What a fantastic Friday!

I had a huge smile on my face for the last three days .. not even the raging rain of the weekend has managed to wipe off. As I go back to my daily routine and things start to slow down, the success of this year Outruncancer Corporate Marathon sinks in. We have broken any possible record, from the number of participants, to the fastest marathon time, to the amount raised for cancer research.

A huge THANK YOU goes to you all for this great achievement!

This year event saw a total of 111 runners from 11 teams from 4 different corporate, an increase of 38% from last year.
The marathon times were also much faster, with a very respectable average of 3h 22min and a fastest time of 2h 50min (compared to 3h 40min and 3h 06min of 2012). Here the official times:

But the most amazing record of all, is the amount raised for cancer research: $21,300 ($6.5k more than 2012!)
And it’s not all, because with Macquarie Group Foundation $ matching, the total goes up to a massive $32,348 !

This money, together with the $29,000 raised last year, is a real contribution in the fight against cancer. This goes to show what like-minded people can achieve when they work together. I am really looking forward to see how the event will evolve and grow in the next years. With your support and generosity I am very positive we will achieve our goal: beat cancer. Because sometimes all it takes is to put one foot in front of the other.. Yeah, even on a treadmill!

Judging from the pictures, it looks as you all enjoyed the day as much as I did.. maybe everyone but Andy which leg waxing looked pretty painful!

The pictures from the event are available
on Facebook (no need to login): http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.480999585282167.117453.208228892559239&type=1&l=d483f2d59d
on Picasa: https://plus.google.com/photos/104967550416074940164/albums/5848380596899274305?authkey=CPHonurln42DbA
and for Macquarie staff on \\vfsyd10\Shared\Temp\OutruncancerCorporateMarathon2013\

For those of you that would like to follow all other (sometime crazy) Outruncancer initiatives, check out
Blog: www.outruncancer.com
FB: www.facebook.com/outruncancer
Twitter: @outruncancer

I wish you all a wonderful week
Luca
luca@outruncancer.com

PS: please send me your feedback on the event/day. What did work, what didn’t work, what could be done better and what you would like to see next year.
PS2: for those of you that have not received a t-shirts, had the wrong size or other, please liaise with your team captains. Unfortunately I don’t have any left, so I will have to go back to the supplier and get them re-printed. It will take few weeks but they can be done.

Dear team captains,

Three days to the treadmill marathon and I am excited to announce that we have already broken last year fundraising record.
As of this morning, we reached a total of $15,098!!
Macquarie’s “Give Us Some Credit” team is leading the fundraising board with $3,066 while the highest fundraiser is Merzuka Bahtigur from the AMEX – TECH team with $1,055.
The donations (at least Macquarie’s teams) will be $ matched by Macquarie Foundation, so ask friends and colleagues to sponsor you as their contribution is worth double!

Now back to business.. Tomorrow is the deadline to send me your predicted runsheets. You will still be able to make amendments on the day, this is just to make logistics easier and give us an idea of the finishing times.

The treadmill marathon will start at 1pm sharp. Every person will need to register, signing a waiver and collecting their name tags. You will need the name tag to collect a goody bag after your run. The goody bags have a value of around $100 in discounts and products so don’t forget it!

A videographer will be recording between 2PM and 5:30PM. The video will be used as promotional material for next year marathon and will be published to Youtube and to the Outruncancer website. If you or any of your team members prefer NOT to be included, please let me or the videographer know! Otherwise just smile and try not to look out of breath! J

Fruit, water, juices and nut bars will be available throughout the day and sandwiches will be delivered around 4:45PM.
Those that will stick around for the 5pm presentation, will not only have the chance to win one of our major prizes (mini quiz) but also to witness the leg-waxing of the loser of the challenge between Andrew and Ryan!! J

This is my last email before the event, be safe and remember to carb loading!
See you all on Friday!
Luca

The countdown has started, 10 days to the Outruncancer Corporate Marathon and the fundraising has reached $11,600 !! Keep it coming!!

Come on and well done teams, keep donating!!!

I feel very energetic and positive today. It may be the beautiful day, the fact it is Friday or because the Outruncancer Corporate Marathon is only 2 weeks away and it’s all coming together!

