Blackpool Marathon – Revisited – 22 April 2018

My first marathon was Blackpool 2014, completed in a time of 04:21:24.  Between then and now, I’ve run Chester (2014), Boston UK (2017), a Genuine FakeMablethorpe Marathon (2017) and Hull Marathon (2017).  I was drawn back to Blackpool this year, to have a go at beating my previous time.

It’s taken a long time to get around to writing about this, simply because I seem to have had a busy year with work, running and other life stuff!!  But, better late than never – I’m not minded to just skip into the present.  This marathon was special for a particular reason, so I am not going to leave in unrecorded.

Early Training

The initial training had its ups and downs.  I think I was complicating things too much; I’d read too many training guides and articles with conflicting information and got myself a bit mixed up between what was meant by intervals and tempo sessions.  I found myself tired out and distressed because I was working far too hard on some sessions and just lost track of what I was doing.

Friends support in so many ways.

All this was sorted out for me following a run with Sarah and Mike.  Over a lovely post-run lunch, Mike had a look at the results of my lactate threshold testing from Lincoln University, jiggled about with the training zones to make them more suited to how he observed me running and simplified my plan.  The new plan took account of the fact that I thought I could only reliably run 3-4 times a week and divided this up between long runs, speed work and recovery.  It kept it flexible and took the pressure off. 

We had some bad weather in the winter, which caused some training runs to be postponed or re-routed, but on the whole all went well, especially as we were able to do some of our training runs with Sarah and Mike as well as other people along the way.  When I say, ‘we’, I’m referring to Chris and I.  After Chris’s unhappy experience at Boston, he was joining me again to run Blackpool marathon to put the whole marathon experience to bed!

Defining goals - revising goals.

In March I ran Retford HM to see what kind of shape I was in.  I verbally predicted a time of about 2:10, but in my head hoped for nearer 2:05.  Therefore I was outwardly happy but internally slightly disappointed with 2:09.  This made me review my goal for Blackpool.  When I started my training, I had hoped to beat my PB - my Chester time of 4:19:59 or at least to beat my Blackpool 2014 time.  However, after the Retford result, I realised I was nowhere near that and revised my goal to 4:30:00.

Race day eve. Keep a normal routine.

The day before the race we went to Cleethorpes parkrun on Saturday morning, followed by the usual parkrun / CRC breakfast in JD Wetherspoon - ColiseumPicture Theatre.  After breakfast, we said our farewells to and were wished good luck by our running friends.  We organised to have them follow us on my Garmin tracker, at the same time as following other friends running the London Marathon and watching VLM on TV.

It was a baking hot day and was forecast for the same on Sunday.  We had an easy drive through to Blackpool, found our Premier in and then went for a wander, the 2 mile to the sea front to check out where to pick up our numbers in the morning and to get something to eat.  It was SO hot and sunny.  Blackpool was heaving; it was lovely to see – but we dreaded it being that hot on Sunday.  We’d trained through wind, snow, rain and sleet.  We weren’t ready for heat!

Sweet Relief

I am amused by the detail I was focused on when I first ran a marathon (how much water / home made energy drink / worries about whether had I eaten enough the night before / multiple breakfasts / how many gels to take) compared to this time when my main concern was the weather!  We woke up to a bright morning and I feared the worst,  However, by the time we walked to the start and picked up our numbers, it had clouded over beautifully and was spitting with rain.

Expect Miracles

We were nicely loosened up by our 2 mile walk to the start and I resolved to just set off nice and steady.  Although I had revised my goal following Retford HM, I was feeling good because the long runs had gone well after that (Retford) and I had tapered well. As I checked the pace of my first mile (10:19) and the second (10:01), my favourite passage from “The Art of RunningFaster” (by Julian Goater and Don Melvin) sprang to mind: 

I was feeling good during mile 3, which turned out to be 9:35 pace, a pace which I would go on to keep up for much of the race.  Chris wasn’t going for a time, but was happy to run at my pace.  He’s quicker than me over 10k and HM distance but just wanted to have a better experience than Boston.  We agreed in advance that if one of us was struggling, the other would go on and see what we could do.  The weather was cool (although I was soon plenty warm enough) and drizzling slightly and Chris and I were chatting.  

You could have knocked me over with a feather!

