Langdale marathon

Langdale had been a highlight of my race calendar for months, we used to go for walks up there as a family and it's one of my favourite spots in the Lake District. It's also become the weekend for the 10 in 10 reunion - mara Saturday afternoon with a 12pm start, dinner and drinks with the 10 in 10ers Saturday evening and a lazy Sunday morning made infinitely better by upgrading to one of Brathay's very luxurious chalets with views over the mountains.

The 10 in 10 had started to change for me; in the first few months of the year it was the biggest thing in my life, training dominated everything and it was paying huge dividends - my times were dropping, my recovery lightening fast, my injuries negligible. And the event was huge. Since then, it seems every man and his dog is running multiple marathons at the drop of a hat or back to back 100 mile ultras, while I've got slower and slower and more and more tired with every marathon completely wiping me out. Classic over-training / over-racing.


Going back to Brathay reminded me why it is so special. It's not just about pitching up, running 262 miles, ticking the box and moving on. It's about the charity you're running for, about the people you meet and relationships you form, about the things you learn about yourself, not just the strength to get through it but also the humility, appreciation of other people's efforts (and that's support as well as runners) and good humour required. It's the sort of event that should change you because it is so intense. It was fantastic that some of my favourite people were there, notably Chris and Jim, who have become those sort of friends you value incredibly highly.

As for the race, it was just as beautiful as expected and even tougher. I usually like laps but the lack of strength at the moment made the second very hard and the 12pm start made it feel like a Very Long Day Indeed. Still, it was absolutely stunning. I loved the fat little brown sheep who raced alongside us in the first mile until, as a man (or a sheep), they refused the fence and were brought to a baffled, milling standstill. The sun reflecting off Blea Tarn, the shadows of the clouds moving across the valley, the chickens running about in the road and teetering across the cattle grid, the bracken on the hillsides looking like swathes of rust in the low light in late afternoon, and the soaring views from about mile 9.5 and 22.5 up the Langdale valley had me grinning like an idiot. First runner's high in about 4 months.

It was a bastard of course, especially in my current state of fitness and I really struggled to get round in 4'57. Again, not quite the wooden spoon but it wasn't far off. Unfortunately my legs were totally smashed afterwards with the uphills obliterating my glutes and the downhills annihilating my quads. I'd booked in to see 10 in 10 physio Graham at The Body Rehab on Monday which was exquisitely excruciating, next time, he's going to have a stick for me to bite on rather than chewing his pillows to bits. I'm also the proud owner of kinesio tape to help out the rib that's still pretty sore, a brand new style of tit tape.

42 marathons down this year, 10 to go for 52 in a year, then it's the final coast to the 100. It almost feels within reach now.