What has been happening..
In the last few weeks more companies have come on board supporting our cause. A BIG thank you is in order:
GOODLIFE HEALTHCLUB: Without them we would not even have an event!
MACQUARIE BANK: Our major sponsor, providing the running tees for all competitors
THE BODY MECHANIC: THE place to go for all physio needs. They will give a free massage to all competitors on the day.. trust me you don’t want to miss the opportunity
VIVOBAREFOOT: Donating prizes and discounts voucher for their awesome minimalistic shoes
NUDIE JUICES: Donating wonderful healthy juices
FLUSH FITNESS: Filling up your goodybags of sport supplements for your recovery
IBIS HOTEL Shelley Street: Donating a full package overnight stay

The Fundraising..
We have already reached $8375 in fundraising with the AMEX TECH team taking the lead with $2185!
Few teams have not yet started their fundraiser.. just a gentle reminder that the main goal of this event is to raise money for Cancer Research! So please, get your members to sign up and spread the word with colleagues/friends to support you! Sometimes all it takes is just an email. Really.. you will be amazed to see what an email can do. Or you can take it to the next step and come up with a brilliant idea like Andrew and Ryan’s:

“Andrew Hassey and I had a friendly bet last year over who would be fastest for the 2kms we each had to run. The results I felt were conclusive enough, but apparently the manual time recording system last event and the hazy memories of others has cast doubt over my glorious victory.
So it has been suggested we settle the age-old (or at least year old) battle once and for all. Neither of us are one to back down from a challenge – hence how the original bet came about – so in the spirit of charity we have come up with a challenge, which also requires your support to make it happen.
Andrew and I will each run first for our respective teams. Whoever reaches 3km first, wins. Simple! To make it interesting (thanks Luca for the suggestion), the loser will have his legs waxed after his run – the theory being they could do with being more streamlined! But there’s a catch. The punishment only comes into effect IF we receive a combined sponsorship of >$1,000. So it’s up to you to make this happen.

To vote for Ryan Speak, the unofficial reigning champion and recently accused of blood doping, please donate via this link
To vote for Andrew Hassey, the spritely young people’s champion, please donate via this link “

What to do next and FAQ..
As per my previous email, I have a limited number of running t-shirts that will be allocated on the first-in basis. If you have the FULL list of team members with their t-shirt sizes AND they all have paid the registration fee, could you please send me the runsheet and I will start distributing the t-shirts right-away.
At this stage it is not important to have the final running order, this can be sent on Thursday February 21st . You can also make changes on the day, the intention of the runsheet is to make your life and the life of the time recorder easier.
The event will start at 1PM sharp and the runners can arrive at any time before they have to start running, they do not need to all be there at 1pm. But I suggest taking advantage of the facilities for a warm up and a free massage!
It would be good to see everyone back at 5PM for the short presentations, draw of prizes and to see who is going to get his legs waxed! Remember that any team member can be the winner of a prize! Complimentary sandwiches and soft drinks will be on offer .. and maybe I can strike a deal with one of the bars nearby for a discount on refreshing beers to follow…

Looking forward to receive your runsheets and see you all in a couple of weeks!!
Have a great weekend
Luca
Please reply to luca@outruncancer.com
http://www.outruncancer.com/corporate-marathon-2013/

Hope this email finds you well rested after the holiday season… and with few extra kilos, an additional motivation to get that treadmill going!
The Outruncancer Corporate Marathon 2013 is only 5 week away so it’s time to go through the event schedule and rules.

The Schedule.
The marathon will start at 1PM with a 4 hours cut-off time to cover 42.2km. Based on last year times, this should be a very achievable target.
Closing ceremony and prize giving will take place at 5PM.
Some snacks and soft drinks/water will be available throughout the day. Those interested in replenish the calories lost in sweat, can join me for a beer or two after!

The Gym.
This event will not be possible without the help of Goodlife Healthclub. So, when you talk to the club manager Elle, remember to say thank you! All non gym members are required to sign a waiver that will be available at the gym reception.
There won’t be spare treadmills for warm ups, you can use spin bikes, cross-trainers and the stretching area for that. We are hoping to have a massage therapist/physiotherapist available on the day too. While in the gym, why don’t make the best of the opportunity and try the different training machines or talk to a Personal Trainer for training advice? Shower are available for everyone to use and you can borrow a towel for $1.