Somewhere around the end of mile three, I thought I could see a Lincolnshire flag in the distance.  I commented that I must be hallucinating because I thought I’d seen a Lincolnshire flag.  At the same time, we both realised that indeed there was a Lincolnshire flag ahead of us, along with some CRC hoodies!!!  Then we heard a shout of “here they are” and heard the sound of a whistle, a cow-bell, maracas and coconut shells!  As we got closer we could see it was Sarah, Mike, Jo-Mo and Chris!  What a surprise.  I couldn’t believe it!  We’d said cheerio less than 24 hours ago and they’d wished us luck and said, “see you Tuesday!”   So emotional!  We exchanged hugs and... well, I can’t even remember what I said, but very quickly we were ushered on to keep going.

Blackpool Marathon is a 2 looped affair, with 2 x out and backs in different directions, so I knew we would probably  see them again. The surprise of seeing them kept going for the next few miles up past the Tower, the Pier, Golden mile and back and the 9:30ish pace continued.  We saw them in the same place on the way back – this time they were on the other side of the  road, so we couldn’t have gone across to them without crossing the path of other runners.  This was no bad thing because I was just so overwhelmed to see them, I just felt rude not stopping to chat like we do during Dukeries!  It was fantastic..... the sound  and sight of the CRC super-supporters.  We found out later that other runners appreciated their support too – because of the out and back looped nature of the course they saw everyone multiple times and cheered up a runner in a bridal outfit, sadly without bridesmaids, who didn’t seem happy at all initially, but she managed to crack a smile the fourth time they saw her!

When the going gets tough, the support gets going.

After our second sighting of ‘the gang’ we headed off toward Lytham-St-Anns.  It’s quite a nice run in one direction, but gets a bit bleak on the way back, with little support on the route, other than a few rather quiet marshals.  We saw our entourage again just after the halfway point – possibly about 15 miles. I’d slowed down a little by then but was still consistently under 10 min pace.  I shouted across to them that it was getting tough now and felt a bit quick.  My face in this picture reflects that.

We probably both hit the wall within a couple of miles of each other.

At mile 19 I was feeling tired and said that I needed to slow down some more, but didn’t (yet)!  We caught up with a man and woman running together.  The chap had a really loud voice.  He was encouraging her but at the same time he was making it really obvious to everyone within earshot that he was running at her pace, not his own. It annoyed me.  He seemed a bit patronising.  We were catching them up but when we got past, it seemed to take forever to lose the sound of his voice. Once it faded away, at least we were another mile on the way.  At mile 20, Chris and I were both tired.  I had a couple of jelly sweets and offered Chris one. He took one on this occasion, but had to spit it out straight away as he felt sick.  I started to feel a little better again fairly quickly and Chris said , “you just go on, Fran. This is all I’ve got.”  

Soon after that, I saw Jo, Chris, Sarah and Mike again... possibly at about 21 or 22 miles as I headed off towards Lytham-St-Anns for the second time.  This was a real boost as the last few miles are tough.  Chris was only a few metres behind me at that point but I was to find out later that he had to stop for a few minutes to be sick and gather himself together.  This happened just after he had passed our gang and they were able to check if he was OK, offer water and Mike offered to run with him.

I was tired, but going well and realised that I’d kept under 10 minute miles from mile 3 onwards and that many of the earlier miles were around 9:30 pace.  I couldn’t do any maths but I knew that with 4 or 5 miles to go, a PB was in reach if I could keep the pace going.  It was encouraging to entertain that thought and reflect again on the ‘Expect Miracles’ passage.  

The wheels have a wobble.

However, towards the end of mile 23 / beginning of mile 24, I got a stitch – or rather a severe pain in the position a stitch happens.  It was not a stitch like I’ve ever experienced before. Much more painful and just continued to get worse, even though I slowed down... to a walk.... and then to a standstill, bringing in every trick I know to make a stitch go away.  After a couple of minutes standing still it eased slightly and I started walking again.  Then looking back, to my joy I saw Chris, steadily trotting up behind me.  I wasn’t ready to run yet and told him to go on, but he was ready for another walk.  We brisk walked a maybe half a mile and then I was ready to trot again. Even though I’d lost time (mile 24 was 14:28) I was still harbouring the hope of a PB so I tried to push on.  As will my 2014 experience, when I reached the turn point and spun round to come back along the lower prom, the head wind hit me full in the face.  The last two miles were a real battle, partly the wind, partly fatigue and partly because I still had a quite bit of pain in that stitch area.  Mile 25 clicked over and I remember looking at my total time so far and realising that I wouldn’t get a PB even if I could really pick up the pace.  In any case, I couldn’t go any quicker and the last couple of miles were around 11 minutes.  The last bit was just a case of getting to the finish, which was slightly different (and better) than the 2014 finish.... no further turns, just straight to the arch...... and there were Sarah, Mike, Jo-Mo and Chris again; how my spirits were lifted.  Check out Jo with the coconuts and Sarah with flag and cowbell. 

