Getting Serious

Braving the conditions for a chilly Park Run on a Saturday morning

With the marathon just a tiny dot on the running horizon, I began my efforts in earnest by finally joining the Redway Runners and getting involved with the Sunday morning runs at first.

Every initial run was difficult, but I never felt uncomfortable or out of my depth. The friendly and supportive nature of all involved made it so easy to fit in and enjoy being part of a group of totally different people, all with one aim – to enjoy their running, regardless of age, size or ability. It was a refreshing contrast to the constant humiliation of the football field.

On Christmas day I received my Garmin GPS watch as a fantastic present and my addiction to miles, calories and pacing set in hard. Park Run on Christmas Day, a long run on New Year’s Day and I was into my training for the marathon – the start of an 18-week programme that was a million miles away from the way I saw 2012 in.

Clocking up the miles on a long Sunday morning run with the Redway Runners

As the weeks passed, the miles clocked up and my confidence in my running grew and grew. Soon I was happy running under 8 minutes per mile for long periods of time, racking up a couple of 20 mile runs in early March, pointing towards a potential PB at MK half.

However, I didn’t account for a nasty bout of gastroenteritis and the chance was missed. I felt gutted – literally – at seeing many friends, old and new, share their photos and times on Facebook and I bitterly wished I had been among them

That failure was compounded by the cancellation of the Oakley 20 mile race and I was starting to feel jinxed, something that only made worse in April when a new Park Run PB (under 20 minutes), followed by a 20 mile run the next day lead to what felt like a sciatic nerve injury in my left hip just 3 weeks before the marathon.

My heart sank with every painful step as it looked that my jinx was continuing and I would again be left on the sidelines.

I rested. I rested some more. And I tentatively took to exercise again after a week off, first in the gym and then finally on the road, clocking up 14 miles on a Sunday just two weeks before the marathon. I’d left it late to start my tapering, but I would have to play with the hand I was dealt. I was nervous about the marathon – not about completing it in the time I had hoped during winter training but about just completing it at all.

After 14 days of minimal exercise but continued appetite – you get used to eating 2,700+ calories a day while burning 700+ – the day of the marathon was just one sleep away. Sunday 5th May felt like Christmas Eve when I was a child, albeit with a lot more carbs!

I prepared my kit, packed my bag and loaded up my utility belt with energy gels. I felt like Batman but powered by Science in Sport.

I woke up on the day itself, smashed back an industrial size bowl of porridge and enough toast to feed a family – by practicing my race-day regime throughout winter training I knew exactly what to consume and when to consume it. I was packed full of energy, free from the recent niggling injuries and ready to tackle the marathon.

The first time I’ve ever been prepared for anything – my kit all ready for the marathon