The marathon.
Volunteers will be recording your times as you get ON and OFF the treadmill. This is a manual process and it’s your responsibility to make sure the correct time/distance is
recorded. The treadmills are iPhone compatible, meaning you can record the workout in your phone if you wish.
When you get OFF the treadmill, make sure to slow down the treadmill to a minimum of 6km/h.
Minimum distance to be covered by each person is 2km, maximum time a person is allowed on a treadmill is 1 hour
The runner wearing the best/funniest hat, will be rewarded a 5 minutes detraction from its team final time.

Runsheet.
The attached runsheet should help you to work out your target times as well as to keep track of the registrations and t-shirt sizes. I will require it returned to me by Wednesday 20/02/2013. Changes on the day are allowed but please keep it at minimum.

T-Shirts & Goody-bags
Every runner will receive a running t-shirt, kindly sponsored by Macquarie Bank and we encourage people to wear it on the day. This is the first year we create t-shirts so we had no idea how many to print and what sizes. So we guesstimated… we will try to match the sizes requested and if some t-shirts are missing, we will re-print and send at later stage. Please make sure you complete the spreadsheet attached and send it to me not later than Wednesday 20/02/2013 so that the t-shirts will be handed over to the team captains the next day.
Every runner will also receive a goody-bag with a sport drink, product samples and different vouchers including a weekly gym pass.

Fundraising.
Last but not least, the goal of the Outruncancer Corporate marathon is to have a fun day with friends and colleagues but at the same time to help in the fight against cancer. All donations will go to Cancer Council NSW funding research and increasing awareness of the importance of prevention. So spread the word with colleagues and friends to sponsor a team member directly or your team through the Do Your thing website. If you lost your link or have troubles with the website please see http://www.outruncancer.com/corporate-marathon-2013/ or contact me at this email address.
In the next week, I will distribute the Cancer Council Fundraising Pack and some posters to all the team captains.

Best of luck with your preparation!
Run free
Luca

Last February we ran our first Outruncancer Corporate Marathon and we received so much positive feedback that we had to organize another run for 2013! In fact the pressure is on to do even better this year.

It will be hard work because last year was a tremendous success. Not only for the incredible amount raised for cancer research ($29,400) but also for the number of people that turned up to the event and the genuine atmosphere of happiness (and sweat) that filled the gym.

I believe this year we have all the right cards to set a new record. With everyone’s help we can transform this single-handed event into something bigger year after year, making a huge difference in the fight against cancer.

So I’m thrilled to announce

…drums rolling …

The registrations for the Outruncancer Corporate Marathon 2013 are now open!

Friday February 22nd at 1PM at Goodlife HealthClub in 1 Shelley Street, Sydney

For those of you new to the challenge, it consists of a “marathon relay” on treadmill. That’s it! 42.2km run on a treadmill as a team.

The Key Rules:

1. Each team must complete the 42.2km distance and the treadmill can’t stop at any time.
2. Teams can have between 4 and 21 members, each contributing a minimum of 2km.
3. Each team member can get on and off the treadmill as many time as they want for a maximum time of 1 hour.
4. You MUST have fun, no serious faces are allowed.
5. Start time will be 1PM and cut-off time 5PM so the maximum time allowed to cover the 42.2km is 4 hours (5:41mins/km or 10.55 km/h).
6. To safely get ON and OFF the treadmill and make sure the times/distances are recorded correctly by our highly sophisticated manual system
   - Just before a change, the person getting ON the treadmill should contact a member of staff and confirm his/her details (team name, runner name)
   - Wait until staff has confirmed the time/distance of the previous runner has been recorded. During a change, maximum allowed speed of the treadmill is 6km/h.

How to register:
Only a maximum of 10 teams will be accepted on a first-in basis.
If you want to register a team, simply send me an email at luca@outruncancer.com with your team name. I will setup a fundraising page on Cancer Council Do Your Thing website for you. All team members will be able to register there and start fundraising.
If you want to join one of the existing teams, simply contact the team’s captain.

