Time On Your Feet: Marathons #66, #67, #68 and #69

Got a bit behind myself with race write-ups....

Marathon 66: The Thames Meander Marathon, 10.03.18

For the first time since returning from Down Under in November, it was vest weather - a thousand hurrahs! I celebrated by wearing a vest, but being unaccustomed to the sunshine, forgot to put on suncream, and immediately went pink. I've done this marathon several times and love the route along the Thames between Kingston-Upon-Thames and Putney - and especially in the sunshine, it's just magic. I got on fine in the first half and was going at a good pace and felt good. Disaster almost befell in the second half when I was struck by bad period pains, which isn't an overly glamourous thing to write about, so I'll keep it short (which is the opposite of what the second half felt like), and conclude quickly by saying that I finished in 4:04:58 which is my fastest marathon time in almost two years. I celebrated with a large cup of tea (after a long run is the only time that I ever crave tea) and walked across Richmond Park in the sunshine to Andrew's Auntie Norma's house, where she spoiled us with pasta and copius amounts of wine, which turned out to be an error, as slight sunburn + dehydration + wine = headache.

Marathon 67: The Magna Carta Marathon, 07.04.18

This was the inaugural running of the Magna Carta Marathon, in Runnymead, and again the sun shone. And again (it being a month later), I was inflicted with period pains, which this time seemed determined to stop me from finishing. I had also been nursing a slight hip injury since I fell over on the recee weekend, and had spent a couple of weeks trying to run but getting pain, so laying off. So that's a roundabout way of saying I was not on form today. I made it to mile 4 before concluding for sure that today was not a good running day, and from that point forward every step felt like an ordeal, despite it being a lovely run with lovely people. It was laps, 2 x 2.5 miles and 4 x 5 and a bit miles. I really wasn't sure that I was going to finish it. But I managed, thanks entirely to other people being nice to me (including Phil and the other marshals at the far end of the course, and some top folks out on the course as well). I staggered over the finish line where a flashy bit of bling made it seem almost worth it...

...a nice chat to the lady who had finished just before me and who did a PB (get in!) and then saw Kasia and Gemma come over the line - great work ladies! I briefly felt a bit better having had a good chat to people, but soon again felt sick as a pig on the way home, and kept thinking I was going to conk out/ throw up. I thankfully made it back, and spent the rest of the day in bed feeling like someone was pulling my insides out and twisting them into knots, was barely able to eat, discovered I had three blisters, and couldn't sleep, which was great preparation for the next day.....

Marathon 68: Groovy Baby Marathon, 08.04.18

....I'll confess right now that the only reason that I went to today's run was because I wanted, really wanted, the medal.

I woke feeling exactly the same as the day before, looked out the window at the pouring rain, and immediately felt even worse. I had a moment (fairly long) where I really hated marathon running. It was 6am on a Sunday, I felt like @*!#, it was peeing it down, and I was about to head out and do the whole thing again, and at that moment I really had no idea why.

Anyway, that time on a Sunday morning is no time for deep thinking, and so on auto-pilot I made it to Ashlyns School in Berkhamstead, which, even in the grey murk, seemed a grand setting for a run. It felt like Hogwarts, and I had half an idea that a wizard might zoom around a corner on a broom at any moment, flicking a snitch into the far corner of the playing fields. Alas, there were no wizards, but there were some truly magical outfits on show for today's Austin Powers themed run. Austin Powers himself had nothing on the array of bright lycra on show today. I myself was wearing a new pair of rainbow checked leggings which I had actually bought just to wear as a normal running outfit. Always an interesting moment when you realise your actual normal clothes fit in perfectly with a fancy dress theme.

This was a 6 hour timed event, where you can do as many laps as you like - to do a marathon distance involved running 8 laps of a 3 mile circuit around the playing fields. It reminded me of a very extreme form of school cross country (which if I remember correctly, was two laps of the school playing field, which at the time I thought went on forever). I can't say that I enjoyed today. I felt worse than yesterday, and really struggled with the laps. Laps can be hard when you're finding it tough - it seems to magnify the distance, every lap reminding you of how far there is to go. I got round one lap, and had achieved my aim I suppose, of getting a medal. I managed another, 10 km, and thought I'd press on to 4 for a half marathon. I so wanted to do the full today but I just felt so rubbish. I got to the end of four laps and looked the bell (with lapped events, you have to signal you have finished your last lap by ringing a bell so it's clear you have finished). I almost picked it up, but at that very moment Rik (the race organiser) dressed as Austin Powers in a purple velvet suit and voluptuous red wig asked if I was OK. I almost burst into tears so emotional was I, and more from embarrassment at this inability to hold things together, rather than any sudden increase in willpower, I ran off to start another lap. And that was that, there's no tidy distance between a half and a full, so I kept going around and around until the end. It was probably the worse I've felt in any race ever, apart maybe from the last 60 miles of last years Hundred, but again other people got me round - so thankyou to everyone including Davo, Phil, Craig, Mark, John, Rik and the ladies on the aid station, the marshals, and loads of other nice people who unfortunately I don't know the names of, for your kind words of encouragement on the way round. You are all groovy. Yeah!

Marathon 69: The Essex Walker, 22.04.18

Such was the horror of my latest running endeavours I was very apprehensive about today's marathon. So I went with a plan, to run at a slightly slower pace, and stick to it even if I felt OK. I was sick of feeling sick, and just wanted more than anything to feel OK and enjoy a run again.

There was no need to worry! Today's run was wonderful. I stuck to my plan and ran it in 5:07, felt fine, enjoyed a beautiful route, some warm sunshine, friendly participants and volunteers, and managed for the first time on an LDWA run to not get lost a single time. It was one of those days where you feel at peace with the world, and have an overwhelming sense of wellbeing.

It was a circular route around the countryside, from Maldon. It was a scorcher. It was pretty. here are some photos....