Have you ever thought about running a marathon? Neither have I. But I have wondered what it takes to run the 26.2-mile (42km) race.
This year, a good friend of mine, Colin Miller, completed his second marathon in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has raised £1,000 (RM6,000) for Alzheimer’s Scotland.
Colin and I have been friends since high school, and I can’t think of a time when he wasn’t trying his hand at some sport or other.
We used to regularly played badminton together, and in those sessions, I felt like I’d completed a few marathons myself with the number of times he sent me running around the court.
I’ve always admired Colin for his tenacity and resilience. As much as I’m impressed by his achievements in the Edinburgh marathons, if anyone could rise to such a gruelling challenge, he’d be the first name on my list. (Colin took 8 minutes off his 2023 time, finishing the 2024 Edinburgh marathon in 04:21:26.)
With a tough six-day training regimen, I was interested in learning about the physical and psychological effects of training for and running marathons. A large part of Colin’s self-belief came from the support and encouragement of his partner, Louise, who has championed and cheered him on from the start to the finishing lines.
Whether it’s taking on a marathon or any other difficult challenge, Colin shared some fascinating insights into his marathon preparations and how we can tackle tough challenges with resilience and perseverance.
What inspired you to start running marathons?
It felt like a natural progression in my running journey; I never used to take running particularly seriously. When I was younger, I always played football, and that was my main sport until I hit my mid-30s. Then, I started to lose interest and look for other ways to channel my energy. In my early 30s, I entered a couple of 10k races and enjoyed them. I ran on and off for years to keep myself fit for football and always enjoyed it. Once I hit my mid-30s, I started running more and gradually increased the number of runs per week and the distance.
I got to a point where it was mid-January and it’d be raining heavily just before 7am on a workday, and I’d think, “I’m actually quite enjoying this.” From there, it just stuck with me, and before I knew it, I was running 10k regularly before work. This then spilled over to the weekend, and as I had more time, I started to increase the distance week by week. I never thought the marathon was an achievable target at this point, as I thought it needed a level of fitness that was beyond me.
So, with increasing the distance, I pushed further and reached a point where I was running the half marathon distance pretty regularly. For me, that was enough at that point. I worked on my time and tried to get quicker and more consistent. Once I felt comfortable enough, I started to increase the distance again and was working towards the marathon distance. Then, through moving house and changing jobs, I stopped training as other priorities took over. Once things calmed down a bit, I started running again regularly and eventually joined a local running club.
This was what I needed to push me on, as there were people of all ages and abilities running the distance. There were also the constant words of encouragement from Louise and her belief that I could do it, which made me decide to give it a go.
What does the training process look like?
The training process is ongoing for me. I think the years of playing football have put me in a really good place to make the transition to running, as I have years of running in zone 2 to give me that base level of fitness. This is a massive help when it comes to running. My regular week outside marathon training is:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 1-hour run (usually tempo/fartlek)
Wednesday: Gym session (legs)
Thursday: Gym session (upper, push) and a 45-minute to 1-hour run (tempo)
Friday: Gym session (upper, pull)
Saturday: Park run – 5k with a warm-up – usually about 35 to 40 minutes of running in total
Sunday: Easy run (1 to 1.5 hours)
This routine stays more or less the same during the early weeks of marathon training but changes as it progresses. I add an extra easy/recovery run on Wednesday. In training for the marathon, I usually start about 16 weeks beforehand. Once the first few weeks have passed, I increase the time of the midweek runs and the long run on Sunday.
As the weeks go on, my Sunday run can be up to 3 to 3.25 hours. I plan the route and, as painful as it is, try to include as many hills as I can, which we are luckily blessed with in the local area. I change up some of the midweek runs and include hill sprints in the middle just to get the blood pumping. When you are in week 14 or 15 of training, this is a particularly tough session!
The training was tough for the first marathon in 2023, but second time around, I found my recovery a lot better. That might just be the experience of doing it before and my body being better equipped to deal with the stress. One of the hardest things about it is making sure you’re eating enough, particularly after the long run, as you’re out for so long and burning so many calories. It usually takes until the end of the next day for me to feel I’ve restored what’s been lost.
