The big rule about the night and morning before a marathon is: Don't Do Anything New ! So the same pre-run breakfast as usual: tea, pint of warm water, bowl of cornflakes, toast, yoghurt and honey. I try to eat at least an hour before I leave to give my digestion time to errr.... work. However on race day nerves can sometimes cause problems and delays in this process !
After one or two pre-race photos
A 15 minute walk brought us to the recreation ground where all of the other runners were gathering. When we left the accommodation it was cool and grey as forecast, but at the recreation ground the sun is starting to break through (it was forecast for much later in the day) so, listening to my wife's sensible advice, I decide to run in just my charity vest and ditch my T-shirt. A leisurely trip to the onsite toilets (fortunately no queues as there were only about 800 runners entered in the marathon compared to around 3000 for the half marathon which had already started) and a trip to the baggage drop-off and I was ready for the start.
There were five pace groups for the marathon and such is the quality of this race that my group, "4 hours+" was the last group (in most big city marathons that would be more towards the middle).
The Ringwood Pipe Band arrived to pipe us to the start, a nice touch, particularly for an ex-pat Scot like myself.
And so to the start. Time to switch on the GPS gadget and wait nervously for the off.
And finally, at 1000 sharp, and after 27 weeks of preparation - 111 training runs totalling 657 miles, we're off. The first mile leads uphill across the railway bridge and out of New Milton to the North.
I'm surprised at the pace of the people around me and am trying to stick to a steady 10 minutes/mile pace: running fast on cold muscles is a waste of energy which I'm going to need later in the race. But, having tapered for two weeks prior the race, I feel comfortable, and reach the 1 mile mark in 9 minutes 17 seconds.
The first half of this race is flatter than the second half. After the initial climb out of New Milton, the next three miles are mostly flat along straight roads until reaching Tiptoe. There follows a winding downhill stretch and then a steepish uphill into the village of Sway, where many people are outside their homes clapping and shouting encouragement to the runners. I stop at the water station and walk through it, as I do at all the others, making sure I take enough water onboard.
I reach the 5 mile mark in 46:34, well ahead of my pre-race target of 49:25. But I feel comfortable at this pace, and take my first energy gel as planned, as the race moves out of Sway onto a section of open land where we see wild ponies for the first time. The course is already familiar to me as I have done the half marathon here twice before, and it shares the same opening loop.
The next four miles are gently uphill towards Wilverley. I'm running in a loose group of runners - we leapfrog each other from time to time as we stop for water for different times, and speed up or slow down on uphills or downhills. I get chatting to another runner - who I accidentally hit as I was waving at an oncoming car to slow down - and this helps to pass the time. One of the nice things about this race is the small field makes it more friendly and intimate, and also there are many club runners in the race, who, with the exception of the really competitive ones at the front, are more sociable and less inclined to bad habits like wearing earphones.
We soon reach Wilverley and the 9 mile point and my time so far is 1:25:20, two and a half minutes faster than planned. Still I feel this is a comfortable pace (my heart monitor readings later confirmed this). There follows a pleasant flat section along a tree-lined road built on a long-removed railway line. I reach the 10 mile mark at Holmsley Tea rooms, where my wife and family are waiting, and take more water on board. That mile tool me exactly 10 minutes and I am still ahead of schedule.
Here the route goes off-road and follows the bed of the old railway, dismantled in the 1960s. As a result the terrain is flat but on gravel, which is a little painful on the soles of my 1000 mile old running shoes. But I still feel good, and overtake quite a few runners on this section. Perhaps the result of my second energy gel !
After around two and a half miles we leave the old railway line, and join the road, running uphill into the picturesque village of Burley, where again there are lots of people cheering and sitting outside the two pubs next to the route (it is lunchtime). Another water stop here and I pass the halfway mark (in miles, if not in difficulty) in around 2 hours 6 minutes, about a minute ahead of schedule.
Just after the halfway mark, I feel the first inkling of a problem which is going to cause me a lot of trouble later in the race. My right hamstring starts to feel tight, as if it might cramp. I run gingerly for a while but the feeling gradually eases and after I have my third energy gel at the 14 mile mark I start to feel good again.
