The marathon

Back from the marathon and exhausted from the travelling if nothing else. Some insightful experiences over the weekend, not least that I realise that working (and running) at the utmost intensity is not only not feasible, but it risks damage too.

Far better to run (and work) with some moderation, and with the hopeful knowledge that you will complete more (and be happier doing it) in the final straight of things.

Managed 4:46 in the end. I felt that I could have hit 4:15, but far happier to have completed it with a sense of not flagging entirely.

Also, I have some more perspective on my other running achievements too! The 1:44 half in the Great North Run was rather good.

My plans? To try to run some 5ks and 10ks with a little more consistency. My 5ks are fast because I post a 5 minute mile; can I hit a consistent pace with a 19 minute 5k?

I should say, too, that my lower back is hurting tremendously. That, and my lower inside heels are also chaffed with blisters from walking miles to fetch my number on Saturday. This, and other excuses, mean that I can complain about not posting a 4 hour, or even a sub 4 hour, marathon. But that would be bloody ignorant seeing as I wanted to just finish it, and finish it in (hopefully) under 5 hours.

Marshalls were cheerful and helpful. Some aspects, such as the bus back to the station, seemed poorly managed. Despite having paid £5 for a bus ticket, I refused to wait in a 30-45 minute queue (that wasn't managed for queue jumpers, either) and managed to cadge a taxi too.

Overall? The marathon is a race that allowed me to not run at my usual speed. It was challenging as hell, but not so much that I killed myself. Far happier am I to hit a sub 40 minute 10k than to hit a sub 4 hour marathon. And, perhaps least importantly, I have some material for my assembly tomorrow morning first thing!