I'd agreed to meet a few Fetchies in the Premier Inn pub, about 15 minutes out of town, worth the walk to find a good bunch of Fetchies and several 100 club guys too and we got settled in for a few drinks. By the time I left at about 10, a bit sleepy and a tiny bit drunk, a shortcut seemed like a good idea, so I followed a slip road round the back of Argos and Homebase rather than going all the way round the front like I had on the way there. Not a good idea, I found myself on the A38, a dual carriageway with cars belting towards me at 70mph and me wondering why I was in a black jacket rather than reflective running kit. I climbed over the barrier, up the embankment, through the brambles, over a fence and through some trees, picked the bits of twig out of my hair and was on exactly the right road, and had probably saved myself 5 minutes' walk at the cost of several scratches and a few near misses. While it's nice to have a sense of direction, sometimes it's best to recce the route beforehand.
As for the race, I was more nervous before this than I have been for a long time. I wasn't sure if I could run still after the last few weekends, and I had zero confidence. The first few miles were terrible - my right foot is very sore, I had a bit of shin splint pain and felt very uncomfortable. Things were better after several miles' warm up as they usually are, so I followed some excellent advice I'd been given - take it one mile at a time and enjoy the scenery.
I had no time or pace ambition for this one, other than to get sub 5 hours (if only to catch my train) so I had plenty of leeway if I needed to walk the hills or slowed considerably. It was a very very hilly event for a road marathon, with a respite from mile 15 to 21 which downhill and flat along a valley, a stretch considered boring by quite a few runners. I liked it, but then I like long flat stretches of tarmac, you get to a purer form of running, right down to the mechanics of it, without being distracted by corners or changes in surface or gradient. It's why I like treadmill running too.
The route was superb, through country lanes and over Bodmin moor, exactly the sort of scenery I love, and the weather was perfect with blue clear skies, sunshine and no wind. It was just the sort of race I love too, a small field of about 200 runners, really well organised and very friendly. The pockets of support were extremely encouraging and vocal, something you don't expect in a rural event, and the runners were clubby but collegiate, you could exchange a few words without feeling obliged to talk for ages.
There were long patches where I was running by myself, enjoying the silence and views and remembering that this is exactly why I like marathons. And for some reason yesterday, I found myself able to run most of the hills, including all of them from mile 21 onwards. I'd found my endurance legs by then and was in a good rhythm; the feeling of being able to run some of the stiffest hills at that point in the race was a big boost to my confidence, plus I passed quite a few people, always nice!
There wasn't much of a sprint finish, my legs were tired and sore and I'd had bad backache for a few hours. I came in in 4 hours 23, with 2'09 and 2'14 splits for the halves and, more importantly, had had no dramas. Energy levels were good, I hadn't had any moments where I thought I'd DNF, and I'd enjoyed it. This was a very important and significant marathon after a run of terrible events, and to have had a calm and peaceful marathon and a solid finish has lifted my spirits enormously.
Dressed for a cold day....
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