It was a really emotional finish.  I was totally happy with my finish time of 04:24:51 – only about 4 minutes slower than when I was 4 years younger!  My only regret was that Chris wasn’t with me at the finish, but he wasn’t far behind, finishing in 04:29:53 and gained extra kudos for picking up another woman en route, known as,  “doing a Frankie!”

What a great day.  I had a really good run and was pleased with the pace I maintained in the middle section (well, up to mile 24, actually) and Chris got a marathon PB by about 38 minutes!  But the best experience by far was our surprise supporters.  The photos in this post were taking by Mike – I wouldn’t have had any photos  if our lovely friends hadn’t been there.

After the finish, we headed off to J.D.Wetherspoons - "Albert and The Lion" where, as well as reliving the race, and having a celebratory pint, we quizzed them about how they came to be here, in rainy Blackpool instead of comfortably on the sofa watching VLM on TV!  Amazingly, Mike and Sarah had had their hotel booked in Preston for over a month and Jo-Mo and Chris had driven down that morning!  What fantastic friends we have. It was really funny hearing how Mike and Sarah had set off from Cleethorpes to Blackpool not long after us.  Later were then keeping an eye on my facebook check-ins in the afternoon as they were strolling around Blackpool at the same time we were!  They were keeping a look out for us and making sure they didn’t go in the pub where we had checked in.  I could just picture them, dodging around Blackpool, looking out for us and making sure they didn’t bump into us and spoil the surprise. 

Whatever future runs and races I do, regardless of training and times, PB possibilities or anything else, this one will always stand out in my memory as special because of the unexpected support from awesome friends..... so much so that I just want to end this post with exactly the same photo I started ..... and say, "thank you, thank you, thank you, Sarah, Mike, Jo-Mo and Chris."

A Hat Trick of Marathon Debuts - Part 3 - Jo-Mo

Hull Marathon – 24^th September 2017.

The third person I joined in their marathon debut was the lovely Jo-Mo.  Jo aspired to complete a marathon and as she hails from Hull, and this year Hull is the City of Culture (C-Hull-ture) this was the natural choice.

We should have got her to stand in front of the 'E' - MAD IN HULL!

I have joined Jo on many training runs throughout the summer and we practiced Jo’s variation on the Run-Walk strategy.  This would generally involve running the first 2 to 3 miles, then going over to timed walk-runs for about half the run, calling at her house for ablutions and refueling, then resume the run on a kind of rebel-run walk strategy – basically running flat and downhill, walking uphill or when tired!   The training has, at times been a real challenge for Jo as she’s had some health problems to deal with.  This makes her achievement even more inspiring.  I’ve seen many ups and downs over the training period, and I’ve seen determination by the bucket-load.  She has had to wrangle and debate with herself at times as to whether pursuing this goal was foolhardy, but has always returned to the same conclusion: “fuck it – just do it!”  I’ve felt so pleased and proud every time she’s completed a new run distance and it’s no exaggeration to say that it’s been an honour to be part of her marathon journey.

Our training runs also used music for distraction, usually play lists with themes such as places / days months years / names / modes of transport.  Despite Jo’s request, there was never a play list based around Birds of the British Isles!  The impossible we do today, miracles take a little longer!  We’ve been joined on all or parts of our training runs by running friends – variously Sarah, Mike, Chris, Rachel and others and this has helped to break things up a lot.

Some of the gang who ran the Hull Marathon / Relay

As part of her training, Jo signed up to the Humber Bridge Half Marathon in June.  Sarah and I decided to join her, and on the day Rachel and Laura ran with us too.  Throughout our runs, there have often been bits of quizzes and funny facts all to distract us – Jo had a number of football and general knowledge questions for us on the Humber Bridge HM, which kept us amused for a mile or two.  But, as you will see, that was nothing compared to the idea she cooked up for the Hull Marathon.

