Shifting the marathon goalposts

Resignation that the Melbourne Marathon won’t occur - at least on it’s originally scheduled date, has set in over the past fortnight.

Initially billed to last for a week, Victoria’s sixth lockdown will now last until at least September 23.

With only a few concessions to be granted after this time depending on vaccination numbers - an increased travel radius of 10 km and exercise limit up to three hours, it’s difficult to see any official events proceeding locally for the balance of the year.

As much as the proposed alternative date for Melbourne in December might appeal to some, there are no guarantees that the outlook will have improved by then, let alone accounting for the early summer heat!

On a personal level, it’s frustrating that the body of work which has been poured into marathon training - firstly for Gold Coast in July, then Sunshine Coast in August, followed by Melbourne in October, will go unrewarded for a second year running.

Especially so, considering the preparations had their origins when the state emerged from its’ second lockdown last November with a fairly intensive track centric summer.

In a perfect world I’d love to rack up another appearance at Melbourne, having not missed an edition since my marathon debut in 2012.

Yet the legs are screaming out for a refresh, so judgement day will remain October 10 with a tilt at a marathon time trial around Albert Park, even if an officially recognised time will be lacking.

It was the case last year and more prominently following Gold Coast’s last minute cancellation that many runners set time trial PB’s without the fanfare of a marathon proper.

The initial instinct of coach Liam and I was to run one on the scheduled GC race date, though my desire for something official won out, hence the shift towards Sunshine Coast. Then Melbourne. Look how that’s eventuated…

Which is why it’s all in on a TT this time around.

At this rate, I’d never run another marathon - official or not, if I waited for the stars to align!

So what I’d say to those who are frothing like rabid dogs to put yourselves to the sword, though lacking the motivation to continue training for a goal that is all but certain to be kicked further down the line or won’t occur altogether, is this.

There’s a finish line in sight and you won’t regret pushing on for a TT effort, even in the absence of thousands of spectators cheering from the sidelines!

With nothing to lose, there’s a strong appetite to go all out at Albert Park and see how far the legs and mind are willing to venture, confident that the ten thousand or so kilometres which have been accumulated since our last race will stand us in good stead for something special.

Going under 2:30 is the primary objective, though I must admit it’s difficult to gauge a realistic ballpark time in lieu of any reference points over the past 24 months.

I feel that with the consistency Liam and I have been able to achieve in the marathon specific training window since late March, which hasn’t suffered any interruptions, there’s no reason why we can’t be ambitious and look towards 2:25 if early pacing is on point.

Even if it would be a sizeable leap on paper from an existing PB of 2:35, there’s two years of training cycles and prospective time gains that haven’t been realised, so it isn’t as arrogant or disrespectful towards the process required to achieve this as it might sound.

If nothing else, whatever time we manage on the day will provide us with a marker for whenever we’re finally able to run a proper race, and the satisfaction will be no less, not least for the sacrifices which will have gone towards something unofficial.

A couple of weeks’ downtime can’t arrive soon enough, alongside getting on the beers at long last, which are serving as the incentive to nail these final sessions and long runs leading up to the 10th.

Beyond that, we’re keen to get stuck into another solid season of track work which should unlock some further gains for whenever the day occurs that we can run something real.

October 10 is just thirty days away and the taper is within reach, so for anybody wanting to bank a time and draw a line through the sordid bloody affair, dig in!

If by some miracle Melbourne comes to pass in December, I’d be more than willing to consider pacing somebody and soak up the occasion with the pressure off.

We said 2021 couldn’t be as bad as 2020. Go figure!

I’ll stop short of saying 2022 will be an improvement because the picture can change so rapidly, but if we’re still unable to stage marathons in twelve months, I’ll go he!