neglected to pay any attention to this one. It surprised, then owned me. Pace dropped to 5.09/km. Ouch. My pace had been sitting nicely in the low 4.40’s. This is where I had to start drawing on some mental resources. Little Mexican had said to me in my prep talk of the difference between pain and suffering. Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice. I chose to not suffer, just to noticed this damn hill and let it be. Yeah that hill sucked, but it was over now.

Out of Kings Park we went. I saw Kelly and Gill again. I wasn’t expecting to see them again and seeing them gave me such a pick me up after a tough Kings Park section (never underestimate the power of a support crew). My mood instantly lifted, 10 kilometres to go, Kings Park was beyond me and the beach was in front of me. We ran into Subiaco and I tried to entice Little Mexican for a breakfast pit stop, clearly he was having none of that. Third gel went down, although didn’t quite go down as well as the others. Little Mexican piped up reminding me about the house we were building in this marathon. He said it’s time to put the roof on this thing. I told him I hope it goes on quick. That nasty hill near Perry Lakes loomed. I was delighted when we had crested it not far now.

Four kilometres from the finish line Little Mexican told me four rolling hills to go and we are done. What! Dammit I thought those hills were done. Last 1.5 kilometres loomed, I decided I just wanted to get to that finish line quick. The pace picked up and there was the finish; 3 hours 19 minutes 11 seconds. Goal achieved. This time I know I will do another.