I’ve forgotten the reasons behind deciding to apply for the Edinburgh marathon last year, I recall yet another of my injuries keeping me from doing it at the time (along with the deferred entry to Manchester) but all other elements surrounding it have since passed from my mind. I know that purely based on the fact I didn’t do it the year before, I thought I’d actually go this time.
I went up on the Friday to visit an office in Bathgate, this was really just thinly disguised way doing most of the travel before the bank holiday began and also getting one of my nights in a hotel paid for, although I did do some work while there.
On the way up I also found that one of my well know route choice problems had occurred and rather than going straight to Bathgate, I found myself not only in Kendal, but out of the car and in Pete Bland’s, which was handy as I had an order to pick up which I also added a new pair of Mudclaws to while I was there.
The Saturday was probably where I started to go a little wrong, the bright sunny day and new shoes enticing me out in to the Pentlands to go and Scald Law along with West and East Kip. Last time I was there the visibility was so bad I got lost and ended up on Black Hall to the north of the peaks I was after.
Not long after starting the run I caught up with a runner from Carnethy HRC called Maggie who was heading along the same route for a decent day out, she had intended to be at the Jura race but ended up unable to make it. A club mate of Angela Mudge, talk turned to the races and training to be found in the Pentlands and the suggestion that it would be worth heading up that way to do some of the races. I can’t argue, I quite like that range of hills, looked glorious in the sunshine. I decided not to overdo it and turned back at West Kip for 6.5 miles and 1300 ft, leaving Maggie to carry on along the trail. After that it was over the next hotel by Arthur’s Seat and a walk up to look at the marathon start area and visit Royal Mile Whiskies for some supplies.
The day of the marathon was far, far hotter than Paris or Manchester had been, clear skies and a starting temp around 14 C. My plan was to use the slight drop in the first 10K to assist my plan of 7.37 min/miles (or even lower it) as I’d hit that pace on Manchester and then faded around the 20 mile mark.
I started off well enough but about four miles in the ITB problem that had started with the fade on Manchester (and I had aggravated again the day before) started to play it’s part and I slowed. A couple mins down at the 10K marker, I decieded it wasn’t too big a deal and just to keep a pace that managed the pain and to see how I went, a 3:20 could still be on. Within nine miles that idea was out the window and the notion of matching Manchester and then Paris became the new plan. The heat really didn’t help and with head, face and shoulders that could match the red of my Horwich vest I was feeling it quite distinctly.
By the half marathon point I was quite ready to jack it in but then thought of not only the shame of doing so, but the distance I’d travelled to do this and I had the encouraging logic of Tim Roe (does he have a name on here?) going round in my head, in summary that’s; “You’ve passed the point where it takes longer to go back to the start than to carry on to the end” and “If you quit one, you could quit any, so never quit.” So my plan became push on, finish it, run at a pace that the pain is bearable and hopefully get inside 3:45 which was the point I’d said I’d be happy with if I hadn’t hit 3:30 on Paris. I also had it in the back of my mind that after this, no more roads, no more marathons (for the foreseeable anyway). After this it would be just hills, the fun stuff.
With all that in mind I carried on and feeling a little more settled, found some sort of rhythm again around mile 19 and decided to push for the end at just under 8min/m. I maintained that, used a few people as pacers and felt quite good that a number of people who had passed me earlier while I was hobbling, were now dropping back and in relative terms, I was actually being fairly consistent in my pace.
The end was still a welcome sight though and did just about make it in within the 3:45 limit I’d set myself, 3:42:13 by both my Garmin and the chip time. I see it as while I’m not happy at having lost 22 mins on my plan, at least I got round, got the medal and shirt and now it’s done with.
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