Sunday, Week 15

Race day!

Woke up sleeping on the floor of the sitting room as usual for marathon day, and sneaked out of the house at 6:15am into a cool rainy day.

After switching cars and a quick speed over the Pennines, we arrived in good time, got ourselves organised, and were nicely lined up close to the front by 9am.

And then we were off.

Unlike Wilmslow, it was straight up to pace. Surrounded by runners I kept swivelling round to see who was running the half and who the full marathon as the two races shared the first 10 miles or so. After a run past the Tower for the first time, the course dipped down onto the promenade for a short 2 mile circuit.

I went past the first mile marker and checked my watch - 6:45! Much too quick. The person running next to me said the same, but when I looked I realised he was doing the half. He was a nice guy called Shaun from Ilkley, and I unfortunately started running with him and chatting. We were heading out along the Golden Mile at the 4 miles marker before I finally told him I thought I should slow down. I'd got there in 27min 36sec, and was already wondering how this would feel later on.

The rain was steady now, and everyone was soaked through. It was not cold though, and as far as I could tell, there wasn't any wind. Absolutely perfect conditions.

Past the Big One, and up to the Southern turning point of the first circuit, and I'd settled into 7:10 miles - still faster than my fastest planned split, but it felt quite comfortable. This was where the leading half and marathon runners were coming back the other way. With a course like this I saw everyone else in the race several times.

Shouted to Matt (doing the half) coming back. He looked soaked.

Got to 8 miles in 56min 14sec. Still much too quick.

A slight rise going back past the Tower and then down onto the lower promenade for the first trudge along the concrete energy sapper.

Slowly out of the mist, the beached ship appeared - something to take my mind off the tedious running. Then there was a shock of a very long mile bewteen 11 and 12 miles - reached 12 miles in 1hr 26min 47sec, which was still under the fastest end of my pacing, but the mile took 8:25 and the mind games started. Had I run too quickly and was losing pace already? The next 'mile' took 6:10 and I was back under control!

At 13 miles we rejoined the half runners who were at the 11 miles mark, and I said hello again to Matt as he made his way up a short but nasty hill that I tried to forget I would be going up in an hour and a half, and then it was a left turn to leave the half marathon runners to their finish, and out on the second circuit.

Out to the Big One again and I was still OK, but gradually, as I turned and headed back up the Golden Mile towards the promenade again, I started feeling less strong, and on dropping onto the concrete the 'Wall' was obviously nearing.

I started feeling sick at this point, and tried stuffing in a few Lucozade Sport tablets. By 20 miles however, alone on the bleak seawall path, my mind had gone, and I was slowly heading out towards 8 minute miles.

A couple of twinges started up, first in my left hip, then the left knee then the right knee. My legs got heavier and the beached ship seemed to be receding rather than getting closer. My time felt less important - and the euphoria of 16 miles when I thought I could go well under 3hr 10min was a long way away.

The turning point both literally and in my mind was at 23 miles. It took 8:21(the longest true split of the race), but I grabbed some water for the first time, having relied on my handheld bottle until then, and ran through the cramp that suddenly spasmed in my left thigh. I knew I was going under 3hr 15min at this point and suddenly it all seemed fine.

Coming back along the cliff top felt good and I upped the pace back to sub 8 minutes miles.

Hitting 25 miles and then 26 miles felt great, and I managed a bit of speed though the finish. With no-one else around me, I got a lot of support over the last 200 metres or so, and went over the line in 3hr 12min and 2sec.

Felt euphoric, and happy that I couldn't have really gone much faster. At last everything had gone right and I'd got the time that I thought I could do.

What next?