People who know me know I don’t believe in perfection but that you prepare meticulously, be on the start line in the best shape possible and then execute your race plan as well as you can. After that the result will be often determined by many other factors, but you finish knowing that you have done everything you could.
Having said that what I do believe is that most marathon runners have a four year window of opportunity and for me that was between the ages of twenty eight and thirty two when I had absorbed adequate training for my body to be strong enough to run a marathon, and I had completed enough events to know what was required to run a good one.
After being competitive in my previous five marathons; including four championships and one city marathon, I was poised to really attack a marathon with confidence. So, it was in 1990 that we locked in the Berlin Marathon at the end of September.....
To read this article and loads more, sign up to Runner's Tribe ADDICT.
We have sourced the world's top writers and filmmakers to deliver any athlete, coach, parent or fan the ultimate portal for athletics education, enjoyment and inspiration. See for yourself at Runner's Tribe ADDICT.
