I am back!! Spoiler Alert…..I didn’t complete it…
I have been meaning to get back writing again, now I am and will continue!!
Well, Sunday was the day that I had planned for 3 years! I set out my goal to run a marathon whilst my dad was going through extreme chemotherapy. To raise some money and to set myself a challenge. Unfortunately, we all know what happened in 2020, so 2022 became my chance.
I put the training in, not as extreme as some but followed the plan as much as I could and tried to fit it around my life. I had the absolute best support and running buddies with me, I couldn’t and wouldn’t have got my arse out of bed or around the streets of Hull without them. We all got up at the crack of dawn and ran, walked, laughed, sweated, swore, moaned, had stones thrown at us (yes the little sods) saw regular people on our route, drank water, touched the shark and just generally surprised ourselves!! So much so, we have pledged to keep with the long runs!!
So, my marathon training was going ok but then the news came, under 3 weeks before the day, that it was cancelled!! I had done my last big run!! I was on the down, what was I going to do? A half marathon was available, just do that. That would be the easiest option, but no not me!! I have waited 3 years to do this, I was going to bloody do it!! Called upon my friends for solutions and my brother said, do a half before the half! Right, I will. So, I planned the route and timings. A 6am start was on the cards. Fortunately for me, I was going to have some lovely company on the first half, some running buddies are going to join me! Aren’t they bloody good. So I continued with the training…….
Race day came, all the planning and supplies sorted. Who said that running was a cheap sport or hobby? Anyway, I tried eating loads of carbs on Saturday, why was that difficult?? Why when you can eat as much as you want, you are not hungry!! But I was ready to go! Sort of, I had a bit of a niggle in the back of my leg but I had a medication plan!!
I slept really well, got up but felt nervous, I did yesterday too! Managed to eat and gathered myself together. 4 wees later and I opened the door to Katie and Kelly, stood in the dark, we were ready to go!! We started to run……..
Here’s what happened…….
1. It’s dark at 6am and very peaceful. We decided that we should only see this time of the day on a Sunday when we were coming home, from a night out partying and not in our running gear!!
2. We were going well, take this while you can! Laughing at the drunks riding to work on their bikes!
3. Pace strip works well, I could see how we was doing and that we were on track to meet with Helen & Emma, the Humber at Vicky Doc was very calm looking.
4. At the first meeting point, touch the Shark, it’s unlucky if you don’t
5. Still going good, chatting away.
6. First departure point and Katie and Kelly left us to run back, (apparently, this second part of their run was great, it’s my company you see!! haha) all very well planned (weirdly enough this was at mile 6 as well as point 6!)
7. Me, Helen and Emma continued up the steps, along the dock warehouses and back down, not ideal for a marathon but hey this was no normal marathon!!
8. Now we were running along the side of the Humber again with the warehouses at our other side, some very derelict and charactered!! We started to use markers, lamp posts are our favourites but if you are down a track with me, I love a lonely bush as a marker!! Feeling ok though.
9. The promising sight of St Andrews Quay appeared, it felt good, we were making progress.
10. A very quiet run alongside St Andrews Quay was a little strange
11. We then hit the unknown, just past Macro’s, it was a chalky dirt path, very thin. We struggled to run on it and needed to keep with time, we had a time to meet!! My leg started to pull at bit with the uneven surface. We had to walk a lot of it. The motorway felt very close at some points too. This was a hard bit
12. We made it to the end and up more steps (do they have steps at London marathon!!)
13. We are near Hessle now, the start line is close!! It felt hard and steep and took a bit of time to feel recovered from the uneven ground that we had just come across. Feeling it a bit at this point, 11 miles done.
14. We needed to get 2 miles in before I got to the start line, we had time and trotted around Hessle, feeling fine but I was half a mile off. I was going to have to get an extra half a mile in at the end, bloody hell!!
