Marathon goal

The renowned Majorcan athlete Toni Contestí started his meteoric career 20 years ago. He has completed numerous marathons -from New York to Paris, passing through Mallorca-, Ironman, Ultraman, Ultra Trails, etc. that have elevated him to the elite of the sport. Between epic adventures such as the Sables Marathon or the swim crossing of the Menorca canal, he has time for solidarity challenges such as running 24 hours on a treadmill for Sclerosis.

By: Toni Contestí.

The previous week

It is one of the most important moments of your preparation. You’ve been training hard for months, with a clear goal, and suddenly you drastically decrease your training. An important change that entails the appearance of many fears that you must overcome. Any overexertion you put in this week will be negative. Take the opportunity to rest and mentally plan your marathon.

Km 0
Visualize your race dividing it into small challenges and focus on overcoming them one by one. Put away the nervousness and fears that surround you and soak up the euphoria of the moment.
Concentrate, monitor your body, your sensations and pay attention to your race pace, not getting carried away by the excessive speed of the runners at the start. Is your moment. Enjoy it.

Km 10

You have reached your first challenge in a simple way. You must have gone faster than you had planned. It is the moment in which you must analyze the situation, listen to your body and adjust your speed to arrive at Km 21 rested. You must prepare yourself mentally to suffer a downturn caused by the first symptoms of fatigue. Remember to eat and drink regularly.

Km 21
The half marathon. You multiply the time invested by two to get an idea of what you can achieve. Surely you have already experienced a downturn that your mind has helped to overcome. You analyze your body and adjust the rhythm based on the sensations you receive. The experience will help you to get to know yourself better and better and thus adjust your speed appropriately.
Take a gel.

Km 30

You have reached your penultimate challenge. You are happy, there is only the last section left, and at the same time scared if the dreaded wall that everyone talks about appears. You must think that the wall does not exist if you have run with your head and if you have fed correctly. In this case, this section becomes the most exciting moment of the race with the feeling of doing the
job well.

Km 42

You’ve got it. You have finished that challenge to which you have dedicated so much effort. You feel happy, euphoric. You have rarely felt so happy. The marathon has this fabulous reward for so much effort. Now think about pampering your body because it has suffered a great wear and tear. Stretch, eat something, give yourself a massage and share these unforgettable moments with your loved ones.