Did I mention, we did some leaping?

Hull is a full marathon as well as offering a two or four person relay option.  As mentioned in my last post, Rach was signed up to the full marathon and planned to run with us – just 9 days after completing her first marathon [yes, I know – she IS mad!].  Sarah and Laura were both part of (different) 2-person relay teams (with Emma and Fiona respectively) – both running the second half of the relay.  Emma and Fiona were running for a time, but Sarah and Laura weren’t racing so planned to wait at the changeover point and join Jo, Rach and I for the remainder of the event, thus re-forming the Humber Bridge HM Fantastic Five team.

With about two weeks to go before the marathon, Jo announced that she would like us to have a mastermind style quiz for the second half of the run.  She is SUCH a DIVA! No end to her demands!  We picked our specialist subjects and then she gave us each the name of another team member and we had to write 10 specialist subject questions and 10 general knowledge and put them in a sealed envelope to bring on the day!  If I didn’t already know we were going to have some fun, I certainly knew now!

The day before the marathon, we went over to Hull and did a parkrun (as you do) on the way to collect our numbers.  At some point that day, Jo told us about a section of the course at about 22 miles, which goes through an athletics park with a track where there would be some timing mats over (I think it was) 200 metres. 

This was for the fast folks to have the chance for a timed sprint.  Jo announced (demands, again!) that we needed to have a special move for this stretch and after some consideration, we came upon the idea of cantering across the finish line like horses!  Then someone came up with the idea of coconuts (like Patsy on Monty Python’s Holy Grail).  Jo swears it was me.  I grant you, I might have said, in passing, but without any  thought that it would be taken up, “it’s a pity we can’t have coconuts” – but it was definitely Jo who said, ‘perhaps we could’ and started to wonder whether Brigg Lidl sold coconuts! 

By the time we dropped her off home, the idea had grown and I knew that there was no way we were going to Hull without coconuts!  So, in the spirit of being a good running buddy, I said, “leave it with us.”   One trip to Morrison’s later and some dedicated work from Chris, and we had 5 coconut shells, halved and ready to go..... and lots of coconut to eat!

On asking Jo how she was feeling on the morning of the marathon, she told me how she was framing it in order to avoid feeling overwhelmed: “well, I’m going for a little tour around Hull with Fran and Rach, stopping for a picnic at about 12 miles, then after that we’re going to meet up with Sarah and Laura and go to the Humber Bridge.  There’ll be a quiz and a bit of music, then we’ll be horses cantering on that track.  And then we get to go in the KCOM stadium and run right past the tunnel where the players come in. Oh and there’ll be a bit of running.”

And that was exactly what we did – and more.  The tour of Hull took us around the city centre shopping area, through industrial areas, leaping through residential areas, where it seemed EVERYONE came out to greet us in their pyjamas / dressing gowns / string vests / nothing but a nappy (age dependent) and shout,  ‘give us a twirl!’.  We naturally obliged – I’ve never twirled so much – I think Mike would have been proud of us!  We did some leaping too. We loved running the harbour / old port areas and looking at the new swanky apartments.  We did (our impression of) some highland dancing when we ran past bagpipe players,  did some leaping, ran through an area of the docks not normally open to the public, used the male loos there. The things you hear during a marathon – Jo and I using the loos and Rach shouting out, “I’m having a full on wash here!”  I was dead proud of Rach – she’s our lovely delicate little flower and there she was in the men’s loos, in close proximity of the urinals, having a wash!  Did I mention, we did some fantastic leaping?

Just before we joined up with the rest of our gang, Jo saw her brother and had a hug and we were joined by Jo’s sister-in-law for a part lap of the park.  It was funny.  As she’d joined us for a little trot and was clearly fresh, we (Jo, Rach and I) decided to temporarily abandon the walk-run strategy and just run for that bit.  I was tickled to hear Jo’s sister-in-law say something like, “yes, it’s not far, might as well just run it” .... apparently oblivious to the fact that we’d already run nearly 13 miles and still had about the same to do again!  You had to be there :-D   It was in the park here that we also saw Rach’s sister, Kate and their mum. 

We caught up with some army guys carrying bergens with a really loud speaker and boom, boom music.  We tried to stay behind them for a while because the view was quite nice, but unfortunately they were walking the whole way, so we were way too fast for them!

