Let me preface this by saying, before last year, I would never have considered myself a runner. And I still don't!
As you know, I have had a lot of time on my hands over the past couple of years and decided to take up running as a "hobby". Yes, I know. This does not sound like the Kath you used to know. But alas, desperate times call for desperate measures. It was after signing up for a 10k at the beginning of 2016 while Brad was doing his marathon, that I realised event running is a LOT more fun than your average Monday night jog. And if the best part about running isn't that you can eat whatever the hell you like, then I don't know what is.
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| Brad smashes out the Gran Canaria Marathon, 2016 |
After a couple of half marathons (I know, right? Who even am I anymore?!?!) and another couple of 10ks, I thought, "bugger it. Why not give a marathon a crack?" Brad and I decided to choose a primo location for the marathon, so that we could have MAXIMUM distraction from the pain and anguish we were going to experience on the day. Rome seemed fitting, and although the registration process was almost as annoying as the actual training, we persevered, booked our flights and were ready for the challenge. Every time we struggled through a training session, we'd remind ourselves, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Lol.
Of course, any marathon runner will tell you that your diet leading up to the marathon is very important. I couldn't agree more, so we booked a few days on the Amalfi coast beforehand to really "carb load" in style (aperol spritzes, beer etc. - that's what they meant right?).
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| Pre- marathon diet |
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| Positano |
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| Praiano |
We were met by some very supportive family members who lugged kids and heavy luggage on public transport along the winding, tourist filled roads of the Amalfi coast to be by our sides. We took our hill training very seriously and booked an Air Bnb right up the top of the hill in Praiano for the best results. And the views were spectacular.
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| Hill training |
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| Happy 30th Ben! |
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| Air Bnb views |
Race day arrived and we were ready! Sort of. We arrived at the starting line (which was literally at the Colosseum) just in time to start running. One could say we were a little lax on the preparation side of things that morning. And off we went, running past some guys dressed up as gladiators (which, let's be honest, was one of my favourite parts). There we were running through the middle of ROME on a SUNDAY morning. It was quite surreal; the setting and the fact that this was it - what we had trained for. It was almost overwhelming. Our lovely friend Cassie was there to cheer us on and she saw us at KM 13 on her way to grab something for breakfast. It really does make a difference seeing someone you know on the sidelines.
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| Starting line shenanigans |
Speaking of people we know... KM 17 saw us run past the POPE giving MASS at St. Peter's Basilica. "We saw the pope while running a marathon," said no one ever. That was the absolute highlight for me and gave me countless amounts of energy.
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| Pope giving mass ahead |
KM 25-32 were a massive mental struggle for me. It was outside of the city, there weren't many people on the sidewalks to give high fives to and it was a kind of no mans land in terms of counting down kilometres. It was literally just one foot after the other by then with no room for any other thoughts. Brad was starting to suffer from cramps; the struggle was real. Brad decided he needed to slow down for a bit as his cramps were really bad (I could see the muscles in his calves contracting) and I went ahead alone. Which pained me, because I had been picturing us crossing the finish line together for months and months by then. That jumping in the air high five boomerang would have been a real hit on instagram, dammit!
From KM 32, I was back on top of my game and 'Chariots of Fire' came onto my play list JUST in time. There were only 10 kms to go and I knew I was coming back into the city where I would see some more amazing sights. And that I did. Mainly, I saw angry tourists who had not expected there to be roads blocked off in the middle of such an iconic city. Whoops, sorry tourists! But with 5kms to go, I really didn't care too much.
KM 41 came around and I saw more familiar faces - Cassie, Jojo and the crew were there to cheer me on just when I was starting to think this thing would never end. And as I approached the Colosseum once more (with more Gladiators to greet us - yay), I was completely overwhelmed by what we had just achieved. And to think I was always the girl who didn't run - just goes to show what the mind is capable of (and what you'll do to avoid boredom).
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| KM 41 - just get it done! |
Just as I was getting the best angle on a selfie with my medal and the Colosseum and the finish line (which was actually quite difficult), Brad came over the line for a big sweaty hug. And you know the best part about all of this? The finish line was 300 metres from our Air Bnb. 300 METRES! The stumble home was absolutely joyous, as was the first celebratory beer we had post race. And the pasta. And the tiramisu.
All roads lead to Rome - and what stunning roads they are!
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