The entry fee for each participant will be $55 and this will give you:
- Outruncancer Corporate Marathon Running t-shirt
- Goodie bag
- Refreshment throughout the day and at the closing ceremony
- Chance to win a prize for the best smile, fastest or slowest runner or best outfit or..
- The right to brag about the fact that you run a marathon on treadmill (you don’t have to say it is a relay)
Please note that the registration fee of $55 is in fact a donation to Cancer Council and therefore tax deductible (receipt will be emailed once registered)

Fundraiser:
The goal of this challenge is to raise money for cancer research. All funds raised will go to Cancer Council NSW.
Beside the entry fee, teams are encouraged to do their fundraiser through their Do Your Thing page.
(Sometimes corporates $ match the amount raised by their employees for no-profit organization. If your company has this policy, remember to ask for $ matching after the event!)

..and if you want to help:
If you have a couple of hours to spare and keen to help.. I’m all ears! I’m looking for help to make phone calls/look for donations of prizes for a raffle, write/send media releases, coordinate event on the day. If any of you can spare some time or simply send me a note for potential sponsors, that would be great!

..and finally
Here the stats from 2012… I’m sure we can do better than that!

Total runners: 90 (Women 20 – Men 70)
Smallest teams: BFS Express, Ducatisssimo, Lucazade,The Persperators (4 members )
Biggest teams: MPW friends, 42 feet (21 members)
Biggest corporate presence: Macquarie (8 treadmills)
Fastest Marathon time: 3:06 (The Persperators)
Slowest Marathon time: 4:04 (team cannot be named… )
Average Marathon time: 3:29
Fastest Runner: Chamkaur Singh, Team Ducatissimo (2:30 projected marathon time)
Total Fundraising: $14,700 (matched by Macquarie Foundation to reach a staggering $29,400 )
Highest fundraiser team: $5,600 Team Amex
Number of injuries: 0
Number of people falling off from treadmill: 1 (I have been paid not to report names )
People smiling and having a good time: 90 runners + all the spectators
Overall loser: Cancer.

See you all on February 22nd!

Cheers
Luca

Registered teams:

Only 10 places available. Below the teams currently registered to the event

I am surprised (and very thankful) I still have friends and family by my side. I don’t think I’ve been very good at masking my frustration, desperation and negativity of being forced on the bench for four months.

My left foot has troubled me since returning from my Italian marathons, in April. And at today, we are not sure what’s wrong with it and therefore what would make it better. But let’s do few steps back..