It was a real boost to pick up Sarah and Laura at the halfway point and we had a further lift to the spirits as we saw Jo’s Chris  as well as a great gang of our running buddies who were part of a relay team and were still at the changeover point, having done their bit.  A hug fest ensued and that gave us a few minutes rest.

We got into the run-walk rhythm again and headed off for the most difficult stretch which was a long (perhaps two miles) stretch taking us towards the bridge.  We deployed the blue tooth speaker at this point and had a bit of music themed around our specialist subjects -  Queen, The Beatles, 80s pop, Disney and the film Matilda .... I’ll leave you to match the subject with the person!  One thing that made this section more bearable was that it was an out and back section and we could look out for our running buddies coming in the opposite direction.  We saw Mike (J) – on the full marathon and Chris (A) and Lottie Bell doing their half of the two person relay.

Eventually we made it to the bridge and Jo pronounced the quiz OPEN. Der der der deeeeeeer, der da (sing the mastermind music!).  Thank goodness we had this distraction, because it was really windy on the bridge and I could tell that Jo was flagging a little.  Rach and I were getting tired too, probably still having Mablethorpe in our legs. I think we may have slightly picked up the run pace too when Sarah and Laura joined us, just because they were fresh and we had someone else to chat to.  We each took it in turns to ask the questions, Magnus Magnusun style – to the point of interrupting the final question with some beeps and saying, “I’ve started, so I’ll finish!”  Great fun. 

As we got past the second tower of the bridge, guess who appeared down on the pathway running towards us?  Cheryl!  Awww, bless Jo. This bit was really emotional.  I think partly because Jo was feeling tired and the wind was making it hard, and we were hot, and partly because we’d managed to keep  Cheryl’s possible appearance quiet – Jo was completely overcome with sobs. That brought a lump to all our throats.  Cheryl ran the rest of the way over the bridge with us, then disappeared and reappeared under the bridge where she’d asked the band to play us something suitably uplifting – Super-Trooper!  As we trotted off to make our way back onto the bridge on the other side, Cheryl disappeared into the distance again and we resumed the quiz.  Jo seemed uplifted at this point and once halfway over the bridge went into rebel mode and we found ourselves running without any walk breaks for about a mile.  Laura and I hung back a little with Rach who was an absolute Super-Trooper at that point. She was really getting tired – it’s a massive deal to run your first marathon and then run another one 9 days later.  She was in need of more fuel but sick of jelly sweets.  Mini-baby bel cheeses seemed to hit the mark.  I could tell she was finding it tough, but she was an absolute rock – never complained once, just got her head down and got on with it.

After a mile or so of Jo-Mo in Rebel mode, Sarah read the situation well and suggested we resume the run-walk strategy.  It’s all very well bashing on downhill (off the bridge) but we still had 6 miles to go, so no need to get giddy.   As we turned to do our return journey down the out and back section, there was Cheryl again and she kept popping up here and there along the way, getting back in her car – pulling a bit further along and running a little bit with us, once again breaking things up.

We reached the timed track section and out came the coconuts from my little drawstring bag, drinks bottles being quickly collected up and put in the bag!  What a laugh we had. My tiredness was forgotten as I trotted and cantered my way around with my fellow horses and ponies, much to the amusement of the single official remaining at the track.  As we came out of the area – there was Cheryl again, videoing us with her phone and laughing her head off.    Coconuts were put away and drinks bottle returned as we set of for the final stretch.  Rachel wouldn’t be parted from her coconuts ...... Jo had said we would need them again for the finish and I think Rach had runner’s brain, was tiring fast and just needed to avoid any unnecessary extra faffing!

The final run back towards the stadium was a bit difficult.  Roads were reopening seconds ahead of us and although there were still marshals present, some of them didn’t know which way we were supposed to go next.  Although Jo knows the area, she said afterwards that she was beyond working out where to go and it was Sarah who kept us on track, asking people along the way at that final stretch and spotting the remaining marshals. 

