42 at 42: A Marathon of Progress, Not Perfection

When Zeenya ambassador Kate turned 42, she set a bold goal: to run 42.2km. This wasn't her first marathon, but it was her most intentional. It was the first time she had ever set a time goal for herself, and while that might sound intimidating, for her it was part of a bigger journey - not just to run a faster race, but to shake off perfectionism and honour progress.

"It’s now 10 days post marathon and while my legs have fully recovered, my body is still a bit tired. I’m easing back into some gentle running and being kind to myself. I’m still super proud."

Why 42?

"There was no deep reason or meaning behind this one. I turned 42 this year so thought it would be the year to run another 42.2km!"

The Perfectionist Trap

"I call myself a recovering perfectionist. I’m working on doing things to 'good enough' and not beating myself up if things aren’t completed to perfection. Each week I would schedule the runs I was going to do from my training plan and if something came up - like being too busy with family stuff or feeling tired or unwell - I would be okay if I had to miss one (or two)."

Ambition Meets Self-Compassion

"I’ve been running consistently for 10 or so years now and numerous injuries have taught me a lot about the need to listen to my body and what it’s telling me. One particular injury took me out of running for six months and since then, I’ve been super-conservative when it comes to any niggles or illness. I’d rather take 2–3 days off now than 2–3 weeks or months off later!

"Age is a great teacher, too. Ambition is still there - of course I want to improve and get the best out of myself - but as I get older I’m understanding more about myself and my ‘why’ when it comes to running. Yes, I want to get the best out of myself but at the end of the day, I really love the feeling of being fit and strong and able to go for a run anywhere, any time. Plus I’m in it for the long run and still running later in life. I really want to be one of those old Grannies running everywhere that younger people look up to."

The Stretch Goal

"This was my third marathon, and the first marathon that I’ve actually set a time goal for. I set this goal 2–3 weeks out from the race after all the work had been done and I had an idea (with my coach’s advice) what I could be capable of.

"Generally I find it really hard to set time goals for any race because (recovering perfectionist!) I don’t like to fail! For too many years I have not even set hard goals to reach because I didn’t want to fail. I’m trying to change that. I knew this marathon goal would be a stretch and there would be a chance I wouldn’t reach it. But, just like there is no failure if you don’t try, there’s also no success! I hoped that I would gain as much from either scenario, no matter what happened."

Start to Finish

"A marathon is such a long way. I’ve trained for two other marathons so I knew the process to build to that distance. I remember the first few long runs that were only 15-20km long and thinking 'how on earth am I going to run 42.2?' but you do get there! I wondered why I’d chosen to do this all over again.

"As the training proceeded and the runs got longer and longer, a new confidence emerged and I couldn’t wait to see what I was capable of on race day.

"Between the start and the finish line on race day was a whole journey in itself! I started confidently but intelligently—deliberately holding myself back to a particular pace so that I would reserve enough in the tank for later on. About halfway it started to get really hot (it was a beautiful Hawke’s Bay day!) and it got hard. At 25km my goal started slipping away from me but I didn’t give up. I knew this was still going to be my strongest marathon yet, and was determined to still run my best race with what I had on the day.

"I ended up with a 16 min PB, and only a few minutes shy of my goal. Of course there’s a little disappointment but I am SO proud of the effort I put in, the PB I achieved, and that I had the courage to try. Even better, I have a new found confidence in myself and I know that goal time is within me. I’ll get it another day."

Reflection and Comparison

"I find it really hard to not compare myself to others. I’m actually still working on this.

"I’ve been finding it useful to think of myself as ‘last year me’ seeing what ‘today me’ has done. ‘Last year me’ wouldn’t believe I would run a marathon in that time. She would be proud of me, so I am proud of me."

What’s Next?

"I’m not sure yet! After all that road training, I’m keen to get back to the trails. Might be time to do another ultra! But first: recovery."

A Message to the Zeenya Community

"Your journey is your own. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Find your ‘why’ and you’ll be set."

A huge thanks to Kate for sharing this with us.