This race was a real mistake.
Having been really disappointed at the London Marathon, and with all the work I had put in to get fit, I decided last minute to go over to Belfast. I'm not really sure now what I was thinking. Mary Ann Billingham was coming over from Canada with her husband Greg. She is a distant relative, and Greg is a marathon runner. He had included running the marathon as part of his itinerary, and my mum suggested it would be nice to join him. Like a fool I agreed.
By the time the day arrived my legs were feeling OK, though my feet were not. The brand new Newton Gravity trainers therefore went back in the box and I raced in my old Newton Sir Isaacs.
Even at the start line, I had no clear strategy. It was a cloudy day and rain was likely, but this isn't much of a problem in marathons, in fact it is usually preferable. I started way back in the field and for the first couple of miles tried to keep it slow, but I found this tedious and so went back to my usual running pace.
I was doing fine up until about 10 miles, and was OK up the big hill in the middle of this course, but my legs started to really hurt again like at the end of London marathon and it started to rain, and the wind along the coastal path was strong, and I even had to stop and walk a little at times. I took a couple of ibuprofen, but it didn't help. I could feel my toes hurting as well, and started to wonder what kind of state they would be in by the end.
The good news was, frustratingly enough, that I did not feel tired at all. Perhaps it was the climate, or the taper from London, but unlike that marathon, I never had any issues with my endurance. I was angry with my body for letting me down, felt mentally strong, but each stride was difficult and there was nothing I could do.
Any sensible person would probably have stopped, but I don't like to and have no DNF (Did Not Finish) marks on my racing record. So I ran on in the wind and rain, punishing myself, stopping occasionally when the pain got too much, and I was very relieved indeed when the end finally arrived.
I finished in 3:15:50, which is still a respectable time, and Greg came in about an hour later. In hindsight, I really shouldn't have been there at all so soon after London, but I had done it.
Photos and finisher video are still online at Marathon Photos here - I look terrible! Gregs here
I recorded the race on my Garmin Forerunner 205 here. Unfortunately the detail seems to be missing, but I did press the lap button half way, and am pleased to see that my pacing was exactly the same for both halfs of the marathon.
Having been really disappointed at the London Marathon, and with all the work I had put in to get fit, I decided last minute to go over to Belfast. I'm not really sure now what I was thinking. Mary Ann Billingham was coming over from Canada with her husband Greg. She is a distant relative, and Greg is a marathon runner. He had included running the marathon as part of his itinerary, and my mum suggested it would be nice to join him. Like a fool I agreed.
By the time the day arrived my legs were feeling OK, though my feet were not. The brand new Newton Gravity trainers therefore went back in the box and I raced in my old Newton Sir Isaacs.
Even at the start line, I had no clear strategy. It was a cloudy day and rain was likely, but this isn't much of a problem in marathons, in fact it is usually preferable. I started way back in the field and for the first couple of miles tried to keep it slow, but I found this tedious and so went back to my usual running pace.
I was doing fine up until about 10 miles, and was OK up the big hill in the middle of this course, but my legs started to really hurt again like at the end of London marathon and it started to rain, and the wind along the coastal path was strong, and I even had to stop and walk a little at times. I took a couple of ibuprofen, but it didn't help. I could feel my toes hurting as well, and started to wonder what kind of state they would be in by the end.
The good news was, frustratingly enough, that I did not feel tired at all. Perhaps it was the climate, or the taper from London, but unlike that marathon, I never had any issues with my endurance. I was angry with my body for letting me down, felt mentally strong, but each stride was difficult and there was nothing I could do.
Any sensible person would probably have stopped, but I don't like to and have no DNF (Did Not Finish) marks on my racing record. So I ran on in the wind and rain, punishing myself, stopping occasionally when the pain got too much, and I was very relieved indeed when the end finally arrived.
I finished in 3:15:50, which is still a respectable time, and Greg came in about an hour later. In hindsight, I really shouldn't have been there at all so soon after London, but I had done it.
Photos and finisher video are still online at Marathon Photos here - I look terrible! Gregs here
I recorded the race on my Garmin Forerunner 205 here. Unfortunately the detail seems to be missing, but I did press the lap button half way, and am pleased to see that my pacing was exactly the same for both halfs of the marathon.
