Milton Keynes Marathon (April 29th 2012)

So I made it to race day, waking up to what can only be described as dreadful weather. It was cold, wet and windy, the type of morning where under normal circumstances climbing back under the duvet would be the order of the day, the last thing on your mind would be to go out for a run. I checked the MK marathon site, there were no notifications to say that the race was being cancelled (mores the pity) and no indication that any of my fellow runners were pulling out, this left only one choice, get out there and run. I can honestly say that my mind set wasn't right for the event, I had been on a downer most of the week having followed the weather reports knowing that conditions were not going to be great, even watching 'Run Fat Boy Run' couldn't raise my spirits.

Riding the bus that ferried runners from the car park to the MK Dons stadium put me in the company of other runners thinking exactly the same as me....why are we here! This was the thought of the day, from arriving at the stadium to the start of the race. Trying to keep warm and dry before the start was a key objective, this I attempted by sporting a recycling bin bag (courtesy of my darling wife) but somehow the fashion statement I was looking to portray did not work...the pink clashed with the black, red and green of my running gear. At 9:30am we were instructed to start taking position in our starting pens and at 10:00am we were off.

Running strategy to go out easy for the first half and achieve a negative split in the second, picking up the pace to finish sub 4 hours. On paper it looked good, in practice or should I say my mind, I wasn't quite so sure. Glitch number one was my shoe lace coming undone. Now this shouldn't have been a problem, step off to the side and tie up the lace...WRONG! My hands were so cold I couldn't undo the knot and when I finally did it was a task in itself tying the lace. What resulted was a poor knot and a length of the lace being tucked into the corner of my shoe. I was now thinking that the loose lace tucked so neatly in my shoe would start to rub, feel uncomfortable and result in a blister.

There was not too much space whilst the runners were bunched during the early part of the race, this I found annoying as I was trying to find my pace but kept having to check myself as there was no room to manouvere when faced with runners ahead. To make matters worse as it was a wet day and there were numerous puddles (puddles which impersonated rivers in some instances) that people were trying to avoid and as a result you would then find yourself held up in a bottleneck.

Not a great start, negative thoughts on the mind but I'm sure the planned entertainment would raise my spirits....WRONG! The entertainment was limited due to the weather, understandably you're not going to plug in 240v for your amp in such wet conditions. What I will say is a big thank you to the entertainers that did not have to rely on the black magic of electricity, they made themselves heard and a hearty cheer from the Olney Runners team picked me up at mile 8.

Was the route scenic, on paper it was due to have its moments, Caldecote Lake was good especially when the rain had eased. Unfortunately the ease in rain did not last very long and when running head down due to the conditions you kind of miss the pleasantries of your surroundings. This all played on my mind and had me thinking I could pull out of the race at mile 16, a point where I knew my wife would be supporting. I could stop, say my hearts not in it and that I can't see myself achieving my target time. As I mulled this thought over I got confused about where the run was heading and thought the route was taking us away from the planned 16 mile marker in Willen Lake. "Oh my god, have they changed the route due to conditions, my support team would be waiting to cheer me on and I wouldn't be there, worse still I wont be able to pull out". As it happened there was no route change and as planned I ran through Willen to the cheers of my support team; Rach and the kids, Roisin, Ben and baby Lester, John (my training partner & mentor) and his daughter Molly. The thought of pulling out left my mind in an instant as the cheer I received was so loud and exciting that to quit would have been criminal.

So on I went, the 20 mile marker beckoning me or was it to be the wall! At mile 20 my quads were feeling the strain, they felt as though they were being tightened to breaking point. It did make me wonder whether I would have benefited from adding a little more mileage to the bank during training, I'd certainly lost some miles during the period I had my calf problem. The poor conditions had definitely played a part zapping my energy during the early stages and with the time at 20 miles registering 3hrs 20mins, a sub 4 hour marathon was not on the cards.

The next 5 miles were a mix of running, jogging and brief walking periods. I felt cheated that the supposed flat landscape of Milton Keynes hid a number of uphill climbs. I managed to ensure that I was always running at the mile markers if only to keep up appearances to the crowd that I was fine.  The final mile and a half saw me quicken the pace only based on the thought that I want this race to end, the sooner the better. Entering the MK Dons stadium was a joy, especially to the cheering of my my support team and watching yourself cross the finish line on the big screen added to the moment. I'd completed the MK Marathon in 4 hours 18:07 minutes, 18:07 minutes outside of my target time but a new PB nonetheless having run 18 minutes quicker than my Brathay Marathon time in 2009.

The race was over and I was relieved and ready to go home, however the next challenge was to change into dry clothes before meeting up with the family. This was a marathon task in itself, cold and stiffening up I struggled to remove my wet clothing and put on dry clothes. On a plus side I did get recognised by another runner as one of the Paris Marathon contenders in Runners World...my celebrity status lives on, I thought it had died a death after Mens Health.

A welcomed celebratory meal in the company of my proud family at the Swan Pub, Milton Keynes Village, finished the day. No more pain or so I thought until it became necessary to remove the nipple plasters before a hot bath....OUCH!