As we approached the KCOM, we still had just under a mile to go – this would constitute a lap around the outside of the stadium and ¾ of a lap inside the stadium.  At this point – talking of things you hear on a marathon – Jo said, in rather a posh, but serious matter of fact way, “OK, now Sarah, can you get the coconuts ready please?!”  Hilarious! Surreal!  The drawstring bag was undone for the final time, bottles gathered, coconuts deployed and off we went on the lap outside the stadium.  I must admit I was at the end of myself by that point, as were Rach and Laura and we dropped back considerably from Jo, who seemed to have got a second wind, and Sarah, who was very focused on supporting Jo.  They waited for us at the entry to the stadium and although we caught up at that point, my legs just couldn’t go quick enough to keep with Jo, who was already cantering into the limelight, clattering her coconuts as she went!  Laura, Rach and I were still flagging and Sarah dropped back to join us.

It was the perfect ending – it was so right that Jo Mo was as lively as you like, head held high, enjoying the moment and able to canter on ahead, whist we four trotted behind and came over the finish just line a few second afterwards.  The clatter of 5 pairs of coconut halves being bashed echoed wonderfully around the stadium, now almost empty apart from the faithful CRC runners and supporters waiting to cheer us in.

What a day.  I was so proud of Jo and Rach and grateful to Sarah and Laura for the additional support.  And tired.  And emotional.  What an amazing ending to a wonderful hat trick of marathon debuts.

I love this pic of us all after we'd finished.  Thanks you so much to everyone who came to support and to those who ran  themselves and waited for us to finish.  Too many to mention without risk of leaving someone out - you all know who you are.

Special thanks to all who took photos on the day and have sent them to me - you bring the story alive and create very special memories for us.

Having had the pleasure of running along side 3 people completing their first marathon - Chris, Rachel and now Jo, I just want to re-post the following pic, aimed an anyone who is thinking of training for their first: 

To read about the other two marathon debuts, click here for Chris and click here for Rachel

A Hat Trick of Marathon Debuts – Part 2 – Rachel.

The one that (nearly) got away.

There is a saying – “any fool can run, but it takes a special kind of idiot to run a marathon!”  So, how crazy does that make someone who books their first marathon, and then books their second marathon for the week after?  Well, that’s exactly what Rachel did – signed up to Mablethorpe Marathon, scheduled for 1 October and Hull Marathon on 24 September.  I was already entered in both – to support Jo-Mo at Hull and Cheryl at Mablethorpe.  Cheryl decided to defer her entry to next year so Rach and I decided to train for and run Mablethorpe together. 

As it happened, Mablethorpe marathon was cancelled, due to illness of one of the organisers.  You’d have thought that we would have breathed a sigh of relief, wouldn’t you?  But, oh no!  With help from Chris and Andrew, we immediately started planning how we might run the marathon route regardless! After all, it would be a shame to waste all that training!  Initially, we thought we would run it on the day the actual marathon was scheduled, but eventually decided to run it sooner.  We kept it quiet, continued the training and over a few weeks, it grew into .....

The Genuine Fake Secret Mablethorpe Marathon – 

15^th September 2017.

Ready to embark on Rachel's first Marathon

So, there was one secret going on, in that we told hardly anyone of our plans.  And then there were other plans afoot in the background, to make this experience as good as possible and as much like a real race as possible, for Rachel.  Andrew organised medals, I made race numbers and goodie bags and Chris got some boozy prizes to present at the end.   On top of this, Andrew secretly let Laura in on the secret, so that she could appear near the finish as a surprise!  I’m feeling quite emotional thinking about this.

A big thank you to RaceDirector, Andrew and Official Starter, Chris

We arrived in Mablethorpe to start our race at the same time that the actual race was due to start on the day, 9.00am, with Rach and I ready to run, and Chris and Andrew with bikes to be our marshals, route planners, water / fuel carriers and general all round supporters!  Andrew had the route – from Steve Green’s Strava map when he was the official course measurer, so we were all good to go.

Andrew was Race Director and Chris was the Official Starter. Three, two, one, go ... and we’re off!  Our plan, as in training was to run the first 3 miles and then go over to 3 minutes run, one minute walk strategy.  Initially the weather seemed perfect as we did a little loop of Mablethorpe including the high street and then headed down the sea front towards Sutton-on-Sea.  We have run in some baking hot weather in training, and had some difficult runs because of the heat, so we were pleased for a cooler, more comfortable day. 

We had an early route change when we realised we would be heading down a main road and that this might be dangerous for 2 runners and 2 cyclists close together on a busy Friday.  It would have been different on the official race day as the road would have been closed

Breeze.

