On TV

On Saturday morning Channel 4 will be showing highlights of the Brighton Marathon.  The programme starts at 7.05AM, so set your PVR!

Jayne's Marathon

Wow what a day Sunday was!

First, my run.  I was so happy to go through the “Start” arch because I'd been on such an incredible journey just to get that far.  With almost 10,000 runners the start was inevitably crowded but many people stuck to a slow pace, helped somewhat by the first mile being uphill.  I was very relieved to not notice any tightness in my legs in that first mile.  I tried to remain calm and ran at a gentle pace which slowly increased as I warmed up.  However, by mile 10 my quads (one muscle group I hadn’t worried about) started to ache.  Unfortunately that only got worse as time and miles passed and by mile 16 I had to admit I wasn’t going to run all the way to the finish; the last 10 miles were spent switching between running and walking.  The reality was that in the previous 5 weeks I’d run a total of 36 miles and my legs just weren’t conditioned to run 26.2 miles non-stop.  Nonetheless, I never doubted I would cover the distance.  As I turned into Maderia Drive with 500 meters to go I soaked up the scene and atmosphere.  The sunshine.  The crowds lining the route and nearby roads.  The sight of the "Finish" arch.  This is the defining memory of my marathon experience and the one I shall always cherish.

The weather was interesting.  It started off grey with light rain, although the rain stopped by the time the gun fired.  From then on the skies cleared, leaving glorious sunshine by the time I finished – and at 16 degrees it was warmer than I’ve been used to in training.

Mercifully my only ailments have been a blister on a little toe, stiff legs and dodgy tan lines!

Thank you to everyone who gave their support by sponsoring me.  In the final miles there were many people who, like me, had to walk.  Whenever I saw a walker wearing a Cancer Research UK t-shirt I patted them on the back and offered words of encouragement.  It really helped to know other people were out there running the same route to raise money for the same great cause.

And if anyone has yet to join me in supporting Cancer Research UK, my JustGiving page is still open!

Undeniably the best part of the day was the spectators.  Apparently there were over 100,000 people lining the route – and they were all enthusiastic supporters of anyone who happened to run past.  They cheered, shouted encouragement, clapped and offered Jelly Babies, orange segments & high fives.  As I approached the finish, runners were widely spread.  If I was walking then someone in the crowd would notice, see my name on my shirt and shout “Come on Jayne!  You can do it!”  At which point seemingly dozens of people on both sides of the route would join in, shouting encouragement.  Whenever I returned to running a cheer would erupt.  I’m still smiling.

But there were four faces in the crowds I was absolutely delighted to see: Mum, Dad, Brother Simon and, of course, Chris.  They had a long day, walking to various points en route in the hope of seeing me (and Chris was carrying a 40L rucksack containing all my back up gear!).  It meant the world to me to see them there.  Thank you so much for coming, for your unwavering support and for believing in me when even I doubted whether I’d be able to run.

Will I run another marathon?  Almost certainly not.

Am I happy having run the 2013 Brighton Marathon?  Absolutely.

The Geek Post

Here's a stark illustration of how my training progressed:

Proof that I (or, at least, my Garmin) covered the whole marathon route:

The elevation profile (edited because the original scale went from -300'):

My heart rate (heaven only knows what happened at mile 3!)

My pace profile - clearly the dips after mile 16 were when I walked.

Condolences

I don't think anyone who's ever been associated with a marathon will be untouched by the news of yesterday's events in Boston.  Those who were injured and the families of those who are lost are in my thoughts.

I was also saddened to read of the death of 23 year old Sam Harper Brighouse, who collapsed at the Brighton Marathon and later died.

Life is too short.

I did it!

Very happy, although a little tired and achy.

Full report to follow in the next day or two.

My Training Journey

During training I ran 463 miles, that's the same as running from Brighton to Glasgow:

That was 84 runs with an average length of 5.5 miles.

My longest run was 18.32 miles in Brighton (29.5km)

The fastest run was a Crane Parkrun at a 7:45 minute mile pace (4:55 minutes/km)

I ran for 66 hours 39 minutes - almost two working weeks.

