It is now two years since I had the opportunity to run the New York City Marathon, an experience that was not only sporting but also enriched me greatly on the human level, thanks to the encounters with the many friends of the RunLovers Club who were present, led by Lorenzo who is a true enthusiast of the Big Apple and the NYC Marathon and to the pills of sporting wisdom I was able to learn from a running giant like Stefano Baldini, Olympic gold medalist in Athens 2004 and longtime holder of the best Italian time over the queen distance.
In those very intense days, mornings were devoted to the technical briefing (over breakfast of pancakes and American coffee) to plan the things to be done in the day and to always have a second chance in case something, a missed meter or other delay, prevented things from unfolding as they were originally intended. The first day we spent an hour and a half-abundant-in getting ideas in order and figuring out what was critical to do and what was secondary. I have a vivid memory of those moments: sitting in the cafeteria where we had set up our base of operations, in the most classic American movie setting and with the typical paper box full of breakfast treats, each of us would give our opinion on the most scenic places and what could be done. After some time-and several coffees and
pancakes
– our program was ready, and we all had one word in our heads :
planning
.
That then you know – Stephen said, turning to the boys he had coached for the Marathon – applies to everything, and even for Sunday you will have to make a race plan for yourself. Don’t improvise, especially in the beginning, keep the expected pace and even if you are fine, don’t overdo it. Plan the race.
Hearing those words had particularly affected me, because as much as it was a logical rule and I applied it already, good or bad, something said by a great champion like him had taken on even greater importance.
Among the many things to do was to go for a run together with the Olympic champion-not something that happens exactly every day-so that we could get some advice on posture and technique, which we decided to do on the bike/pedestrian stretch that follows the Hudson below the Queensboro Bridge, an iconic site of the New York City Marathon, which is crossed around mile 25 during the race.
These days, as I continue with the training schedule for a hypothetical Half Marathon in December, I adjust the pace and duration of workouts to the progress made, and I am often reminded of those American breakfasts. Planning,” I tell myself, “and I put in a Plan B on days when the workouts seem more complex, so that I am not caught unprepared. I have a fairly dynamic table, now well-tested for my characteristics, so if I plan to run an hour at threshold pace with some final stretches, but then realize that I will have no way to move to go on a flat course, I go to plan B: a hilly run with repeats in the uphill sections. Each of us has different characteristics and should therefore have a specially designed table, but for those starting out there are some
basic tables for the Half Marathon
that can be easily adapted to everyone. The important thing, whether there is a custom study or not, is still only one thing, and I suppose you already know what we are talking about:
planning
!
Photo credits:
Alessia Baldini