A story of glory from Terrence Longley

Non-runner to athlete.

I want to share this moment with you all, this right here was the very last step of my marathon, a journey that took me from non-runner to athlete in a series of highs and lows that spanned over a year.

I signed up for this thinking that 42.2kms really wasn’t that far, I mean… it was 10 times further than any distance I had previously ran, but with a few weeks of training I was so sure in my mind I could show up and finish. But a part of me had something to prove, mostly to myself, and so I applied an almost unattainable finishing time to this already massive goal…I wanted to break the 4 hour barrier on my first attempt. I had heard of athletes that have trained for years and never broken the 4 hour barrier. Some people said this kind of pressure was unnecessary, and that I should just finish my first one without any added pressure of a finishing time. Afterall the marathon is a challenge, you either complete it or you don’t, everyone gets the same medal at the end. For me… achieving greatness is about setting goals that have just as much potential to fail as they do to succeed. That’s what makes it worth it.

What I didn’t realize a year ago is that this entire journey had almost nothing to do with the marathon itself and everything to do with the 2000kms I would run over the course of a year, mostly waking up at 4.30am every morning to jog around the city streets, in silence and on my own, in rain, hail or shine. It became about focus, sacrifice, dedication and determination. It became about nutrition and strength. And it became about massive highs, and deep lows…

Most new runners will start of in a blaze of high speed runs and reach for the sun as they sprint down the pavement at max effort, and it feels great too, but it doesn’t last… It’s almost guaranteed they will all soon be met by injury. No runner is exempt, and my story certainly isn’t either. Injuries with running plunges you into a deep low, because there is nothing you can do except take it easy, progress tends to slow, sometimes stops, or even goes backwards, this can be gut wrenching to accept. But injuries also reveal to us our limitations, and knowing our limitations is equally empowering, at least in the long term. When I was recovering from a bad calf strain, only 3 months out from the marathon, and most likely from pushing too fast trying to hit a PB on a casual easy run, I was really down about it and I realised pretty quick that I would have to build the strongest legs possible in an incredibly short amount of time. I would need some help, someone dedicated that understood body mechanics and strength. I found Krystie and Paul offering personalised one-on-one sessions, and this was exactly what I needed, I signed up almost straight away. Paul was pretty honest about my abilities and identified concerns immediately, but never at all did he say my mission was not achievable, he just said in a calm voice “we’ve got work to do” and started to coach me through the subsequent weeks of training, strength work, mobility restoration, power development, balance, massage, and on top of all of that, he was also my sounding board, I was able to bounce ideas and strategies off him each session, he gave me solid real life advice, and guided me on a massive range of topics.  I have no doubt in my mind that because of Paul and his structure at Results Personal Training, I was able to show up to the marathon without any doubt that I had done everything humanly possible to be the best version of myself on the start line. 

The lead up to your first Marathon feels like an eternity when you sign up months in advance but before you know it, you’re on the start line, with no one else around you that can help, it’s down to you, and you alone to execute your race.

On the 26 August 2023 I finished my first marathon in 3hrs 45 mins and 27 seconds, above and beyond what I thought was ever possible. There’s a saying that goes “everything you want to know about yourself can be learnt in 42.2km” but I dispute this… I believe that everything you want to know about yourself can be found in the thousands of kilometres of training, and months of blood, sweat and tears that it takes to arrive at the start line. As a good friend of mine put it “the marathon is just the victory lap.” 

The feeling I had in this final step is one that I will treasure for the rest of my life, I achieved greatness and everyone has greatness inside of them.

I dare YOU to train for a Marathon, and not have it change your life. 

Terence Longley