This year has been a real struggle for me to get ready for this years Brighton Marathon, my long run training was interrupted by family, snow, illness and more snow. I was getting out every other week which maybe was not good enough and when I did get out I had little motivation for to be out in the cold for that long! The whole thing put me right off running!
But this year I knew a few people doing it and travelled down with a friend to the always excellent park and ride. My friend I have known for a long me when we would spend all night in a pub and any suggestion for running was to catch last orders! He started about 6 months after me and I had always been faster than him, until the last 6months when he had broken all my records apart from the marathon time! He came close the previous weekend when he did 4hrs 28mins (1minute slow then mine) in Paris oh and yes he was doing two back to back marathons!
So the reason I tell you this is that it actually gave me something to aim for and this gave me the motivation to beat him. So we had a chat both actually wanted to run at the same pace for as long as we could 6/km (4hr 13min predicted finish time).
Anyway we got to Preston park and the park was filled with people, and had no chance of meeting the other club members so we prepared and toliet breaks, i went to check out the AMEX bit for amex customers which served me coffee and water and an easy big drop. The line for the toliets was still big but not as big as outside of the AMEX bit!
Anyway we got in our starting pens and were ready to go, only i needed one more wee! (free water in the amex bit I am blaming) Lucky enough on the walk down to the start line there was some urinals and grabbed one last toilet break.
So we were off up the hill and down again, although the route seems to have changed since I last did it but wasn't really sure how. But as we ran around the city a bit with great crowds and everyone cheering people on. I was great to get cheered on by other Kent running clubs as well my own Maidstone Harriers club.
But down into Rotterdean and both keeping to our pace and both feeling good even though this is the really hilly section (not that bad)the crowds thin out to and from Rottingdean but nice support in the village. Then its back up to city center, and along to Hove and down Kingsway which always has great support loads crowds and parties, but it just seems to go on forever and ever and have to know you get to the end and run all the way back again. It was here a 29km I start to feel my pace go a bit and got held up at the water stations. My friend just kept running and I tried to catch him up but I had nothing in my legs, then 30km my legs were destroyed and could hardly run! I slowed my pace but my legs were saying no, and from then on I never saw my friend again (until after) and rest of the 12km was hell and was very much a run walk. Going through the industrial zone I had very little motivation to run at all such is the bleakness of this section.
It was then back along the promenade where the crowds pick up cheering and motivating all the runners who are all in pain at this point. When you see the 2mile sign my thoughts where I have to get under 5hrs and whats 2 miles I can do that in my sleep! just not when I had already done 24 of them! I started to actually have little tears that my body was so rubbish at running and wasn't doing as i asked.
It was at this point a nice lady from Medway Rebel runners ran up to me said come we can do this together and we pulled each along for the last bit and was thankful as we finished.
I got the bling and the bottle of water and of course, the beer which they were also serving, when i say beer it was alcohol-free beer, but I still downed it in one. I quickly got my bag and got my warm clothes on.
I met my friend who had a big smile (3hrs 17minutes) and we told of our joys and heartache.
The good :
It was great atmosphere and support from other running clubs.
They had beer at the end!
I made it (4hrs 58mins)
The bad :
Not sure i ever want to to do a marathon again.
It hurt from 30km onwards.
The beer was alchohol free.
My left foot still hurts, its never hurt before!
and roseabi never slowed down for me so we could play ps4 vr half way!
Rant :
the t-shirt dont get me started on the bloody competitor t-shirt, who wants a competitor t-shirt not me! I want a finisher t-shirt. If i dont finish it then i dont want t-shirt to remind of oh that was the marathon that i couldn't finish! then don't sell them for £35 for a finisher t-shirt from the official shop. Just give me finisher t-shirt or dont bother.
I'm not convinced you won't go back for more!!??!! 
London Marathon Volunteering
Weekly Chat 28th March to 3rd April: It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that bling!