As we turned to come back towards Mablethorpe for the first time (the marathon is a two lapper), we turned into a light head-wind and realised why it was so easy-going the other way.  Rachel was going really well and we had a chat at that point about how to deal with the wind. We decided to try to walk really briskly on the walk sections so that we didn’t have to stress about trying to run hard against the wind on our run sections.  Chris and Andrew were absolute superstars, managing to get a few photos, constantly checking we were ok and giving us drinks / gels / jelly sweets so that we didn’t have to think very much.

I think we were all relieved to turn back towards Sutton to get the wind behind us again.  We were fascinated by the chalets – some basic and some very up-market, and on the second lap out I jabbered to Rach about them to help take her mind off the inevitable fatigue that was beginning. 

Bloody Wind!

We could tell that the wind was getting up more because with it behind us we were being pushed along – but when we turned around for the second time, it was horrendous.  Then at some point, it started to rain, and come down quite heavy.  I didn’t feel too bad but I really felt for Chris and Andrew on the bikes.  It’s difficult enough to keep warm on a bike whist pedalling fast, but cycling at our running pace must have been awful.

We knew we had to extend the run along the prom for a few more miles (because of detouring away from the main road) and at one point, I thought we could just run up and down the prom.  However, the wind was just making it extremely difficult – it’s a wonder Rach didn’t get blown away!  It was hard to even keep moving forward at all.  So Andrew re-routed us back into the town, adding a loop here and a street there to keep us out of the wind and at one point riding off ahead to see how far back to the car park so that we would hit 26.2 miles at the right point. 

The moment that Rach saw Laura.

Rach can’t manage energy gels and shot blocks, and can only take a limited number of jelly sweets.  With about 5 miles to go, I could see she was tiring and she couldn’t manage any more jelly sweets as she was feeling a bit sick. It had now stopped raining and the sun came out  a blessing for our dedicated bike marshals, but making it suddenly hot for us, and sapping Rachel’s energy further.   I jabbered and chatted to try to keep her distracted, but even as I said, at the 23 mile point, “only a parkrun to go”, I knew that it would still seem a very long way to Rachel.   I can’t express enough what a big deal anyone’s first marathon is.  It’s so true when seasoned marathoners tell us, “you have to respect the distance.”    I talked to her about who would be the first person she would tell when we were finished.  She said that she was calling to see Laura on the way home so would tell her.  I secretly sniggered, knowing that Laura was already somewhere in Mablethorpe!  

Surprise, surprise.

As we ran up Mablethorpe High street for the final time, we had about a mile and a half to go.  We had mooted the idea, when training, of running the last mile but at this point we decided to keep up the run-walk strategy as it was getting really tough.  But as we got to the end of the High Street, there was Laura!  PERFECT timing – absolutely perfect.  I was using Strava Beacon and Laura was tracking so she knew roughly where to find us.  Bless Rach – she stared, in total shock, and said, between sobs,  “there’s Laura! – How did..?” then turned to us and said, “... did you know?”.  Awww, bless her – proper runner’s brain.  But how this perked her up!  FANTASTIC!  She ran all the rest of the way and had a smile on her face.  Chris and Andrew rode on ahead once they knew that we knew our way back, and as we turned into the car park, there they were with a finish tape of Lincolnshire flag bunting.

I can’t tell you how proud I felt at the end and how emotional it was as we crossed that line hand in hand and as Rachel’s Garmin ticked over to show 26.2 for the first time ever.

Lots of hugs all round followed..... and then medals and prize-giving.  Rach was overall winner and I won my age category!  We had a feeling we might win!  

We popped into the cafe on the car park for a drink and a bite to eat and further post-race chat. The cheese bun I had was the best I've every tasted.  Sometimes it's like that after a long run, if the only fuel has been gels and sweets.  Rachel looked tired but pleased and I was really happy that we’d managed to make an occasion out of it, following the disappointment of the official race being cancelled.   

I have to end by thanking Chris and Andrew once again for supporting us both in this.  The weather was awful for you and you just got your heads down and got on with it.  Thanks for the medals and prizes.  Thank you Laura for coming out to support Rach, on your birthday, no less – it really made that last mile and the finish extra special.

Having completed her first marathon, Rach would go on to complete her second one, just nine days later – see ‘A hat trick of marathon debuts – part 3 – Jo Mo.

Next up Jo Mo does Hull Marathon