At the end of January, right at the peak of my training, the last session of a massive week of 200km (with 2 consecutive half marathons and 3 consecutive marathons in 6 days) I felt a distinct pain at the base of my foot, between the heel and the arch. I blamed the training run I had just completed in which I made the beginners’ mistake of getting caught up with somebody else’s training plan. A very aggressive one, way too fast than what I needed at that stage with unnecessary speed work to end a 20km effort. The pain was very similar to something I had experience before, on the other foot, with the exotic name of plantar fasciitis. I took a couple of days off, massaged, stretched and I thought it would go away. But it didn’t .. it started bothering me more and more. A couple of weeks later, I taped up my foot and completed the treadmill marathon challenge at Goodlife gym as part of our main Outruncancer lead-up event. Throughout that run, my foot was pretty painful and after that I took again few days off and finally went to see a sport doctor.  After I explained him that I was leaving in two weeks to go to Italy and run 20 marathons, recommended a cortisone injection to help the inflammation. A couple of weeks later I was in Italy and my foot felt ok, a slight discomfort every now and then but nothing major. I started my marathons and all was good.. until marathon 16, in Trento, when the pain started to come back. At that stage I had no other option than taping my foot and keep running, so I did. I completed my 20 marathons and all was good. The mix of cortisone, adrenaline and determination got me to the finish line. On the way back to Sydney, we stopped a couple of days in Dubai to relax and do some sightseeing. We spent an afternoon on our feet, walking around the city, the shopping malls, the beach.. a normal afternoon as tourists. That killed me. By the evening I was literally limping, the pain on my foot was excruciating, like a blade getting deeper in the flesh at every step. The following day even worse. Back in Sydney I went straight to see my massage therapist, certain that he could sort me out. That didn’t work as this “plantar fasciitis” was not going away. I didn’t run much giving my foot as much rest as possible. I went for 3 sessions of acupuncture and very painful deep massages with a metal stick. I gave up my entry to the North Face 100km race as at that stage even walking was a struggle. I went to see a doctor, had a X-ray and MRI. One doctor said should be plantar fasciitis, I went to another specialist that also said it was a case of PF and that I simply needed another cortison injection. The MRI said there was no sign of “plantar fasciitis” but a cyst was visible. A lump on the base of my foot, started to be noticeable at touch. I tried to get it seen by one of the best foot surgeons in Sydney that referred me to a physician of the same caliber. I went to see him and after getting the MRI scan re-evaluated, concluded I had a tear on the plantar. That made sense and was in line with my pain. He put me on 6 weeks of walk boot and shockwave therapy. In regards to the lump, he said he could have been different things.. better to assess that after the 6 weeks. I wore the walk boot, cancelled my other races: tough bloke challenge, Hunter Valley marathon, Sydney City to Surf 14km, Oxfam 100km . After six weeks I removed the boot, I walked down to the local coffee shop and the pain was back. It got worse and worse by the day despite the massages and exercise the physiotherapist gave me. Four days later I called the physician again, back to square one. Although not as painful as 4 months ago, the pain and the lump are still there. Tomorrow, I am going to have another MRI and ultrasound and I’ll see my physician again on Wednesday. The goal is to workout what that lump is. It could be a few things (a cyst, a fibroma, ledderhose disease, scar tissue,..), each leading to a different tentative treatment. It looks as whatever it is, its going to keep on the bench for a while longer. ..

You can probably understand the frustration.. not only I have not run in forever but after all this downtime and all the money spent in treatments and doctor visits, we are no any closer to know what’s wrong with this damn foot. The scariest thing is that each possible diagnosis doesn’t seem to have a certain cure. And because I can’t help myself, I spend hours and hours reading online of similar cases and this leads to depression.

In the last four months, I came to realize how much I love running. I have been trying to keep myself fit, positive, energetic and entertained with as many sports & activities my foot could physically cope with. I did gym, cycling, few spin classes, rowing, pilates, pool running, swimming and last week I started rock climbing. None of these sports has given me anything near the satisfaction I feel at the end of a short run around the reserve where I live. It is sad to say, but when I drive around I look at every runner I encounter with both envy and curiosity. I wish I was them and I look at the way they run trying to learn something. I talk to my fellow runners and they tell me about their training and their races and, I must admit, it would hurt less if they punched me on the face. I go to the finish line of races to support Lidia or other friends and it feels like a punishment.

I am definitely not taking injury that well!!

BUT.. luckily, there is always a BUT..

In the last few days I also realized that I’m lucky.. there are a lot of people, colleagues, strangers, friends and family members wishing for my recovery. Every day, at least two or three people are genuinely asking me how my foot is doing and if there is any progress. Two days ago in particular, four friends did something that really touched me. They all wear my green Outruncancer t-shirts for the Oxfam 100km trail race in Sydney, (another race I had to pull out from). They didn’t tell me and I only discovered when I saw them coming into the checkpoint. I felt honored they thought of me for the race and, somehow, they got me to participate. By the way, they did a great time of 14:56 mins.. this confirms that my t-shirts make you run faster!!! And I am also lucky to have a person like Lidia by my side. She has endured my constant change of mood and energy levels, my irritability and constant talking about my foot. She has kept me positive and has been very supportive. She is really my lucky star.

And the cross training is not that bad after all.. In the last couple of weeks in particular, I got back into swimming. And I ventured into the ocean. I can now comfortably swim 1.5km in under 30mins. Not a fast time by any standard but definitely a huge improvement for me. I am still pretty uncomfortable at the idea of what may be swimming under me but I’m getting better.. I must be because where I normally go, sharks (small and innocuous) are normal encounters. Less frequently, you see other see creatures like whales and dolphins! I am not kidding.. last week, as we were getting out of the water, 5-6 dolphins came up where we were swimming 5 minutes earlier. Last month, a whale – yes a whale! – emerged at touching distance from the swimming group ! This is Australia!

