The Belvoir Marathon
I had been looking forward to this race all through the winter. Not only was it the first race for the new year but the first marathon i had entered since Ironman uk and i wanted to see what sort of time i could put in with only the marathon involved and not a bike or run beforehand.I had planned on just trying to beat my previous marathon time of 4hrs 17mins with a sub 4hr finish but we had no idea what the course would be like and if the weather would hold out or not as the course was 90% off road through fields and trails. The previous few weeks had gone really really well in training and i had put the miles in but it wasn't until the last week before the race that the magic started to happen and by friday evening on my 30minute pre race run i felt strong, Stronger in the run than i had ever felt and i put all this down to not only the programme that Dermot had given me but also the nutrition plan that Johanna Calleja had sorted out for me. Bill picked me up at 07:30 and we made our way to the venue. On arrival i thought it was quite cool and opted to wear my leggings and sleeveless jacket with compression top and a hat. The race started at 0900 and i started running. I didn't really get to the front for the start as there were so many people there so i had to wait until we got going before moving through the slower runners. Infact all i seemed to do was pass people with nobody passing me. I was checking the heart rate monitor and my pace and holding 7-8min mile pace on the flat and my heart rate was very steady and i can remember thinking i feel so strong, Infact i was quite excited and pumped which seemed to give me even more energy. I remember clocking the miles up first 10 then 12 then 16 and at 18+ miles still feeling strong and smooth with a verygood light running technique. The weather had got a lot warmer and i was sweating quite a lot and had not took any electrolytes as i thought i would not need them. At around 20 to 21 miles i started getting cramps in my hamstrings and at 22 to 23 miles they had got so severe that i had no alternative but to slow down and try to stretch them off. It was almost unbearable!I finished the Marathon by my watch in 3:59:50 however the official time by the organiser was 4:02:9 so i don't know where they found the extra 2 minutes. I was a bit disappointed as 3:59 is a sub 4 hour and 4:02 is obviously over 4hrs but never the less it still turned out to be a very good time considering the course and put me in 21st position from 211 people so considering i am not a runner and it was my first ever marathon on its own it was a fantastic result that i am very proud of. If things had worked out the way i had planned then maybe there would of been a top 10 position for me. Maybe next year! I hope all of your training is going well and to plan and wish you all the best for the coming summers events.
See you all very soon.
Buzz
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