Everyone knows that running a marathon can be painful. The worst part is the final 6.2 miles of the course, as your body runs out of glycogen stores, your legs turn to jelly, and your sweat-drenched head begins to thud. Every step can feel like a mile.
Another challenge comes during the week before the marathon. In those nervy days, everything starts to feel all too real and many runners get swamped with anxiety and self doubt. It’s a paranoid state familiar to professional and first-time marathon runners alike. We call it ‘maranoia’.
I’m running the London Marathon today, so I’m currently deep in maranoia. I keep worrying if I’ve prepared properly, any momentary muscle twinge makes me think it’s the onset of a crippling injury, and all I can think and talk about is the marathon.
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