How do you prepare for marathons, mentally?
The first time was a complete unknown, and I had many doubts about whether I could actually complete it. For this year’s marathon, I had the mantra, “I’ve done it before, so I can do it again,” which helped when I was struggling around the 20-mile mark. I reached a point where I just had to believe in myself and trust in the training I had done. That gave me the positive mindset to push through and complete it.
For the first marathon, I got too in my head about time, pacing, etc., and there was a lot of negativity as I felt I was going to disappoint myself and everyone. Eventually, I realised that completing the marathon was an achievement in itself and something I never thought I would be able to accomplish. Fast forward 12 months, and the second time around, I approached it with the mindset that my preparation had been better, I had done it before, and I was a more experienced runner. I just needed to go and get it done.
Particularly in the west of Scotland, we often have a negatively-inclined mindset, so completing my first marathon completely rewired my brain, boosting my positivity and self-belief.
What’s the experience like during the marathon?
It’s a mixed experience. You start off surging with adrenaline, conscious not to start out too quickly and get carried away with the crowd. You then settle into a bit of a rhythm before – slowly but surely – you start to tire, the pain sets in and you start to think, “Why am I doing this?” before you get to the last 4-5k and you start to get a sense of euphoria that you might actually do it. A lot of people talk about hitting the wall around the 18-mile mark and it is true – it happened to me the first time and, in the second marathon, I hit it again around the 20-mile mark.
By this point, your mind is screaming at you to stop and your body is aching but the good thing about running in Scotland is the crowds. They push you on and come out in force to support the runners during the Edinburgh marathon, and they can tell from the look in your face that you need that extra bit of motivation and know just the right thing to say as you pass them to spur you on and keep you going. When it comes to the last kilometre, the crowds have built and the space around you narrows until you’re running down a tunnel of noise, people screaming words of encouragement to push you to the finish.
Both times as I’ve run this section, I’ve managed to pick Louise’s voice out of the noise and see her face in the crowd and each time I’ve been overcome with emotion. It takes everything to hold it back and keep my composure until I’ve crossed the finishing line. That feeling running the final kilometre must be what it’s like when a band goes on stage at a stadium gig as they sail on the initial burst of noise. It’s by far the best part of the run and an incredible feeling.
How do you keep yourself focused during the race?
I try to check in with myself every 5k or so to see what I need, check my heart rate on my watch to make sure I’m not pushing too much, and take a gel and some water. I like to take in the scenery and not focus too much on the race, chatting with people around me. This way, I know that if I can hold a conversation, I’m going at a comfortable pace. I make sure I’ve got a good playlist so that when I get to the latter stages, I can use music as a distraction. When the focus drifts and negative thoughts creep in, I remember the tough training runs and all the work I’ve put in up to that point. Inside, I’m screaming at myself to keep moving, sometimes out loud as well!
I set myself targets along the way so that there is a sense of achievement, keeping the positive mindset going by accomplishing things along the way. I reward myself with a gel or grab a Haribo from the people in the crowd handing stuff out.
What advice do you have for anyone thinking of taking on a big challenge (especially when it comes to self-doubt)?
Believe in yourself. Once you have that, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. There will always be a degree of self doubt but finding ways to develop self-belief is how you keep it at bay. I always try to see the positive in everything but its only natural to have that gnawing voice of negativity in the back of your head. The best way I’ve found to overcome it is listening to upbeat music – music is very rarely off in our house!
When I go out walks with Louise and our dog Jock, we regularly have confidence-boosting chats, breaking down the previous run and talking about things we can do to improve our fitness goals so that we show up for ourselves. I also like to watch a lot of sports documentaries as it gives me useful insights into how people train and push through tough moments.
I’d also suggest ignoring a lot of stuff on social media and what other people are doing. In the end, it’s your race you’re running so don’t get bogged down on times/pace that other people are setting and just concentrate on yourself. There’s a prevailing attitude that if you don’t reach a particular milestone or complete a challenge within a specific time then you’ve failed, but committing to something important and seeing it through is the real victory.
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