Today’s the day, my first official race since Febuary 2020.
I have to be honest not feeling it this morning slight twinge in back of leg so painkillers taken and feeling a little quesy not sure if it’s prerace nerves or what.
So I’ve told myself what will be will be this is after all just a training run, so no pressure and 6 whole hours to go at whatever pace I want.
We arrived at Rumbridge Fisheries yesturday tea time to be shown to our lovelly little camping pod. After a tea of Speghetti Carbonara and my night time mountain fuel hot chocolate around the fire pit I settled in for an early night.
I slept quiet well but was woken by a rarther rude cockrel about 5am an hour earlier than my planned alarm.
So I pottered about a bit, put the kettle on, made and ate my mountain fuel breakfast and began kitting up.
We arrived at Horsheath Horse trials just after 8am immedietly I was made welcomed. As I checked in the lady said your down for the full Marathon, to which I replied I’m aiming for 20 miles as a training run but we will see. My heart still wanted to believe I could do the Marathon distance my head told me it was too much too soon.
I think even then I didn’t believe I’d manage the Marathon and was setting myself up for the smaller goal.
We were called to the start line and placed in mini waves. It was smaller than I expected, wasn’t expecting thousands but maybe a few more. It was nice that there were people of all abilities doing various lengths of the course, it took away that intimidating feeling that can often come woth larger events.
The waves set off as the clock started the 6 hour countdown and within a minute or two I was off on lap one.
I wasn’t quiet sure what to expect of the course and thinking back to signing up I didn’t really pay much attention to what it was like it was only in the race brief when they were explaining the route I realised I’d not really though about it.
As I set off down the gravely track round the barn area which was hosting the aid station and toilets I could see a flat stretch of path and was pleased when the lady I’d started with began walking, A fellow Jeffer! Yay.
I’d decided to stick with 30:30 as its what I knew but wanted to play around before Manchester to try and pace up a bit since they’d just announced they’d reduced the cut off time and the thought was terrifying me.
As we turned the corner to the left an incline that seemed to go on forever appeared I think it was at this point I knew it was going to be a tough one.
As I reached the top the pathway sloped back down before hitting a grass trail. As I hit the grassed trail I knew the stones from the first section have invaded my shoes and the only thing to do was stop and get rid last thing I needed was blisters on lap one.
After a quick stone removal stop off I went following the patch into an even narrower trail with a slight incline, uneven surface, tree roots and only really room to put one foot in front of the other I plodded on hoping I wouldn’t trip or roll an ankle.
Once out of the wooded section which I’m not sure was wooded more just over group path lol. I carried on along another flat grass trail with beautiful views across the fields before turning another corner and faced with another incline towards a water tower. What was with all these inclines!
After passing the water tower it was along a short section before turning another corner and heading on down to base. You could see the base from the start of the decent wich was quiet nice.
As I jeffed around the cones I ticked off mentally one down.
It was starting to get warmer and the hill section seemed to be right In the path of the sun so the breeze after the water tower was deffinetly welcomed.
Before I knew it lap two was done, lap three I began to question myself and feel like I was getting sluggish it was then I revised I needed to fuel so out came a gel. All through this time I told myself to keep moving and if I stopped at half marathon It had still been worth the visit.
As I was hitting the hill again I decided to change to 30:60 on the hill to try and take the pressure off as I was making my way up it I was passed by a juggler 🤯 yes a gent was juggling as he was running up a hill!
Apparently helped take off the thoughts of his legs 🤣. He passed me at least a further two times and gave words of motivation to me ashe passed which really was appriciated. As the laps went on I saw less and less people running nearly full laps sometimes with just the odd person passing, nothing else but me and the views. Which I’d like to add were very pretty, but no spectators shouting words of encouragement like there had been at my first half marathon in Manchester, no kids hi fiveing (although I doubt we will have that for years to come) just the odd people and organisers at the aid station which dwindled down to just the three organisers by the time I was on my last lap.
Before I knew it lap four was down followed by 5 and then I was on lap 6. It was halfway through lap 6 that the doubts began crawling in and I kept clock watching, knowing I was slowing set the voice off in my head saying I wouldn’t make the laps in time. I even considered giving Sharon a call to talk total and utter nonsense to get me through but decided against it, part of me wishes I had now. so when I came in to start lap 7 I realised I had an hour and 05 minutes to get round which would allow me to go for my last lap. Surley I could do that even if I walked the hills and jeffed the flats, I was doing this! My legs could do this. It wasn’t easy those hills were really starting to tell on the tops of the thighs but I’d come too far give up now.
I came in for the last lap woth just over 15 mins to spare, I think that’s when the realisation hit, today I was leaving a Marathoner. It dosnt matter how the miles are covered miles are miles.
I grabbed a fill up of squash and told them I’d be back. I did apologise that it might take me some time but I would be back and back I was.
As I came down the hill on the last stretch I could hear calling out my name through the speaker and I could see stu stood by his side. I knew I was the last on the course and probably had been for awahile although little did I know the second to last person had only got in ten minutes before me.
I rounded the final corner I couldn’t walk. through the finish line, so I gently jogged through I didn’t have any sprint finish in me for this race but it didn’t matter I’d run a whopping 26.2 miles!!! I didn’t need to have anything else in the tank.
there was a single medal left hanging on the hanger my medal 😁 which. Told me to wear with pride as he handed it to me. Its a fab medal deffinetly a good one for the collection. What was even better my hubby giving me the biggest of hugs and telling me how proud he was of me.
Zoe another one of the organisers brought me a chair, it was a godsend as I knew if I sat on the grass area I’d never get up. I was then informed they’d saved us both the last two slabs of cake 😋 which went down well.
You hear people saying never again when they’ve done their first Marathon or that was gruesome, I don’t know if I’m just wiered or what but I never felt like that when I crossed the finish line. The tops of thighs had a burning sensation in them and I knew stiffness would soon set in but I always take that sort of stiffness and ohhing and arhing as a sense of achieving something more than I’ve achieved so far. My toes I didn’t dare investigate those I knew two would be turning a pretty colour and most likley vacating my feet eventually but I could deal with a few days and I knew that soreness would go.
I wanted to do it again and more 🤯 good job really with a 100km event on the horizon 🤣.
