The last 12 months have made for some interesting times, mostly positive, but with the expected downs too. Along the way, I have crossed paths with so many people expressing their support, many I already knew from years back or more recently at my running club. Then there are others I have met during the year, maybe at the Tuesday night club runs or Thursday night track sessions, or others through marathon training. The one thing they all have in common is the support they have afforded to me through this journey. Committing to this challenge is tough in itself, but would be considerably harder without that support, especially at the low points when you feel you haven't achieved.
It’s now a week on from the part elation, part deflation of last week’s London Marathon and there has been time to reflect on how things went, and talk to many others about how they saw the day, both runners and volunteers turned spectators. I can answer one of my questions which I had posted on Facebook immediately after finishing, and before I had left the finish area – why? The answer is very simple, and applies to each of the three places where I have taken part in these events – London (3), Brighton (2) and Dublin. The atmosphere and emotions that go with it simply cannot be beaten. I was lucky last week that there were so many people I knew out on the course at various locations, starting with the amazing Petts Wood Runners water station at mile 4, more PWRs on Tower Bridge, Bromley Vets (BVAC) around mile 17, and family, friends and work colleagues (past and present) at various locations. The support wasn’t just on the course though. Every person who has donated to my charity, liked a Facebook post, asked how the training was going and so on, has had a positive impact. There were even a few messages from overseas too. Probably the biggest surprise was what was waiting for me when I arrived home from work last Friday - a selection of cards from Charlton Park Academy which had been made by the children and staff at the school. The staff there have gone way beyond the level of support I could have wished for when I first started out. Their support has been amazing. One of the biggest differences which is more noticeable this time, mainly because I have trained harder than ever before, is the ongoing support that exists from so many at PWR, BVAC and parkrun. The last time I participated at London was through a public ballot place. My primary hobby was still as a football referee and so come the end of the event, that was it really. It’s very different these days, and not just in London. At Brighton and Dublin, there was the support mentioned above, but that extended way beyond race day, starting in the months before, and ultimately being shared after with so many asking how it went. As for last week, the initial deflation at the finish has been replaced with much more positive reflection. The second half felt quite hot at times in the sun, and possibly contributed to the end result. There will be other factors of course which need to be worked out before the next attempt at breaking 4 hours 30 minutes, but after much discussion with many people, and having realised the distance covered was a shade over 27 miles, I can argue to a degree that I did at least beat my best official time over 26.2 miles – my watch recorded a time of 4:46:58 for the precise distance. It’s just a shame the official result is different. Damn that extra distance! And so to Dublin in 2018. There was much discussion at last Tuesday’s PWR post marathon gathering, much of it around the experiences of London and Brighton, and towards the end, the subject of Dublin came up. It seems to be a popular choice for a weekend away in 2018, at least right now. I hope that remains through to next year – the memories of my participation in 2015 are still fresh and I’m looking forward to returning there to put my target to bed, and celebrate in style. The next challenge for me is a new one – my first triathlon in early June.
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ABOUT MEHaving completed 5 marathons between 1999 and 2016, I decided this year, I would try to do it properly and plan my training! Alongside, I wanted to keep a blog as it went along, partly to look back on, and partly to help anyone else who may benefit from my own experiences. Archives
November 2023
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