So, I am not out of trouble yet and it looks like I will have to be patient for a little longer. I hold big hopes for tomorrow’s scans. I need to get some answers and workout a strategy to fight back. One thing is sure, I am not certainly giving up. There are a lot of people wishing me well and I love running too much. I am not going to leave stones unturned, I will do anything I can to come back, stronger and more motivated than before. And then start talking about the next challenge.

Thanks

Luca

A month has passed since my last marathon in Italy and my last post. A lot of people have asked me the “now what?” question and I have not fully figured out the answer yet.

Since coming back to Australia, I worked hard to go back to the “real life”, to a routine and a financial equilibrium. I was actually looking forward to go back to work, eager to tell my “war stories” to friends and colleagues. I received such a warm welcome back, that made me realise once more that I can call Sydney home. The daily walks on the Cremorne Reserve and sight of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge fill my heart, another confirmation that I belong here.

Going from a routine of running a marathon before lunch, travelling for the rest of the afternoon and blogging at night to sitting at the desk for 8 hours a day and spend the rest of the time juggling with the daily tasks, has been (and still is) challenging and very disorienting. A big change, physically and mentally and only now I am starting to fully adapt to the new/old regime. To make the change more difficult, the three days walking and sightseeing in Dubai on my way back from Italy, really stuffed up my injured and inflamed left foot. So as a result, I took almost 3 weeks off from running… or I shall say I did my best.. went for few short runs (8km) despite the pain. I tried cycling, spinning classes and regular gym but they do not cut it for me.. needed to run to keep my sanity! I know it is pretty sad. The foot is now slowly recovering and I’m looking forward to my next challenges ** (read below)!

In the process of re-adaptation, I had lots of time to reflect about what I have achieved and what lays ahead of me. The Outruncancer experience pushed the boundaries of what I thought I could achieve from a personal and physical level.  It gave me a real boost of energy and confidence! I now truly believe that with the right dedication I can “do anything”. Again, not because I think I’m special but because I realised that as human being we have this power within and it’s just a matter of finding the right switch to turn it ON. With this new “knowledge” comes responsibility. It’s now my call.. how do I want to shape my life? Now What?

I certainly enjoyed the physical and mental challenge of running 20 marathons in 29 days and to dedicate so much time training for this single event. What I loved the most, was the contact with people, getting others excited and involved with my charity project. And what a feeling discovering to have contributed (at some level) to some people start running or stop smoking or eating healthier.  Not to mention the immense satisfaction of raising $$$ for a worthy cause and getting very close to the target – 43000$ at today. These are things I certainly want to keep doing.. in a way or another, under the spotlights or as supporter to others. So, anyone has some idea or crazy project on the go?? J Work wise, I realised it is time for me to gear-up, fully commit and invest on what I’m doing or what I want to do and seek success and full satisfaction. Time to flick that switch to ON again.

Too much seriousness .. don’t worry.. it’s temporary!!J

In regards to my coming challenges, here my next few runs:

19/05/2012 : North Face 100: 100km in the Blue Mountains (Sydney)

30/06/2012 : Tough Bloke Challenge: Obstacle course (Sydney)

22/07/2012 : Hunter Valley Marathon: Marathon in the wineries.. oh yeah!!

24/08/2012 : Oxfam Trailwalker: 100km trailRUN on the Great North Walk

I am really looking forward to next week NF100 regarded as one of the best Ultras in Australia. Given the condition of my foot, it’s likely I won’t see the finish line but I don’t mind too much.. it will be good to run a few kms on that track. But hey.. you never know.. miracles do happen!! J

So it’s all for now, talk to you all soon!

Ciao!

L

You can say I arrived to the marathon in Milan very well prepared. I’ve been thinking about it for very long time: 28 days, 802km of running and 6000km by car . My plan was to give it all I had left and I certainly did. Not once in the last 12 months of training and races, I got to the end of a run with the same feeling of having squeezed my body to the maximum, to the point I could have not been even a second faster. It’s very rewarding sensation.