15. Waiting to go now at the start line of the Humber Bridge Half Marathon, kept moving and then hugged, it was time and went,,,,,,,,
OMG……
Ever gone out later than everyone else, feel out of it and not as drunk as everyone else???????? THIS WAS ME BUT UP A BLOODY HILL IN A RACE, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE UP A HILL IN HESSLE!! WHO PUT THAT HILL THERE??????????? WHO SAID JOIN A RACE 12.5 MILES IN???
I managed to get up it but I was behind, off I went. Slowly going, plodding along the bridge, talking to myself in my head. Crossing the bridge at mile 14/15 for me was hard and I was on my own. I am no longer numbering the stages because they are merging into one now!! I am trying to marker it out, I am trying to appreciate the views. Leg is niggling a bit but manageable, the hardest thing is I am on my own. I hadn’t trained with just myself, on my own much, well I hadn’t at all!!. I am generally mentally strong, I have got this. I was telling myself that it was my race and my pace.
I had a new mate!! The Back Marshall!! Funnily, I never asked his name and he was with me for 4 miles!! How rude!! He knew mine coz it was on my bib!! It’s stuff of my nightmares, having the back of the race crew behind me, well I lived that nightmare now!! Another one was getting lost and not knowing where I was going, that felt possible too!!
I got over the bridge and was given a cup of water, have you ever tried drinking out of a cup whilst moving?? Spilt more down me than in my mouth! I then was on the road and heading for the slip road, OMG the slip road was sooo steep, walking up it was just a killer. Biker marshall had to get off his bike!! Got to the top, cheered on by supporters and then POP! My calf, I couldn’t move, they came running, one with a chair (bless him) others to help. I said I couldn’t sit down! I couldn’t move for a minute or so but then I thought, I can’t stop here!! I had to tell them all that I was at MILE 16 not just passed mile 3.5!! It was important, you know when you tell everyone that you have just come out on a night out!! Started to move it, they wanted to get the First Aider but I said no and started to walk on. Then started to plod along. It was easing a bit but I was compensating for it with how I was moving. It was hard but there were a few people around supporting, not many. I saw Graham and he could see I was running with an injury and was telling me to tell a marshal if I needed to stop. Mind monkeys are going on in my head now. I kept going, lonely but going. It is a bit up and down in Barton!! It’s not flat!! Mile 17 was a struggle and so was mile 18, I was really hitting it now, running down a hill just at the change over for the relay and my calf went again but seemed to restore quickly but it was a concern. I was talking to this lady who started running with me, I told her that I was over 18 miles now. I had to tell people!! There were some guys on bikes from another running club following too now, I told them and of course I have my mate the bike marshall back and forth too!! A support crew!! Back of the pack crew! They were just missing a flashing light!
My mate the bike marshall kept telling me to keep going, bless him!! The others were too. He had to get me to a marker to make sure I was in time and that he was going to pull me off the course. More mind monkeys kicking in. I got to it and continued but I was in pain and my head was going, just me down this street in Barton. I was thinking about the looming cardiac hill and being on my own and worrying about my ability to get up it and what damage am I causing. I was going to cry. A 42 year old women, sweaty, in lycra, lost in Barton!!! I stopped, my mate the back biker came to me and helped me. He was lovely bless him and got other marshals to help. I got picked up by my son, who was waiting for me a few miles away and had a cry. (he was telling me that it was going to be hard and I had done well!) I was soo disappointed
What did I learn….
We do best when we have support, someone pushing you along, being by your side, someone to chat to or just to get you out of your own head. We need these people, I was missing them on those roads in Barton. We know this more so after the last couple of years. Not everyone is lucky enough to have people that do this for them in their lives. I never feel lucky but I am I have these in my life with both family and friends. You can also be disadvantaged or have an advantage depending on where we start, we never know a persons journey or starting point.
However, I am injured and my brain was telling me to stop and thankfully I eventually did! I dare to think what damage I would have caused myself trying to complete my challenge!! I currently have an injured leg! I have pulled my calf and have bruising.
I will try again!!!!
I need to thank Biker Marshal!