The New Forest marathon is deemed a favourite amongst many runners but one I had never considered running before but with a target of 10 to do it fell at an ideal time for the schedule...
Given its location a long weekend was made of the run and on flicking through the souvenir programme it was realised that quite of my colleagues from the local club were taking part in both the half & full events plus the hardened marathon runners met around the UK...
With a slight breeze, weather conditions seemed perfect but thought was with the left thigh and whether it would hold out...
A quick chat with the Dartford Runners and we were off... A few were looking at a 3:30 finish whereas I was opting for 3:45... Pace was set and the group remained together until around the 7-8 mile mark when I felt comfortable to ease ahead and lead but it was soon apparent I was pulling away...
Thats the way it remained pretty much to the end and with an undulating course and a few fairly steep climbs in the latter stages it was a course I preferred...
Mile 20 was reached and to my surprise the legs felt good and the pace remained steady but I must admit I did stop at a couple of water stations to enable water to be taken on board rather than taking shower...
As I've experience many times this year the last 5 miles were tough but for some reason I was on a high and enjoyed myself crossing the line in 3:25:48... Not a pb but a matter of seconds outside..!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment