One week before the marathon I started reading about the weather forecast in groups like this.
Nerves started to kick in because I’d been there before. At the Manchester 10k in 2023, I felt like I was running through fire. I nearly fainted. It was only 10k and it felt brutal. That x4?? Didn’t even want to think about it.
I love this quote “don’t let past hurt inform future fear”
So I stopped reading messages where people were worrying about it.
And said to myself: stop pre-occupying your mind with what’s out of your control.
What did I do?
- Bought a good running cap at the expo.
- Visualised myself as being solar-powered.
- Went through every single one of the showers on the course - and saw rainbows.
- Stayed on top of hydration + gel plan.
- Fuelled up properly in the days before.
I promise, it worked amazingly for me.
No heat stroke.
No hitting “the wall.”
Steady pace, lots of high fives… party vibe and mental calm. Soaked it all in - ok, I got a blister ;)
Yes, it was hard. Yes, those last miles hurt AF.
But fear didn’t run the show. I did.
We waste so much energy worrying about things we can’t change.
Whether it’s weather, people’s opinions, or uncertainty - do your best, be present and enjoy!
Training our minds as much as our bodies changes everything!
Same applies to being disappointed with oneself (for the time, the performance..), but that’s for another post ;)
If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear from you - feel free to like, leave a comment, or share it with someone who might need it.
