Challenge 2010 – Race 1 Gloucester Marathon 24th January

This day has seemed to take an age to get here but now the nerves are settling in and the tally of 10 marathons in a year is upon me...!!!

A bit of a cold is still present but after a fairly restless night, I set off at 6am on my 160mile drive to Gloucester...

Apart from some fog there’s no sign of rain but a very chilly day is the forecast so I’ve packed everything just in case including leggings, woolly hat, gloves plus the old faithful vest & shorts... You never know the sun may have come out..!

I arrive 2 hrs early but at least I’m not late... Plenty of parking to choose from so I park up and think s#@t this is it.!

Registration over with and ready in race attire (Given weather conditions i.e. freezing cold I went for vest & shorts but that’s me at the end of the day), the last minute instructions from the race director and at 11:00 we were off..!!!

Given previous marathon experiences, I felt a time of 3:45 would be a good time (bearing in mind next 9 I had planned) but I would aim in the early stages for 8:10 / 8:15 minute miles... So with that in mind I tucked in behind the pack as we headed out...

The course consisted predominately of 3x8miles loops in undulating countryside with the last mile back towards town.

Early stages went well with steady pacing but by mile 6 I felt that I could start to up the pace slightly as we headed out for a second loop…

Wrist bands were to be torn off at the end of each loop to ensure the right number were run but who’s likely to forget that…???

By mile 16, pace was still good and I was then joined by a club runner who helped me to maintain 7:40min / miles until 24 when I decided to back off and head for the finish at a pace I could maintain and one that allowed me to get to the line without stopping… For me an achievement in itself..!!

A quick look at the watch, with 1/2 mile to go, to see a sub 3:30 was definitely on… With legs starting to feel like dead weights the line was crossed in 03:25:10… A personal best with 2 running goals achieved 1) to run nonstop and 2) to run a sub 3:30 marathon.

After a quick stretch and with a smile on my face I headed back towards the Sports Hall..!!!

At the start of the day my aim was to run a strong but comfortable race but by the end I had achieved something that meant a great deal more… The ability to run non stop in a sub 3:30 time..!!!

The remaining will now be enjoyed..!!!