Alexandre

After watching 2-3 videos/documentaries of athletes from the Paris Marathon 2023, revelation, I want to live and feel the same thing! With a sub 3 goal at the marathon.

I had a clear first goal, to complete the Bordeaux half-marathon! Registration for the -1h40 starting area 🤞🏼

It's early June and I begin a 26-week prep program. I managed to maintain half-marathon paces in training, but workouts with 25 min blocks made me realize that I couldn't maintain 4’12min/km during the race. It's not a big deal, we set a time limit of 1h35.

Start: All clear. The race continues on its course, I stay well within the 1h35 block.

7th km: a side stitch appears

8th km: the side stitch bends me in two, I have to slow down and walk for a few seconds, my morale wavers then I pull myself together, and seeing myself distanced by the group, I decide to close the gap (forcing myself to run around 3’55/4, thanks to interval training 🙏🏼).

11th km: our pacer announces we're on 1h34 pace, it feels good, promising!

13th to 17th km: heart rate increases by 10 bpm without reason

16th km: the hamstrings that begin to want to give up. We'll call a friend, mental strength 😅

20th km: the crowd cheering us, the power of collective encouragement is unparalleled, the brain starts simmering, I'm hit by a wave of emotions.

4:01 on the 21st km, I have 200 meters left, I see the finish line, I give it my all, my legs hurt but the adrenaline, retracing 6 months of preparation, the crowd means there's no excuse to slow down!

There it is, I cross the line in 1h32 and 43 seconds. Mission accomplished!

After watching 2-3 videos/documentaries of athletes from the Paris Marathon 2023, revelation, I want to live, feel the same thing, prepare for months, feel encouraged by thousands of people, and cross the finish line! With a sub 3 goal at the marathon.

April 2023, I decide to start running after 7-8 years without really running. (Rugby field trimmer in my younger years, my preferred zone was the sideline, "life is beautiful on the wing," they said!)

Thus I dive head first, wanting to run 10km as fast as possible, without training, of course 🤓

54min31 on the 1st try
48m43 on the 2nd try

I'm progressing and I am super happy! All this in the same week, and with shoes that no longer provided cushioning, I was running on pancakes for visual reference 😂. I discover Campus the following week and thus start a marathon prep.
After 2 weeks, what was inevitable happened—injury.

I drop it for a few weeks (May), but continue to cultivate my passion for running, informing myself, and decide to set a clear goal, to complete the Bordeaux half-marathon! Registration for the -1h40 starting area 🤞🏼

It's early June and I start a 26-week prepa (announced 1:28:46 by Campus, with 4 outings/week. PS: I cheated a bit by telling the plan I ran the 10km in 43:30 when at that time, 48 was the max I could do, but that's between us 🤓)

Missed 3 workouts due to a small injury in week 4 but a month before the race, Covid got hold of me (resulting in a 99/104). Up until now, I managed to maintain half-marathon paces in training but workouts with blocks of 25 min made me realize that I couldn't maintain 4’12min/km during the race. It's okay.

It's the first real race, setting a time limit of 1h35 and the job will be done. Big reflection the night before on choosing the pacer, tempting fate and following 1h30 or playing it safe and following 1h35 🫡...

Morning freshness, 9000 participants, crazy atmosphere and a golden sun that tickles our cheeks.

Sleep on it, I decide to follow David, one of the two pacers of 1h35 (who was incredible!)

Start: All clear. The race proceeds normally, I remain well in the 1h35 block.

7th km: appearance of a side stitch

8th km: the side stitch bends me in two, I have to slow down and walk for a few seconds to catch my breath. My morale wavers, but I pull myself together, and seeing the group pulling away, I decide to catch up (forcing myself to run around 3’55/4, thanks to interval training 🙏🏼).

11th km: our pacer announces we're on 1h34 pace, it feels good, it's promising!

13th to 17th km: heart rate increases by 10 bpm without reason

16th km: the hamstrings begin to want to give up. We'll call on a friend, mental strength 😅

20th km: David tells us it's time to give it our all if we want a good time. I didn't think twice, the stride speeds up. For those familiar, it's just before the Pont de Pierre, one of the zones where the spectators go wild!
The crowd cheering us, the power of collective encouragement is unparalleled, the mind starts simmering, and I'm hit by a wave of emotions. Similar to the feeling when watching documentaries of athletes crossing the finish line. That's it, I'm living the race fully! I try to pass as many runners as I can because I feel I can push harder.

4:01 on the 21st km, I have 200 meters left, I see the finish line, I give it everything, my legs hurt but the adrenaline, tracing 6 months of preparation, the crowd, means there's no excuse to slow down!

That's it, I cross the line in 1h32 and 43 seconds. I walk a few meters to catch my breath, the pressure is released, I feel my eyes water, and I think I'm proud of myself at that moment. Mission accomplished!

Now a week of rest, and we launch into a 17-week prep for the Paris marathon, aiming for less than 3h15 😮‍💨

I hope all pacers are like this, I want to thank David, besides perfectly pacing, he reminded us to hydrate when needed, set the mood, and helped many reach their goals 🙏🏼