The Start

It seems that everyone is doing it. Blogging that is, and not anything else you may be thinking of.

So I thought I would do a blog on my Marathon journey.

First of all a bit of history. This may be a bit long to start with, but they will get shorter. I promise.

Well my marathon journey started in the spring of  2008 when I marshaled with the finish team at the London Marathon. I had only been running with Sandhurst Joggers for 7 months, but I was inspired to have a go. I put my entry into the Ballot thinking I would never get in the first time, but I did! OMG what have I done? I was sure I didn't have a good enough endurance base to do it, but with the encouragement of a few other members in the Club I thought. Lets give it a go. I did a few long run before Christmas 2008 to build up a base, then in January the real training began.


January 2009 training went well, interrupted by club cross country every so often. I had 5 races planned for the build up. Wokingham Half, Bramley 20, the Grizzly, Reading Half, and Maidenhead 10.

Wokingham Half was going to be my B race, and was up for posting a good time, but it was canceled at the last moment because is ice and snow. We decided to run the Wokingham course anyway, and I decided that the Bramley 20 would be the B race instead. Bramley is a 2 lap course, so I decided to run the first lap as a bit of a warm up. 1 hr 7 minutes, and felt good. Now for lap 2 and the real race. "Must keep it below 6:52 minute miles". I was going really well apart from the lumpy bit near the end of the lap, but I managed to finish in 2:17, that's 6:52 minute miles exactly, and could have gone on at that pace.

Next was the Grizzly. Best race of the year. They say that your Grizzly time is very near what you would do in a Marathon. I had done it in 3 hours 40 in 2008, but in 2009 I was going for 3 hours. The plan was to average 9 minute miles over the 20 miles. Not easy as the terrain is very tough. You have mud, big hills, bogs, pebble beaches, streams, oh and more mud to navigate. First half of the race went well, but thought I was getting a delusional, because Andy, and Toni seemed to pop up and support us all over the place. Mile 10 I took a gel, then at mile 15 I managed to grab a handful of chips from someone at the pub we pass through. Then it was back down to Branscombe beach for the 3/4 mile slog along the pebble beach, and up the 500ft climb on the stairway to heaven. On the top of the cliffs, its fairly flat. I was on time, but had to push the pace to make up for the hills to come. 7 minute miles on the cliff top gave me enough to finish in 2 hours 58. Fantastic.

Next was Reading half. That did not go well. Went off too fast, and payed the price. I was also very tired from the training, as I didn't taper for this race. Looking back I think this was the point of no return to good form, and everything went down hill from there, but I didn't realize it at that time.

Next was maidenhead 10. This went very well as I did a PB of 1:05, but got what I thought was a stitch on the warm down. It was not a stitch, but more of that later.

Now for the big one FLM as it was then. The A race. The week before I was having my doubts. I had done the correct taper, but my legs still felt heavy. Was this how it was supposed to be? Having never done a marathon I didn't know.

I must admit I felt pretty OK at the start line. Pen 3, and quite close to the start line. I was going for a 3 hour 15, so I could get a good for age time, and had planned to negative split the marathon. I knew the the start would be slow, and that I would have the be patient. I was going to run with the crowd, and speed up as soon as the masses thinned out a bit. I needed to do 7:26  minute miles for a 3:15 time. I started off at about 8:00 minute miles, and was following the 8:00 minute mile pacer. After 4 miles I went a little bit faster, and managed to squeeze past the big crowd following the pacer. At 8 miles I thought right. Time to push on. 7:15 minute miles would bring me back on course for the correct pace. Then bang. 10 miles I hit the wall. The more effort I put in the slower I got. Hmm. I would have expected this at 20, even 18, but not 10 miles. Right, I now have to change my goal. Slow down, and get to the finish. Now everything you have trained for is out the window. I had trained to be running for 3 hour 30 max. I was now going to be on my feet for much longer than that. By mile 14 I was walking. I could not breathe when running. I was over heating as well. I decided to try and run to every mile marker, then walk a few minutes. As the mile markers went by, the walk got longer and longer. The crowd were shouting "come on Sandhurst you can run it". Nope, that was never going to happen. I was going to run the finish straight though. I crossed the line in 4 hours 31. I was in bits both mentally, and physically. The next thing I knew I was swaying in Horse Guards. I felt sick, had a thumping head ache, I could not breathe, so i took myself down to first aid. They were great. They put me on a bed. Checked me over. They gave me water. I was there for about an hour and a half. By that time my legs had seized up, I got a massage as well. After that I felt a bit better.

The week after the Marathon I did get checked out by my Doctor, but nothing. I decided to have a couple of weeks off, then slowly get back into running again.

I did all the normal summer relays with the club, then around August time my form dropped like a stone again.
There must be something wrong. I have noticed a lump in my groin area. No not what you are thinking. I Googled it. Hernia. That may explain it, and the stitch at the Maidenhead 10. Not one to do things by thirds, in fact I had three. Luckily I had private health care, and had it fixed early November. Now it was 1 month of no running, then another month till I was allowed back on the bike.

The first run I did was only 2 miles. I thought start easy, but that was still too much. I did about a mile and a half, and had to walk the rest. A spring marathon was out of the question. So I decided to Marshal at the 2010 London Marathon, and enter an off road marathon in the autumn of that year. I did all the usual summer relays, and training was going well. In decided to enter the Clarendon Marathon. Its off road, so there was no time pressure.

I felt much better at the start of Clarendon, than I did at the start of the London "Hell" Marathon. 8 minute miles should be do able. Then the 8 mile curse happened again. One second I was vertical, then the next I was horizontal. Thump, I was on the floor. Blood poring out of my chin. Bruised right leg, ribs, arm. I got up, did a limping run for the next mile, and managed to free my leg up a bit. Now to change my goal in a marathon again! This time I am going to run all of it, and with a bit of help from Alan pacing me on the last 5 miles I made it. I did run all the way. 3 hours 56. I did feel a bit beaten up by the end.

Will update you on the next installment from Clarendon to the present in the next blog.

Happy Running,

Dave.