Graham Cummins on why marathon running is as good as scoring against Rangers and Celtic
Graham Cummins celebrates a goal at Celtic Park. Picture: Graeme Hart.
SIXTEEN weeks ago, I decided to sign up for the Cork City marathon, and at that stage, I never envisioned just how obsessed I would become with the race.
This will be my second marathon after competing in the same race last year. I’d always questioned whether to do the marathon again this year because last year’s experience was such a high, I was fearful that this marathon may be an anticlimax.
I’ve enjoyed many experiences throughout my sporting career, scoring a league-winning goal for Cork City, hitting the net against Celtic and Rangers, and last year’s marathon is among the best.
When I came to the tail end of my soccer career, I always believed that once I retired, I would never run again.
I would stick to either walking or cycling because I’ve done enough running throughout my life.
I suppose as someone who was a professional athlete for several years of their life, I was never going to be satisfied going for walks, that I would need to have competitiveness in my life.
Of course, I’m not an elite athlete, and coming anywhere close to winning any sort of race is out of the question when you are competing against athletes who have been racing throughout their lives.
However what I love about running, is that for your average runner it’s not about competing against anyone, it’s about beating your own goals. The biggest contrast I have found between running and soccer is that in the former it is constant encouragement even from those competing against you, whereas in soccer for the majority of time, you are dealing with criticism even from your own teammates.
Last year, I decided to enter the marathon at a late stage with the expectation of finishing at a respectable time.
I had been running in the lead-up to the event and did finish in around the 3:05 hour mark.
I ‘hit the wall’ the last five kilometres of that race and underestimated what a marathon could do to your body. I assumed because I could run 22-25k, how much more difficult would 17k be.
I remember completing the marathon thrilled that I had finished it but also deflated that I was close to getting a sub-three. That feeling of disappointment is the main reason I signed up this year. My target time is to get a sub-three, and as I have written, it has become an obsession.
I used to think that running a race was just about being fit. I was unaware of the other aspects that go into running. You have to have a race strategy.
It’s not a case of just if you feel good running at a certain pace then just stay running at it. I thought that last year and it came back to haunt me in the latter stages.
Nutrition during the race is so important. Finding the right gel, when to take them and how many to take has played on my mind for weeks, and I’m still not sure I’ve got it right ahead of tomorrow.
There are so many little strategies I was unaware of such as trying to avoid looking at my watch throughout the race as it consumes energy. I wouldn’t have been aware of these without advice from experienced runners and spending hours listening to podcasts... training hasn’t been easy.
There were days when I was struggling to walk up the stairs because my knee was in so much pain. It wasn’t an injury causing the pain, just my body trying to adjust to the new demand I was putting on it.
There were days when I would be doing my long run that I would blow up, which would make me doubt myself. What I do know is that without the support of my family, it would not be possible.
It is a very demanding sport and were it not for their understanding that I do have to go for runs even during family holidays, then I would not be in a position to try and achieve my goal tomorrow.
Whatever happens tomorrow, it is a fantastic event and I’d like to wish all the runners the best of luck.
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