I climbed a total of 11,116', which is just shy of the combined heights of Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike.

My heart beat a total of 665,103 times.

The Goal

The training guide has this to say about running a first marathon:

"First and most important, reaffirm the goal in your mind.  It is to finish the marathon.  Period."

No target time.  No target pace.  Not to beat other people.  No weight loss goals.  The latter doesn't apply to me (I've been giving my body so much fuel I've gained weight - eek!) but until a month ago I was thinking about my time.  Perhaps I could do it in less than four hours...

But things have changed and all thoughts of a stunning debut marathon performance have long since faded.  Now the only thing I want to do is cover the 26.2 miles.

Tonight I saw Jennie and she's happy for me to start the marathon and see how it goes.

So, barring disasters in the next 3.5 days, the plan is to start the marathon, listen to my body and see how far I can go, irrespective of how long it takes.  In some ways I'm back where I started: nervous and excited in equal measure.

Three Best Runs

It's now one week until the marathon.  The purpose of this final phase of training is to keep the body ticking over, not put too many demands on it and stock up on rest and carbohydrates.  Given the ongoing problems I have with muscles seizing up after running, I’ve changed my approach: I’m swimming.  It’s not ideal but I think it’s the best way to balance getting some exercise without stressing my body too much.  I’ll decide at the end of the week whether I’ll attempt the marathon.

In the meantime, I’m supposed to reflect on my three best runs:

1. Without doubt my best run was the Watford Half Marathon.  It was my first attempt at a long distance in a formal event and I was really pleased with my time.  My final preparations were perfect and I joined the start pen only a minute before the race started, which meant I was perfectly warmed up.  I started at a good, slow, pace and kept my nerves in check – I resisted the urge to keep up with people sprinting past me.  The strategy paid off later when I ran past so many people in the final miles.  This is the strategy I need to repeat when I run a marathon.

2.  Bushy Park, 27^th February.  I pushed steadily throughout the run and kept up the pace all the way to end, taking three minutes off my time on this 8 mile route.  Afterwards the rush from the endorphins was just brilliant!  More importantly, it was a wonderfully cold, frosty morning.  It has been a real pleasure being at Bushy Park at dawn on such mornings.  It’s so quiet at that time, not only in terms of few people around but the air is still and peaceful, the day full of promise.  I’ve watched the sun rising, casting its golden rays across the park in its wintry slumber.  I’ve seen the deer’s breath hang in the air and the bunnies hopping into the bracken.  It’s truly magical and these are wonderful memories to cherish.

3.  Two runs contend for the final place on this list: 11 miles in the snow at Richmond Park and 18 miles in Brighton.  Both runs were tough.  Both required a steely determination in order to cover the miles I’d set out to run.  Both were essential to my physical and mental training – “character building”.  Both resulted in a great sense of achievement when I reached the end of the run.  However, I think Brighton pips Richmond: Brighton was my longest training run and I stuck with it all the way to the marathon’s finish point.  I have been there before and I very much hope to make it there again on Sunday.

Update

Last night I saw Jennie, my physio/osteopath.

The good news is that she thinks if I do the marathon I'm unlikely to sustain any long term damage.

But when that's the full extent of the good news you know things aren't good.  Whilst I haven't given up all hope, as each day passes hope is replaced by a reluctant acceptance that 2013's Brighton Marathon may not be the marathon I run.  I find it crushing to think about all the training I've done not culminating in the marathon, to think about family who've paid for travel and accommodation to come to Brighton to cheer me on, and to think about all those people who've so generously sponsored me.  I really don't want to let you down.

However, running a marathon is a significant physical challenge and I need something close to a miracle in the next 10 days in order to rise to that challenge.

Still going

I've been out for another couple of runs: 2.5 miles on Saturday and 3 miles today.  Looking at my pace and heart rate it's clear I've lost fitness in the last couple of weeks, which is disappointing although not surprising.  Today my right hamstring feels better, but the left ankle feels tighter.  I think these two niggles will determine if I run the marathon and so I'm keeping a close eye on them.  I'm taking it one day at a time and trying not to think too far ahead.