It is done. As I write this, I actually have difficulty in believing that it is done, though the aches in my body plus the medal I have makes it seem quite real!
Firstly, if you have ever ran a marathon before, or are planning to, I have a new found respect for you. It is a physical, and for many people a mental challenge, unlike any other I have experienced, and I am in awe of anyone who goes for it. This is aimed especially at my good friends Ed, Dale & Clint!
Without a doubt, I found this the most difficult and challenging event I have ever participated in. If you have never ran a marathon, let me give you a brief summary of what it felt like, and my own personal experience of it.
At the beginning, you stand with thousands of other people, breathing in an atmosphere of nervous excitement. You try to stretch in order to warm up, but you're shoulder to shoulder and squashed into a large sheep pen so that's almost impossible. You look around at people on their own, in groups, but it's clear from everyones' faces that something is about to happen.
Suddenly a horn blows, and a large cheer goes up as the front runners take off like scalded cats, while the other 9'000 people shuffle forward like March of the Penguins. There's very little running for the first hundred metres of so until the crowd begins to space out. I can't really describe how I felt at this point, as I was too busy looking at the costumes of other runners and trying to avoid running over people. The sun was shining and I realised that this was actually it.
For the first few miles there is still an excitement amongst the runners. A lot of people are chatting, and laughing, though a lot of people look very focused and are trying to get away from the people who appear quite relaxed. As I crossed the Albert Bridge, I was fortunate enough to run into Dale Mitchell, who was running the relay. This was great as Dale was able to keep me at a good pace for the next few miles and provide me some tips, having ran the marathon last year in a good time. Every now and again there as water stops, and we grabbed cups of water on the way past. For the briefest of moments I felt like a marathon runner, throwing the water back and chucking my cup to the side of the road. If you are ever running the marathon or the relay, relish these wee moments!
As we approached 4 miles I paused to stretch and told Dale to run on as she can run faster than me. As I ran on to the Sydenham bypass, there was my other marathon friend Clint (who just ran his second London marathon recently) who had bought me a bottle of lucozade sport, jelly beans, and a lot of verbal encouragement! When he said "You're doing great" he appeared sincere, and so I took off in the genuine belief that things were going well so far! This was a great point for me in the race, and I would recommend that if you are running, get friends or family members to be positioned somewhere around the course so they can encourage you. It really does make a difference.
Another benefit for me was having my phone with me so friends and family could ring me and chat to me as I ran. This was great for encouragement on the move and took the mind off the distances. Thanks to everyone who rang me during the race, it was good to chat with you all! Sorry if I seemed breathless for much of our conversation.
As many of you will know, I only decided to do this race three months ago, and my longest run was 8.7 miles. A third of what I would be doing in the marathon. On the day itself however, I was running beyond my ability. I passed the first relay point, then the 7 mile mark, then the 8 mile mark, and I never stopped. In fact I was on to the Antrim Road before I had any sort of struggle. I passed the half way mark in a time of 2hours 40mins, which was roughly on target for my estimated finish time of 5hours.
Running at between 5mph and 6mph was what I hoped for, but as the Antrim Road continued to wind it's way up around Cave Hill, my energy levels continued to wind down. A few pains started to be felt in my feet and in my hip socket. I knew my running had started to slow, but it was reinforced to me when a wee girl stepped out from the crowd and yelled,
"Here mister, you're s'posed to be runnin'!"
Not the encouragement I was hoping for.
Runners will tell you about "The Wall". I'm afraid I can't tell you about it, because I never hit it. I have always had a strong mental attitude to things, and I had a theory that this race would be 50% physical, and 50% mental. This has now been proven. I would not recommend running a marathon if you don't have a strong mind. My 50% physical was used on the first half of the race, and the 2nd half of the race was done solely by the overwhelming desire to finish and not to fail. I saw people who looked a lot fitter than me giving up on the marathon, on the relay, and on the walk. I forced myself to keep moving, and though I was reduced to a physical mess by the end, it paid off.
As I continued in this race, I have also realised that the people on the side of the road supporting the runners will cheer, clap and shout for you in two ways. If you are in the first half of runners, then their support will carry tones of elation and excitement. If you are in the second half of runners, then their support carries the distinct tone of sympathy. Their faces change from bright, happy, ecnouragement, to sad, heartfelt pity; as if they want to say "This wasn't really a good idea for you now was it?" This may just have been my experience, so would like to know if anyone else has seen this!
The last two legs were horrible. I jogged, walked and limped. My pee had turned blue (BLUE!!) due to the large amounts of water mixed with Powerade drinks I had consumed. I had taken that long to cover the last couple of miles as I turned the corner past Maysfield Leisure Centre I was fortunate enough to see the race officials throw the remaining buckets of water over one another. There was some Powerade left, but I couldn't risk any more of that stuff in case I became a Smurf. This was the mental challenge. I could see Ormeau Park and knew it was only a few miles to go. Nothing was going to stop me. I bumped into my friend Alan Marsh who kindly walked with me a bit, and then on the last mile, Sharon, Peter and Dale met me and walked with me. Though my hip had now forced me to move at a snails pace, I was as determined as ever to cross the line. Once you are in the 20+ mile mark, you should continue. Even if you are in pain, retiring at this point isn't really an option.
The relief when I crossed that finish line was immeasurable. Knowing that I had been moving for the last 6 and a half hours was just mental. I was wrecked and could barely stand, but it was done. The satisfaction of crossing the finish line almost made the race worthwhile in iself, but the money we have raised for charity has definitely made it worthwhile. Together we have raised over £700 for Oasis Village Trust working in Ndola in Zambia. This money will be spent on building the ten new chalets to house 6 children each. I can't thank you enough for your support in raising this money. If you are reading this and have not yet donated any money but would like to, please use the links to the right of this post.
I am of course now open to ideas for my next "Big Challenge" for next year, so if you have any thoughts, get in touch!
Dave
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