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| Except, I didn't win, I came 146th. |
After a slow winter on the running front, the idea was to get back into it by doing a marathon. What a rather optimistic idea, considering I have never ran that distance, especially on a road. So the marathon idea was out the window thinking i had missed the entry deadline, nothing like the entry on the day in many fell races. The Wednesday prior, after a few investigative phone calls, there was a slight chance i could still enter but I settled for the half marathon. The Friday before I ran to register and when inquiring about space they said they were full but asked where I was from. On answering the UK they, said, 'Well..... maybe we can fit you in.' Going to register I clocked up about 10k and the carbo-loading and the rest began.
Sunday morning came soon enough, after a movie day on Saturday and i ate at about 08:30, thinking it was early enough, but lining up at 09:50 i was still feeling a bit full. Well a quick hello to someone I knew on the start line discussing time we were wishing to achieve. I just knew my target was 1:45 because that's the category i had picked. I had previously ran with Peter in the Student race in November and he guessed I would probably do a sub 1:30. I haven't done that much road racing so concentrating on pacing and using sub times is all new to me.
So we began and i proudly show off the Bowland Fell Runners vest to all the sidelining photographers, thinking if they knew what 'fells' were they would think i was at the wrong event.
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| Orange and green. |
Due to my last minute preparations and underestimation on the amount of runners running, i ended up a good distance from the start line. Therefore, I was stuck in a compact bunch of runners, just behind the 4 hour pacemakers. With some impressive overtaking maneuvers completed I found a rhythm of about 4 minute kilometers and slowly caught up with the faster marathon pacemakers, first the 3:45 and then by about 6km the 3:30's and by 14 km i had caught the 3:00 pacemakers, and made an effort to get in front of them to push me along. I stayed infront for about 5km before dropping behind them and slowing to around 4:15 minute kms. By this time some mental maths had suggested if i kept a good pace now i would make the sub 1:30. And i did, I finished in 1:28:07. This has opened a new window of races, and intend on doing a full marathon before the year is out.
Paddy
