How the power of positivity got me to 2:49

This year’s Chester Marathon was a big moment for me. I’d run it before, so I knew what to expect from the course – the long stretches, the rolling hills, and the tough climb towards the end. My aim was clear: stick to my target pace and hold it as long as possible.

Overall, the race itself was fine because I knew the layout of the course. Throughout, I tried hard to stick to my target pace, but going downhill made it harder and I knew if I didn't try to slow down, I would pay the price. Thankfully, I managed to hold that pace until the last four miles, which were all uphill. Towards that part of the race, I felt like I was dying, as you can probably tell from my splits – they were all above the target pace. What was going through my mind at this point was: I wasn't going to get the time I wanted. My mind was saying, I won’t get it... I won’t get it... I’ll get it next year.

I was running with headphones, and suddenly a song from Eminem called “Lose Yourself” came on my playlist, which encouraged me to push the negative thinking aside. It helped me focus on my body, my effort, and the fight still left in me. A nutritionist once told me not to have any gels after the twenty-three mile mark as it was pointless, but I decided not to listen to him and instead listened to my instinct. I took the gel and it gave me the extra energy I needed, which massively helped to push away negative thoughts and finish strong. It enabled me to get the time I wanted. That was one of the few times in my life where I truly battled negative thinking – and it paid off. In the period where I hit the wall, I had a brief flash of who I was doing it for, what keeps me going and why I was doing it. Because of this, I pushed through the wall and it paid off.

I had adjusted a few things with my marathon training – the strength training and my weekly distance, which I increased from 90–100km to 101–110km a week. I also changed my weekend runs. In the summer, my club doesn’t have regular races, unlike during cross-country season, which meant I instead did marathon-paced runs – running as long as I could, then holding marathon pace.

Another change for this marathon was the shorts I wore. At previous marathons, the gels would fall out of my shorts, as the pockets had no zips, and that would impact the run. But I more or less tried to keep it similar to when I completed the Edinburgh Marathon with regard to my nutrition. The Edinburgh Marathon felt like everything was going my way, but things didn’t continue to go according to plan because a storm hit around the twenty-mile mark.

What also helped with this marathon was, unlike the others, running with a group of people of similar ability. As much as running is an individual sport, I have been running as part of a club – Eton Manor AC, in East London – for 13 years, and I have found that running with your own individual motivations, as well as with a group of like-minded people, definitely keeps you motivated to keep running.

The biggest change I have experienced has been my mindset. I have always struggled with being a positive thinker. I have realised that you can do all the training in the world, but it’s your mind that motivates you and pulls you through. My granddad played a huge part in my life, and without his positivity and his influence it would be so much more difficult: he was the King of Positivity. This positive attitude was something I wanted to be able to have for myself, but it seemed that I could not be as upbeat as he was, in spite of the life difficulties he lived with. I am lucky enough to have people around me who have encouraged me to be more positive towards myself – not only to get the marathon time I wanted, but also to achieve other things I crave in life that are now within my reach, because I have become more resilient due to a positive mindset.

My biggest struggle has probably been due to my attitude and inexperience. In terms of running, I knew I had a talent for it, but instead of concentrating on technique, I just started to build up my miles without adequate preparation, which meant I got injured and did not run as well as I could have. I lacked the experience and the knowledge of the importance of drills and strength training. Once I understood that and included them regularly, balancing this with my running, my times improved.

Running has taught me how to defeat that negative voice I have in my head – the one that is negative in any situation I am in. I think we all have that voice in our head to different degrees. Running showed me how to defeat and control it so it doesn’t control my life. Running marathons has taught me that I have the power to think positively and defeat that inner negative voice. With this marathon, when I hit the wall, I powered through it. It felt like I had finally learned my granddad’s lesson – the power of being positive.

I am planning on pursuing a career in personal training. The business idea I have in mind is to always relate mental health with running and other forms of exercise, and to show how it helps people who struggle in life – to show them they are not alone. The media does not generally talk about the inner struggles one can have, and this is something I strongly want to do so that I can help people find the freedom and help that running and other exercise have given me.

George Fernandez is a member of Eton Manor AC, based in Leyton. Follow him on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.