marathon

128 Days Later: The Marathon Truth – Running Isn’t the Hard Part

Today, as I reflect on crossing the finish line of the LSR Colombo Marathon, still unable to belive that I actually completed a Marathon; my body is recovering, and my heart is full! The euphoria of those final steps is real, yet it only lasted a few minutes. The true achievement, the real difficulty, lay in the 128 days that led up to it.

This is the central truth I learned: Running a marathon is not difficult; training for a marathon is.

The Beginning: A Plan and a Purpose

My journey started on June 1st, the day my 18-week training plan kicked off. The total commitment spanned 128 days, a period that demanded sacrifice, consistency, and a profound mental shift. My initial goal for Colombo was simple: finish. But I knew a solid plan was the only way to get there.

The training was strategically broken down into phases, starting with a base build. It was a monotonous, beautiful grind of easy runs, building my mileage from single digits up to the necessary weekly volume. The early mornings, the late evenings, the constant laundry pile of sweaty running gear—that was the daily reality.

Side Note : The training plan was crafted by “Chat GPT”, and I had it reviewed by Coach Tharindu from my Colombo Night Run Family.

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Project Manager’s Guide to Running a Half Marathon

I kicked off 2024 with a New Year’s resolution: to run 1,000 km by the end of the year. I committed to running four days a week—simple math told me that if I ran 5 km per session, I’d reach 1,040 km by year’s end. But the real turning point in my running journey came when I joined the Colombo Night Run (CNR), a weekly 5K that begins and ends at Independence Square in Colombo. It was at CNR that I truly learned how to run.

I’ve always considered myself fairly athletic, having played various sports over the years. And like many former athletes, I had a bit of arrogance—I assumed running was just a matter of lacing up my shoes and heading out the door. Boy, was I wrong.

The post-run conversations with fellow runners at CNR taught me more than I expected. I rediscovered the fundamentals—dynamic vs. static stretching, different types of runs (easy runs, interval training, tempo runs, long runs), cross-training, hydration strategies, and so much more. A few months later, I joined Colombo City Run (CCR), where we explore different routes around the city for our Sunday morning long runs.

Being part of a running community or run club is an incredible experience. The support, motivation, and guidance you receive are invaluable. It not only fuels your passion for running but also drives you to challenge yourself and improve. Plus, you hear about races happening all across Sri Lanka—not just to participate, but to compete.

Which brings me to the topic of this article: running a half marathon. This is not just a story about training—it’s about how I applied lessons from my day job as a Project Manager to prepare for, train, and run my first half marathon.

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