There are no books or websites (at least none that I’ve found) written for vegan men who decide to run their first marathon at the age of 59.
By way of contrast there are plenty of guide books and blogs with photos of healthy young athletes; a fact that tends to have a de-motivating effect on mature runners like yours truly.
This post therefore has the twofold aim of plugging a gap in the market and sharing my experience after finishing the gruelling 42.195 km (26.219 mile) course.
I am living proof that you can go the distance on a plant-based diet and at my age.
I am not one of life’s natural runners. At high school I made a conscious attempt to avoid the cross-country races that were part of physical education curriculum.
I only really started seriously jogging late in my 40s when the effect of the ‘dolce vita’ in Italy was starting to be evident through a rapidly expanding waistline.
A 20 minute amble around a park gradually increased to more ambitious trails as I discovered the benefits to mind and body. I progressed to completing a couple of 11km ‘fun’ runs then onto a half marathon. The logical next step was a full marathon and what began as a vague idea soon escalated into something approaching an obsession.
I began to train more diligently. I got inspired by Haruki Murakami’s ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ and also wanted to prove a point that my vegan lifestyle was fully compatible with strenuous physical activity.
To cut to the chase, in April 2017 I registered for an annual Maratona Alzheimer run held every September near my home town of Cesena in Emilia-Romagna. This follows a mostly downward course from a hillside village to the coastal town of Cesenatico which, on paper at least, doesn’t look too daunting.
I needed a medical certificate to complete the enrollment process. This is a requirement for everyone not just the over 55s. I thought this would be a formality because I don’t smoke, drink moderately and do regular exercise. It came as a shock to find that I had high blood pressure and had to have further tests and a heart scan before the doctor was satisfied that I wasn’t going to croak on the way to the finish line. This temporary setback was, upon reflection, a good thing as up to that point I think I was actually overdoing it by running, working out or swimming every day without giving my body a proper chance to recover.
Thereafter, I followed a more balanced training programme although I did need to include a few longer runs of more than two and half hours to prove that I had the strength and stamina for the full marathon. The longest I had run before the real thing was 30 km (18.6 miles) . The fact I could reach this point deluded me into thinking that I could complete the 42k in around 4 hours.
The race day was last Sunday – 17th September 2017. I joined 352 other competitors feeling nervous but quietly confident. The timing chip I wore registers that I completed the first 12 km in 1 hour 12 minutes and that I reached the half way point in just over 2 hours. What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a bit actually.
The race started at 8.30am in perfect running conditions – cloudy and cool, no wind. But at around 10 o’clock the skies cleared and the sun came out. This was perfect weather for lazing on the beach but very bad news for those poor souls running on exposed minor roads and pathways towards the coast.
My legs began to feel heavy after the 30k point and then I felt a twinge in my right knee which I’d never had before. As a precaution I decided to walk a little but found that once my steady rhythm was broken it proved impossible to regain. On top of this I became incredibly thirsty. There were numerous restoration points en route and I had a couple of energy gels with me but none of these quenched the thirst. I must have drunk over 2 litres but I still felt parched and had no urge to pee. I realized that I was getting dehydrated, something I have never experienced before.
The final leg of the marathon was therefore by far the longest and toughest, something I’d anticipated but not in quite this way. I abandoned my personal mantra that ‘walking is not an option’ and now think I made the right decision. The alternative was to risk serious injury or to reach a point of complete meltdown. I hobbled on running as much as possible but every step was a real struggle.
When I eventually reached the finish line I was feeling too spaced out to feel any euphoria or immediate sense of achievement.
My finish time was officially logged at 4 hours 55 minutes. This was far longer than I expected and I couldn’t help feeling disappointed not to finish stronger and sooner.
Since then I have read that completing the course in under 5 hours is not such a disgrace for first timers, and certainly not for those of my age. It meant that I had run for more than 75% of the course.
It was another 2 hours before I felt the need to pee meaning I hadn’t urinated for about 9 hours despite all the liquid I’d consumed. On top of this my legs feel stiffer than I’ve ever known.
At the end of the run I vowed I’d never do anything like this again. I have crossed one item off my bucket list so should set myself new challenges . However, once the aches and pains have worn off I may feel differently – running is a bug and one thing I have learned from this whole experience is never to say never.
