PAUL
Paul is 38. He’s been running for 10 years. However, the New York Marathon was still on his target list. Paul explains how he prepared for this legendary event.
The biggest marathon in the world requires serious training!
The New York Marathon is a mythical event. I'd already run 9 marathons and 2 “Marathons des Sables” (Sand Marathons), but whenever anyone said, “What about New York?” I had to say “Not yet”... So I decided to do it with my running club. If you want to take part on your own it’s really diffi cult and you end up being part of a lottery because there are so many people wanting to do it. Two million spectators lining the route and over 315 million television viewers across the world! That is frankly impressive.
My aim was to do it in 3 hours. I developed my own training
schedule over 9 weeks. During the fi rst two weeks, I mostly worked on my speed in track sessions, fi ve days a week doing interval training: 800m at full speed followed by 400m jogging. Ten times in a row! One of these 5 sessions lasted over 3 hours to prepare my body for that famous marathon “wall”.
I used two devices as support: a heart rate monitor to check my heart rate and my Compex with its “recovery” function, which I used after each major run. I also used my stimulator on other occasions: when I felt a weakness in my ankle, I didn’t want to take any risks, and so replaced one training session with an hour of muscle training using my Compex. Over the next four weeks, I worked on endurance with longer, slower track sessions. During this phase, I also made myself do a cross-country run of over 3 hours, completed by a Capillarization programme, still with the aim of getting me through the legendary “wall”. This precaution proved to be worthwhile because on D-day the weak spell only lasted 4 or 5 minutes and then my body took over and took off again!
And then there’s sleep. You need a lot of sleep, but after intensive training late in the day, it’s not easy to drift off. As I was working at the same time, I didn’t have much choice. The most diffi cult thing is to plan everything so that you’re in top shape on D-day.
Coming back to my “self-designed” training, the last three weeks I simply jogged three or four
times a week to maintain my fi tness. I felt good and often wanted to “cut loose”, but the most
important thing in this pre-race phase is to be revitalized, to regain your strength… It’s almost
like resting.
This was when I most appreciated the Oxygenation and Massage functions of my Compex. I felt as light as a feather! I also used it regularly, fi ve times a week, to strengthen my muscles without getting tired. And that’s great!
At last, the big day arrived. A beautiful autumn sun shone on the Verrazano Bridge where the
race starts. And after the traditional American National Anthem, the starting gun was fi red
at 10.10 am. There were about 40,000 of us ready for the dash! Coming out of Brooklyn and
in Central Park, it was absolutely crazy. Never since have I experienced such an atmosphere.
A short run through the Bronx, where I had a bit of a weak spell before we headed back into
Manhattan. And then, the last few kilometres in Central Park to the applause of an amazing
crowd... I finished in 3 hours 12 minutes.
But the most important preparation for a marathon is in your head! For fi ve months I had been putting stickers of the New York Marathon in my bathroom, my offi ce, my car and even over my bed! I thought about it all the time. I can tell you that when you become totally absorbed
in an upcoming race, you get there, even if it’s hard.
