With only 10 minutes before the start I was cutting it fine
to be joining the queue for the toilets but as I’m familiar with the course was
not too sure ifI could last for 3
miles without disgracing myself until we got into the country lanes with nice
hedgerows.
Job done and now only 5 minutes to go I saw that nearly
everyone had lined up at the start , keeping relaxed I just spotted J and got
one kick of her football in and then joined the throng. Next to me stood a Vet
of Snowdonia Marathon 2008 as he was wearing the T shirt. I’d joined the pack a
little too far back something like two thirds back from the start line, it did
mean I would be starting off slower but as I really wasn’t decided on pace or
time it didn’t matter too much apart from weaving to keep from catching
anyone’s heels.
The course leads us out of Freckleton village with one or
small undulations and out towards Kirkham . By now I was nicely into a
comfortable pace and by mile 4 had passed around 100 other runners including
two known fetchies. Feeling really good and relaxed though it was very warm and
I could see on the up undulations a lot were feeling it. As part of my comeback
training I am incorporating many of my training runs with hilly routes
including several parkruns.
Another reason of how I was coping well with the heat was
the fact that I had two midweek runs of 11 and 12 miles when it was very warm
early evening . Atthe water stations I
didn’t stop, grabbed a cup but only had a mouthful if that. I had of course
drank around 400ml of Lucozade with Caffeine a half hour before the start. On
my Training runs I hadn’t felt any need for hydration so didn’t carry any drink
with me.
There was a nice breeze out in the more exposed sections and
through the delightful Wrea Green there was plenty more support. By mile 7
Iwas still playingpassing game and as one group was passed I
looked further ahead for more victims. It did mean for the majority of the race
that I was isolated and passing some Marshalls I commented “Where is everybody ?”
At that point some 200m ahead were my next group to catch
and behind me some 200m were those that I’d passed some minutes earlier. It was
a good distraction for me and a great way to race even if I wasn’t near my half
mara pace I was thoroughly enjoying being a part of this race.
Mile 8 –10 was a dig in time for me and I was having a low
point, but once again I had a laugh with marshals “don’t you tell me it’s not
far to go!” of course the reply was …….
So out onto the home straight, which is in fact around one
and a half miles of dual carriageway. Its flat and as so much of my training
runs are along the East Lancs it didn’t come as too much of a problem mentally.
Though I can see how many were now really struggling and 4 or 5 at mile 12
water station actually stopped running and walked a bit .
I like some of the final parts of this race, and this year
was probably a better one for outside the pubs and houses we got some great
support and somerather lewd
suggestions but that may have been directed at the F50 I passed.
One more group to go and a younger runner who I thought I
wouldn’t again brushed passed me, so as I had a plan to attack the final mile
anyway what was I supposed to do!
I held off until a quarter of a mile to go and chucked all I
had left in me onto the fire, tired legs or not I was speeding up nicely young
man was passed and one or two others .
Last turn and up hill slightly I carried on upping the pace
until I hit the last 50 m on the grassy finish straight and dropped a gear and
passed three more for good measure.
An early morning ( 05:30) medium long run to start the day and before the
temperature climbed, the I was wearing a rain jacket initially this proved to
heat me up so much after 6 miles as to cause some rather high hr readings (195
@ 9:30mm ?!!) where I was earlier on 132bpm for 9:30.
So third week of mara training is going well 13miles in 2:05 felt easy
enough and fast enough after the 17 on Sunday.
I'll try and remember to blog regularly from now on.
