I hadn’t planned to write anything about the Brighton Marathon. Up until now, one of the purposes of this blog is a sort of record of my own training experiences. However, looking back at Sunday, it impossible for the day not to be important in this whole experience. It was also a reminder that preparation also takes place when not running, being aware of the variables which none of us have any control over. I have taken part in this event in each of the last two years and on each occasion, I have been lucky with the weather – both were sunny but fairly cool. This year was to be very different and served as a stark reminder that London falls later in the month. In other words, slightly closer to the summer and therefore potentially warmer. It was my turn to support this year. The last two years were amazing with the support from Petts Wood Runners around the course and I wanted to do my bit to hopefully help our runners along the way, especially those who were taking part in a marathon for the first time. Whatever training has been done cannot quite prepare you for the experience ahead, in my opinion of course. I had planned to go to the start in the hope of seeing a few of them and arrived at East Croydon in time for the 06:55 train the Brighton. I duly arrived at 08:00 and as I walked the mile or two up the Preston Park, I could feel the heat already starting to build up. I brought a jumper with me thinking I would need it early on, and maybe later in the day, but never expected I would need to remove it before I’d even made my way to the start. Shortly before I reached the park, I noticed a series of mopeds parked up and immediately thought of our own coach Mike the Mod who has helped so many of us with his track sessions each Thursday. Barely another 50 yards or so further on, and there was the man himself, pushing his Lambretta which he would be running with – the only engine being Mike himself. The park was already extremely busy and time seemed to be passing fast. The queues for the toilets were unbelievably long very early on, certainly not what I recalled from the previous two years. At least this year, I didn’t have to concern myself with any of that, but a reminder to join the toilet queue as early s possible and even re-join it as soon as you’ve been, just in case. With time passing, I decided to head off towards the sea front. I stopped around the 1 mile mark to see who I might spot. With the race starting in waves, it was difficult to know exactly who would come by at what time. Steve, Matt, and Gillian came by early on although I almost missed Gillian. It became increasingly difficult to spot as the number of runners increased significantly and so I decided to continue my walk further on, eventually stopping somewhere near the 3 mile mark. I found a good spot with a clear view and waited. It was worth it and I was to see a number of PWRs pass – Karen, Wendy, Janine, Chris and Laura. Also some humorous fancy dress runners! The temperature had also risen by this point and it was clearly showing in the faces of some runners as they passed the drinks station soon after. I continued my walk to the sea front looking for a spot to see runners pass towards half way. However, it was so busy and I soon gave up and headed across the road to a spot around 25½ miles where there were some gaps. The only way to cross was over a temporary footbridge and with the large crowds, this must have taken around 20 minutes. Eventually, I made it to the other side, and found a spot. There seemed to be problems with internet service and so it was difficult to know exactly where everyone was on the course. By the time I arrived at my new spot, it wasn’t going to be too long before the leaders came past towards their finish, and on the other side of the road the masses would be approaching halfway. As time went by, and the leaders having finished, I kept my eyes peeled to the other side of the road for more PWRs, as well as Bromley Vets also running. At the same time, I was conscious that there were some fast PWRs who I had probably missed at halfway and were soon to be reaching the last mile. As the numbers increased at halfway, it became increasing difficult to pick anyone out. I didn’t do too badly though, seeing Gillian again as she neared the finish. She looked incredibly comfortable on her way to an outstanding finish time. On the other side of the road, I managed to spot Karen, Matt and Mike, for a second time, as well as Betty (BVAC), Emma, Janice and Nathalie. My phone battery also become critically low by now and I needed to find out the meeting point for after the race. Luckily, I received the message that the West Pier Café was the spot to start with and so I headed off there for a refreshing beer, seeing BVAC runner John along the way. To say it was hot now was a huge understatement. This could be a midsummer’s day. After a short refreshment break, our small group headed back out in the knowledge Mike the Mod was soon due to pass. He duly obliged, along with PWRs Karen, Wendy and Kumiko. I can remember how I felt around this point the last two years and I’m sure it can’t have been as good as any of the PWRs I saw looked this year. There were some other runners passing who were clearly struggling, not just because of the distance, but probably due to the heat. Temperatures must have been in the early 20s by now. As Wendy passed, we moved on to the final meeting point – All Bar One. It wasn’t too long before our runners be/gan to arrive, all looking incredibly good considering the hot weather. Some times were slightly slower than targeted but any attempt at going faster could well have resulted in a much slower time.
Looking back at the day, there is a reminder that there are so many things out of my control, the weather being one of them. All training takes place through cold and wet winter months. Only three weeks ago, I was working my way through howling winds at Hastings. It was also a reminder to plan for the day, but to have a plan B in mind in the days leading up to the race, just in case something needs to be changed. I’ll certainly be hoping for a cool day on 23 April, maybe even a drizzle to help keep cool. Whatever comes though, if I can finish with the strength our runners showed today, I will be a very happy Petts Wood Runner.
0 Comments
|
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
Categories
All
|