Perth City to Surf Marathon Race Report

Chris Eagar is a great friend of ours who recently relocated to Perth with his

family.  As well as a valued training and race buddy he is also one of our Karmea Athlete’s now flying the flag over in WA.  

When he decided to take on the Perth City to Surf Marathon we were privileged to be asked to guide him to his goal of a new PB and for him to experience the Karmea integrated method of training for sport.  His dedication to training was legendary, his balance of life/work/family/sport was inspiring and his race result was purely remarkable.    Here’s his write up of his experience at the event and during training.

We’re very proud of you Chris!  Now…. what’s the next target??

Perth City to Surf Marathon . 26 August 2012.  – Author : Chris Eagar.

The marathon. Few words have the capacity to conjure up immediate feelings of such intensity.  To most, a marathon is synonymous with 42.2km’s of pain and discomfort, and one of the pinnacles of endurance running.  The majority of people have zero interest in such sadistic hobbies, while others, such as myself, are drawn to this event for the mental and physical challenge that it offers.  Having completed three marathons I’ve somehow been lured into discovering my bodies hidden running abilities.  It’s rather mysterious how this gradually happens to most runners regardless of ability.

Having relocated from Sydney to Perth I was a stranger in a new city.  Without even thinking I signed up for the first event that I stumbled upon which happened to be the Perth City to Surf marathon in August 2012.  Like the bull headed Taurean that I am, I wouldn’t be happy with just crossing the finish line, but had to land a new PB.  Pleased with my previous effort of 3:13 I wasn’t sure if I would be able to improve upon this, especially considering that I had done only sporadic running over the past 6 months. 

Seeking some friendly advice I rang my friend Warren at Karmea to get his take on it with the hopes of also getting a training program that I could follow.  Warren suggested that he could coach me via correspondence.  I hung up thinking: “a running coach on the other side of the country?”  Did I hear him correctly?  I was sceptical at first, but the more I thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. 

Starting at a modest fitness level with only 18 weeks on the calendar I needed all the help I could muster.  Training alone, through winter and looking for a sub 3hr 10 min finish would be a major challenge.  The one thing that calmed my nerves was Warren’s unwavering confidence in achieving my goal. 

At the start of each week, Warren or Sarah Anne would send me my program for the upcoming 7 days asking for my feedback on every session so that they could adjust my program accordingly.  We would chat every weekend so that they knew exactly where I was at with my training, in addition to instilling some much-needed confidence to me along the way.  Initially, I was concerned at the simplicity of their training sessions, but they assured me that building the proper foundation was necessary for the tough sessions ahead. 

Ten weeks into my training I was taken off guard when Warren proposed my race pace of 4:20/km.  I could hardly sustain this pace for 5km’s so how was it humanly possibly for me to hold this for 42.2km!  Suddenly I started to doubt Warren’s coaching and my running abilities.  As usual however, Warren’s optimism and confidence didn’t waver. 

Having persevered through the tough weeks of my program I followed the plan with religious devotion.  Over four months I only missed three sessions, all due to factors out of my control.  As I entered the taper period I was still uncertain if I could hold the 4:20 race-pace, but I had the utmost confidence in the training programme.  On the eve of the race we went over my race plan and Warren gave me some final words of inspiration.

After the gun went off I had to hold myself back from the surging mass.  As the kilometres melted away I was amazed at how comfortable my pace of 4:20 felt.  At the midway point I was on target for my sub 3:10 target.  Thirty kilometres into the race and I was still feeling fresh.  It wasn’t until the 36km mark that I really had to dig in. 

As I sprinted the last 200m’s to the finish it started to sink in that I had more than just achieved my goal.  My official race time was 3:05:55.

I had no idea that a marathon could not only be enjoyable, but dare I say, ‘relatively’ easy.  I am now a firm believer in not only using a coach, but more importantly, finding the right coach.  I love Karmea’s philosophy, which is focussed on healthy living: fitness, proper nutrition, stretching, and a positive outlook on life. 

After a couple weeks off from running and basking in my personal achievement I spoke to Warren about my next challenge.  Needless to say I wasn’t surprised with his answer when I asked him if he thought I could go sub 3 hours: “I know you can”!

Karmea offer performance coaching for all types of events.  Contact us today and find out how we can help you get to the start line of your event, fitter, healthier and ready to race thanks to the Karmea balance of integrating smarter training methods, clean nutrition and important recovery into your training plans.  Call Sarah Anne 0n 0420 923 067 to talk through your sporting dreams and how we can help you achieve them.

08 October 2012

By Sarah Anne

@

Recommended

Contact

+61 420 923 067





Social & Subscribe