Six Races E-Book

Sara Velloso

• Herausgeber: Literare Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 137

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Less than 150 Brazilians or 0.00001 percent of the national population completed the challenge that our author Sara Velloso concluded between 2011 and 2019. She ran the six biggest and most traditional marathons in the world crossing the finish line always before the deadline in the cities of Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo. This challenge is called Six Majors, something like the "six major ones", in free translation. On this route, Sara not only won the challenge to cover the 253 kilometers and 170 meters in more than thirty hours on the main streets of these metropolises.She overcame her fears, recalled her stories, reviewed the victories and defeats of which life is made, and in crossing the final line of each of the marathons she found redemption and love, also so necessary to her own existence. It is these moments, kilometer by kilometer, that Sara shares with us. The reader of "Six Races" will discover what the body and mind of a marathon runner is made of and, during the course, will also learn many curiosities about the cities and the stories of these marathons that gather hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world every year.

Leseprobe

Six races

© 2020 by Sara VellosoEditorial coordination: Eduardo FerrariEdition: Ivana MoreiraEditorial assistance: Carolina Vila NovaText: Sara VellosoGraphic design and layout: Leonardo CarvalhoCover: André StenicoOriginal title in portuguese: Seis CorridasTranslation for english: Wide CompanyStock Photos: PixabayPhotos: personal collection

Preface

Behind the scenes of the world marathon majors

José Carlos Fernando*

Training for a marathon is the execution of a journey including not only the physical preparation for the 42,195m but also serves as a process of training in skills such as organization, planning, resilience, self-knowledge as well as other characteristics that, together with the strengthening, stretching and long runs, constitute a person with body and mind in harmony to overcome their challenges.

A journey through the world’s six largest marathons with stories, tips, insecurities and a lot of learning makes us notice ourselves and, at the same time, analyze our strengths and capabilities in the face of challenges.

That is what “Six races” offers you, a delightful book that shows what this sport is capable of teaching us and thoughts on this learning in the face of daily issues.

Light reading and with easy assimilation for you to have the experience that running a marathon is the exercise of improving yourself in the face of new demands in life, whether personal or professional. Good reading.

*José Carlos Fernando, better known as Zeca, is a professor of physical education and nutrition, sports coach and Sara Velloso’s coach since 2008. He was the one who encouraged the author of “Six races” to challenge herself in big races around the world.

Running is the new MBA

In 2008, at the age of 40, encouraged by my brother, I started to practice running in the streets and in 2009 I challenged myself in the Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon. Recently removed from the sedentary lifestyle, former smoker for 8 years, having smoked 2 packs of Hollywood a day for 17 years, I intended to run 21 km or 21,097 meters.

Besides all the dedication, discipline and planning to complete the training period, when any slip in training is a betrayal to yourself, there is also the day of the race: the first challenge was to empty my mind to ensure a good night’s sleep and arrive with energy at the start line. In that place, 17,000 participants intended to leave São Conrado and reach Flamengo Park.

In my case, after 2h36m06s I crossed the finish line. I had a goal that overcame the excitement of the applause from the Vidigal community, the euphoria of seeing Leblon beach opening at the end of the descent from Avenida Niemeyer. The anxietyat the first hydration point and bravely resisting the urge to drown in glasses of water.

I had to accommodate the strides to the pace of the pedestrians leaving the Mass at Ipanema and wanting to cross the street, ignoring my effort, a few even judging me, as if my race was a big annoyance.

In Copacabana, I had knee pain, I felt overwhelming heat and an enormous anxiety to finish everything soon, but I knew that if I did not respect the trained pace, I would lose everything. And that beach. An invitation to abandon everything and... “throw me overboard.”

Going up Avenida Princesa Isabel towards the tunnel, I already felt the weight of exhaustion and my energy lowering. A more tired runner stamped his foot in the ground at an irritating pace, as if on purpose, testing my patience in the descent of Shopping Rio Sul. I took a deep breath once again... and thought about the entrance gate. There I had already covered about 13 kilometers, more than half of the race.

At each sign another kilometer was left behind and I was closer to my goal. Exhausted and always emptying my mind so I wouldn’t let my body give up. Near the Km 16, 5 from the finish line, I will never forget it... A girl, aged 7 or 8, shouted: “Go Sara! You can do it.” And gave me a beautiful smile. In international competitions, this is very common, but that was my first long distance experience. Well... that smile pushed me to the finish line.

When I crossed the entrance gate, I looked to the side and saw a runner wearing the same shirt as my running team. We hugged and celebrate our achievement. There, a great friendship was born. After completing my challenge, I came back home and commented with my brother: “You have to do this.”

For me it was much more than any training or specialization course, it was a school of life. A catalyst for emotional intelligence and life planning. And I have been repeating this ever since.