For this marathon, I had the pleasure to run with Terence and Luigi. Luigi is one of Beatrice’s work colleagues. Last year I run the Milan half marathon with him, a couple of weeks my mum died. We built a connection right away and I’m very happy we managed to see each other again. He is training for the Edinburgh race, and, for him, this was going to be a training run.

Terence is a dear friend of mine from Sydney. He is my running mentor, I started running with his running group and I look up to him for advices. He is the real deal, having been Australian champion of 100km and just a couple of months ago winner and record breaker at the Antarctic marathon. For the Milan marathon, he offered one his support, renouncing to a time to stay with me from start to end, whatever pace.

On the day, the weather was shit. There is no better technical term to describe it. It had been raining for the whole night and even on the day, it didn’t stop for a second. Before the start we were all wrapped up in bin bags and we kept our long sleeve rain jacket on for half of the race.

As if running a marathon after other nineteen wasn’t enough, I had the brilliant idea to make it interesting and try to run it in crescendo. This means start slow to pick up the pace km after km. My plan was to run:

from start to 10km at 5min/km

from 10km to 20km at 4:40 min/km

from 20km to 30km at 4:20 min/km

from 30km to finish at 4:00 min/km

pretty ambitious I know as it would have meant a 3:08 marathon… but what the heck! Go big or or go home!!

We started off extremely well, all three very comfortable at 5min/km pace. We completed the first 10km in just over 50mins and considering the rubbish conditions, flooded roads and “human traffic” it was already a good achievement.

The second 10km also went very well, we kept the faster pace (4:40) well and still managed to chat without feeling fatigued. We got to the halfway mark dead on time although at that stage the rain had already taken it out of us more than needed.

The second half marathon was going to be very difficult. I knew that from the start. I had not memories to having been faster than 4:40 in long time, and 21km is a long way. Because it was a training run for him, Luigi decided not to push too much and run that 10km at 4:30 instead. So we stayed together up until km 25. Terence and I continued alone from there aiming at a faster 4:20 pace.

My real race started around km 30. Up until then, I had felt okish or I had convinced myself I was. The reality hit me hard as Terence looked back at me and asked how I was feeling and that it was time to change gear again. I assured him I was fine, faking a smile and thumbs up but it wasn’t the case. Everything in my body was aching. The legs felt like they weighted a ton each, my left plantar was screaming at each step. My lungs were burning. Terence must have seen that coming as he started to talk to me and encourage me to keep going. “Come on, you run 830km up until now, 10km is nothing! 40 minutes and it’s over!” If it hadn’t been for him, I would have never managed to keep that fast pace, now under 4:20min/km but still very far from 4min/km. The km passed and I got quieter and quieter, fully focused on not letting go. A million of thoughts came to my mind.. each of those reminding me that my pain was only temporary. The famous 35km wall, hit me hard but as I was considering my options, there was a magical coincidence. One of the spectators saw us coming, removed her jumper and shouted “Me too!! Me too!!” as she showed us her Outruncancer t-shirt. Almost at the same time, a runner sprinted to reach us to say “Hi Luca, congratulations! Sorry, I have to stop I cramped!!”. Talking about well timed support.. these two episodes really cheered me up making me lightheaded.

The rest is story, I kept pushing and pushing. Every km as it was my last. And when I finally reached km41, something took over and I managed to clock my fastest km, at 3:59min/km.. to complete the marathon in 3h:15mins.

At the finish line, my dad, Beatrice and my auntie hugged me from over the fence and I couldn’t hold my tears of joy… I completed what I set up to do. I run one marathon in each of the Italian regions in less than a month.

Meanwhile Lidia was still running her marathon, her second in just a month. She finished with a great 4h:22mins PB. I’m really proud of her, not just for the running achievement but mostly for her determination and beautiful soul. She showed plenty of both during this adventure.

To my great pleasure, Beatrice had organized a brunch in Milan with part of the bill going to charity. Lots of her friends and colleagues were there. Alex, another friend from Sydney now living in London was there with his group of friends. Phil, Enrico, Rainer, Luigi and few others were there. Lunch was great and we ended up staying till late afternoon.

As I write this post, It feels as this happened ages ago. I still haven’t come to fully realized what happened in the last month. For sure, it was a great adventure.