I reach the 20 mile point, check my watch and my time so far is 3:19:11. I look at the numbers scribbled in biro on the back of my hand: "20 miles: 3:19". Fantastic ! My plan does allow me to slow over the last 10km so if I can keep everything together and still run 11 minute miles I can beat my target of sub 4:30. Just keep going !
But the next mile is quite steeply downhill. Well actually looking at the course profile now it's not that steep but after 20 miles of road running (quite a lot of it on the side of a cambered road) every step pulls at tight muscles in my calves, thighs and bum. By keeping to a shuffle, I manage to keep it going, and reach the Holmsley tea rooms and the welcome sight of my wife.
But round the corner and just past the railway bridge, just after this photo was taken:
I suddenly suffer a big cramp in the inside of my right thigh which brings me completely to a standstill. I bend down in an attempt to stretch it but stand back up too quickly and feel a little faint. This is not good. I adopt standard first aid procedure and stick my head between my knees for a few seconds, then once I feel better, stand up again gradually. I hobble a few steps and gradually the cramp relaxes. I walk for a while and then manage to break into a slow shuffle.
This section is on the same tree-lined road which was so pleasant earlier in the day. But now there are more cars and fewer runners, forcing us to run almost in the gutter where the camber of the road is at its speepest. It may not seem much but after 21 miles any unevenness in the terrain gets magnified in your body. The next mile is a struggle to keep going - it takes me nearly 13 minutes. I take my last energy gel and check my watch: 3:44:42. I have about 45 minutes to cover 4.2 miles. The last three miles are gently downhill - but before then is the last hill on the course.
Ironically, it proves not to be a big problem, and with the help of the jelly babies handed out by the friendly and encouraging locals, together with the inspirational notices left on the side of the road every few yards, I make it most of the way to the top without having to walk. 23 miles in 3:57:48. I
have 32 minutes to run 5km, and it's flat or downhill all the way.
But I'm still struggling to hold off cramp, and slightly downhill is the last thing I need at this point. I pass the Rising Sun Inn for the second time and head back down the main road towards New Milton. By this time, the road is really busy. There are cones down the middle to prevent overtaking, but there is a queue of cars behind each of the runnners, keen to overtake and be on their way. I'd far prefer to run on the flat road in the middle but I'm repeatedly forced into the left hand side to allow cars to pass.
I reach the 24 mile mark and the last water station in Stem Lane in 4:10:04. Nearly 10 minutes behind schedule now, but a decent run to the finish will still see me comfortably beat my previous marathon time. But as I suddenly change direction when the marshalls stop the traffic to let me cross the road, I get another big cramp, this time in my left calf. Again I stumble to a halt. I take a drink and try to stretch and hobble a few steps. But this time I can't get running again. Every time I try, within a couple of steps the cramp returns. I resign myself to walking for a while. In fact I end up walking the entire 25th mile, taking more than 17 minutes in the process.
Passing the 25 mile marker in 4:27:38, I realise there's a real danger I won't beat my previous best of 4:48. That would be a disaster after all of that training and preparation, and after such a good start. I finally manage to break into a sustainable shuffle as I approach the railway bridge and the home straight. I turn left and in the distance my wife is waiting for me and cheering me on.
I manage to shuffle past her and I'm now approaching the finish.
Keep going ! The crowd are fantastic, encouraging each individual runner. I turn right into the grounds of the school, follow the chicane round to the right and left, somebody says "only 200 metres to go" and I head towards the finish line. The guy on the PA namechecks me and says something about how I'm "still looking good". Maybe, but you should have seen me two miles ago !
I cross the line in 4 hours, 44 minutes, 41 seconds. A personal best by 4 minutes. About 15 minutes slower than I thought I was capable of, but a personal best nonetheless, and better than seemed likely when I was crumpling at the drinks station at mile 24.
I phone my wife and she comes to meet me. A few celebratory photos:
and it's time to go and collect my baggage, have a drink and put on some dry clothes.
A huge thank you to everyone who supported me during the training and preparation, and in particular to my wife Sophie, to Sally, Phil and Sophie's parents for all of their support on the day. Thanks also to Sophie for all of the photographs above.
And a big thank you to everyone who sponsored me and in doing so, helped to support the great work that "Beating Bowel Cancer" does to support those diagnosed with bowel cancer, and to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.
Below for those interested are a few maps and stats from my GPS gadget:
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