42195 meters was the distance between me and the glory. I did it! I could defeat both physical and mental extreme fatigue. I accomplished Wrocław's marathon even after one month without trainings due to a twisted ankle in July.This marathon taught me a lot of things. And I could also confirm things that I already knew:
1. Dare! Try to do something that really scares you. Subscribe yourself for a marathon!
2. Don't start something you are not able to finish. It's full speed or nothing.
3. Aim higher than you really want to achieve. If you think you already trained enough for the day, it means that you are, in fact, half-way done.
4. The taste of a beer is a relative concept. After running all of these 42195 meters, you will drink the best beer you have ever drunk. Regardless of the brand or type. It just have to be cold enough (of course).
Now, I will write the three basic ingredients to accomplish such competition (keep in mind that you just need to accomplish it, don't try to win! There will be always some Kenyan or Ethiopian to win the competition, so DON'T BOTHER!). My three ingredients are:
1. Fuel: I wondered, how can I obtain my Açaí juice in Poland? I'm so far from Amazon (where the Açaí berries grow) that it's unlikely to be found here. However, I found some manufactured Açaí juice imported from Germany. The label reads: "Açaí mit Guarana" (Açaí with Guarana). Was expensive, but necessary. - Two bottles, please!From Wikipedia:
"Açaí provides increased energy levels, improved sexual performance, improved digestion, detoxification, high fiber content, improved skin appearance, improved heart health, improved sleep, and reduction of cholesterol levels."
2. Fire: I call "fire", in this context, something that pushes forward. Something that comes from the soul! Some beast from the inside that can be unleashed by music. I prepared one special setlist of songs in my iPod, so I could feel the fire. I remember very well that, during this marathon, between the 21st and 22nd kilometre of the track I had a steep part ahead of me; Let's say 200 meters to run upwards. I was supposed to save energy and reduce the speed at that point. But, that exact moment I was listening to the song: "Rainmaker" by Iron Maiden and that really boosted my average speed from 10km/h to 12km/h (I had my GPS on my wrist). Anyway, don't let the music screw your performance. Try to run rationally and know how to use the force! ;)
3. Desire: The will that arises, the thirst for the glory. The will to show the subtle difference between boys and real men! How I got motivated? Believe it or not, reverse psychology may work fine in this situation. If somebody says: "You can manage!" - Probably, he or she said so just to be kind. But, if somebody tries to demotivate, can really motivate!"It's a long way, my son... marathon is not for you." - Djalma R.
"Athlete? You?" - Kasia Ł.
"You are a weekend athlete! You are ozado!" - Karine O.
"You will give up after the first ten kilometers!" - Bruno G.
* (These sentences above were adapted to English)
Special thanks for those who really believed: Ania W., Sylwia I., Maria S., Darek K., Justyna T.
Another thing that motivated me was the fact that there were only two participants from Latin-America, so it was a big responsibility for me! Below, there is a table of participants number sorted by country:
AUS 1
BEL 1
BRA 1 Me!!
CAN 1
CHL 1 (Someone from Chile)
CZE 9
ESP 1
ETH 1
GBR 9
GER 18
HUN 2
IND 2
IRL 3
ITA 3
KEN 2
NLD 4
NOR 1
POL 2458
PRT 1
SVK 8
SWE 2
UKR 5
USA 9
I had six hours as time limit to reach the finish line and get the medal. However, four hours and fifty one minutes were more than enough. I'm a weekend athlete anyway... ;)
For full album of photos, click here.