In 2018, Nizan Guanaes titled one of his columns in Folha de S. Paulo: “Running is the new MBA.” Yes, it is, Nizan. Planning a training, managing the whirlwind of events and emotions that involve an endurance challenge is certainly an MBA... for life.

chapter 1

London

“I don’t know where happiness resides,

but I suspect it is at the finish line.”

(unknown author)

London Marathon [2019]

Race time: 5h18m57s

- I am here for you! - said the volunteer smiling and placing the most anticipated medal of my life around my neck. I finally completed the last race.

I have flashes of the events: images of people on the streets cheering and shouting my name, the medal being handed over, the photographers positioned in my direction, the fruit I received when I finished the race, as well as the thermal blanket they put on my back.

I feel like a celebrity. I am now one of the rare 6,133 people who completed the world’s six largest marathons. 144 Brazilians, with other runners spread over 87 countries. The select group called Six Stars Finisher.

No, I would not be able to describe the exact script for this moment, it is as if I had ingested some doses of alcohol, but this is not what is making my body and mind numb, it is endorphin. 42 kilometers and 195 meters. This is what I ran in just over five hours. The medal around my neck is proof that all my plannings and training have worked. The final goal is completed.

It’s not just 42 kilometers and 195 meters, but six times this distance: London, Tokyo, Boston, Chicago, New York and Berlin. 253 kilometers and 170 meters. Officially. Unofficially, dozens of pairs of sneakers, custom insoles, countless training sessions, weight training, physicians, physiotherapists, nutritionist, coaches, specific diets and thousands and thousands of kilometers covered. And pain. Yes, a lot of pain.

Almost twenty years ago I was a smoker and I never even planned to run around a block. About a decade later, with the races, my life began to change, due to the sport that made me a more focused person and with a pre-established routine. The physical capacity acquired through various plans ended up working in all areas of my life.

“Is all this really happening? Maybe I need to ignore the flashes of now and review the moments that brought me here. Let’s see...” London, 2019, my sixth marathon at Six Majors. First phase in my mental organization.

Start line. Kilometer zero.

Okay, the watch is working. This GPS watch is an essential tool for any runner. I press the “start” button at the start line and it shows me throughout the course: pace, time and mileage.

Start line. “Calm down, Sara, concentrate yourself, you are just at the beginning, everything will be fine! Think about everything you did to get here... okay, let’s go....” Cold, very cold. The 8 degrees is too much for a Brazilian like me.

Or rather, too low. While many were in shorts and T-shirt, I feel all wrapped up, with gloves, beanie and raincoat. And I was like this until the end. I imagine that most people will take their clothes off at the start line, but I won’t. Not this time. The cool thing about this moment is that the street becomes a huge deposit of clothes, which are collected for donation by the event organizers. Knowing this, I keep the clothes to donate that day during the whole year.

“Watch: 500 meters.”

“Cold, cold, forget the cold, Sara. Focus. Think of everything you’ve done to get here, don’t forget it. Ok, 500 meters. Calm down. Keep going.” I sent a letter to twenty charities and only two responded. I donated to Get Kids Going, an association for inclusion in the sport of children and adolescents aged up to 26 years old with mobility difficulties.

They identified my adherence to the cause by the volunteer work I do for the “Pernas de Aluguel” racing group. “Pernas” aims to promote fun for people with motor and cognitive disabilities, who are driven by voluntary runners during street races.

The volunteers take turns pushing the chair for the disabled, promoting their integration with the sport. I participate in events when I am not competing. This was the point taken into consideration for the institution to accept my application, but many people end up being left out. It is not possible to accept all applications. For this reason, each institution acts with criteria when choosing candidates for the race, selecting those who are close to their values, and then authorizing the donation and application. Phew, yes, I did it!

“Watch: 1 kilometer.”

“Look at the Watch: Hurray! One kilometer. Focus and run.” As always, when I complete one kilometer, I think: “I completed one and now there are 41 left.” My preparation for this marathon was not the best, because the months that preceded the race were very complicated at work and I let myself be absorbed by this phase. I got sidetracked from training. I didn’t want that, but I couldn’t see many alternatives at that time. I even gained ten pounds.

I only had four months of training, which is considered little for a marathon. And even in the months of extreme heat, January and February, I ran up to twenty seven kilometers on the treadmill, which was what I was able to use at this stage to train. Three and a half hours on the treadmill. I deserve this medal.

“Watch: 3 kilometers.”

- “Three kilometers. We are doing well.” The first meters and kilometers are the most distressing. These are the moments when I review all the training sessions, the absences, the days that could have been better, and so on... “Could I have been more dedicated? Will I make it? What if I get hurt? Will the nightmare of cramps haunt me in this race? I should have trained more.”

So my mind will be beating up more or less until the second stage of the race. Well, the third stage, if you consider the division made by the race itself. Every five kilometers, there are markings on the course so that runners can organize themselves physically and mentally for the route, in addition to an electronic mat, where everyone steps and connects with the chip that each participant carries in their shoes for the race measurement. This way, the time, pace and position of each person are recorded in real time. Your friends and family can follow these passages through mobile phone.

