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.