Internally, I count every seven. Six times seven kilometers. 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42. So, for me, it works like this: up to about fourteen kilometers my body is already warm, used to the race, temperature and pace reached. This sense of balance accompanies me until I have covered about thirty kilometers. After that, I inevitably get tired, pain in the legs and knees occurs and I go on until the end, mentally controlling the pain and anxiety of arriving.

In short: the first 14 kilometers is the distressing phase, of guilt and reflections on what could have been done better, from 15 to 30 kilometers comes the balance and pleasure phase of the race and after 30, the last phase, which is for pain and anxiety.

Is it worth it? It is. I once talked to a friend about what I do and think about during the race. “It’s a long time alone, I need to concentrate myself on good thoughts in order to have strength and motivation,” I said. In fact, I have long talks with myself, daydream, have ideas, let go disagreements and bad days. Sometimes I even cry.

You have to like yourself a lot to commit to a sport like this. If the company is not good, the person won’t be able to be alone with their thoughts for more than five hours over and over again. And there, it is you and yourself. It takes balance, focus and discipline all the time. I continued. There is no cheating in sports. If you trained, you trained. If you didn’t train. You break down.

“Watch: 5 kilometers.”

“Time to take the gel. Water. Drink it. Good. Let’s go. Think of something to concentrate.” “Raise your arms.” What a joy! Fulfillment. “Focus, Sara. Concentration.”

How do I explain what the marathons are and what they mean to me? Good. A common marathon is a race held on an official 42 km and 195 meter course, the only sport originated from a Greek legend.

Legend has it that, in the year 490 b.C., soldiers from Athens went to the plain of Marathon to fight with the Persians. Athenian women feared the outcome, because the enemies had sworn that after the battle they would head to Athens, rape the women and kill their children. Under this threat, the Greeks instructed the women to kill their children and then commit suicide if they did not receive the message of victory in one day.

The Greeks won the battle, but the fight took longer than expected and so they feared that the women would execute the plan. To avoid the massacre, Greek general Miltiades ordered his best runner, soldier Pheidippides, to run to Athens, about 40 km away, and carry the message. Pheidippides ran the distance so quickly, that when he arrived, he only said “we won” before falling dead from the effort. What a beautiful story, I’m filled with pride.

“Watch: 7 kilometers.”

“We are doing well. You shouldn’t look at your watch that much, Sara. Concentrate yourself on your good thoughts. Everything you experienced to be here today. There were many struggles against yourself. The watch is the least important. Your strength is in your mind and in your heart. Look at the people watching you. So many people.”

“Watch: 8 kilometers.”

“My goodness. I have to review my stride and running strategy, I am not able to finish in the time I stipulated. I’m going to do a sequence and go on throughout the race: walk a minute and run until I complete two kilometers, walk another minute and run until I complete another two kilometers and so on.”

A runner does not manage the run by speed, but by pace, in how many minutes a kilometer is made. A comfortable pace for me is seven minutes per kilometer. I am doing it in six minutes and thirty, so a new plan. If I continue like this I will break down and won’t finish the race.

It is very important to be psychologically prepared to review and change the race plans along the way. It is a project like any other. What is planned does not always happen. Staying focused is essential. I see that I am not able to complete the marathon in less than four and a half hours, I did not train for it. This impromptu maneuver is almost a plan B and every athlete must be prepared for this. “Okay, Sara, everything will be fine. You’re doing well!”

“Watch: 10 kilometers.”

“Raise your arms. Hurraaaaay! Almost in the second stage... I passed the mat. Great. Another gel, water..., drink it... Concentrate yourself! Thinking about the marathon was good. Let’s focus on this, Sara!”

Six Majors or the officially World Marathon Majors is a competition for lovers of the marathon, which was created in 2006 and has since taken place every year in six major cities: Berlin, New York, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo and London.

Amateur athletes who complete the six events receive a certificate and the most coveted “Six Star Finisher Medal” medal. The “Hall of Fame” was created on the official website of “The Abbott World Marathon Majors” where runners have their races and times published.

At each participation, athletes receive a medal. And after participating in all of them, regardless of order, you win the Six Stars Finisher medal, corresponding to the total participation in the marathons. I had no idea about this award, and Nelo presented me with this challenge.

“Watch: 14 kilometers.”

“Second part of 6 x 7. Great. My goodness, I’m going to fall. What is this unexpected obstacle?” A runner dropped a bottle of water on the floor, I couldn’t avoid it, I stepped in it and turned my foot. The people around me hold me and I stand firm, although in great pain. Is it bad luck, stepping on a bottle of water? “Am I going to make it? Will the pain go away? Is it over for me here?”

Pain...