Here I am two days later. My feet ache, my muscles in my legs seize up if I sit down, even my shoulders hurt, which didn’t happen in training. But I am content. I really honestly didn’t think I would get under 4:30, and even at 26 miles I wasn’t sure I would!
Its been a hard five months, not so much physically, but mentally getting yourself out on the road day in day out. Taking the pain, and trying not to have the beer on a sunny day because you have to run that day or the next. Endless painful hours plodding on the tarmac. But its worth it. It’s only now that’s I realise that I have achieved something that I have thought about doing for years and years. Its easy to be that person who thinks – yeah I *could* do that if only I had the time or real inclination to do it. To go from that initial thought and statement in the pub in Little Haven last year to finishing it, is the bit I am most proud of, its the knowledge that I set myself a goal and now I have achieved it.
I am not sure I will do much running from here on, I may do one run a week – because it must be doing me some good. I will be taking to the bike come next week though, as we have arranged our cycle tour for the 1st weekend in August, so have to get my body into cycling shape ready for that.
Just want to say thanks to my family, and especially my wife who helped me to take all the time I did to run and run and run whilst she made sure that everything was covered whilst I was off “enjoying” myself on the road to nowhere.
Thanks to everyone who came up and supported us on the run, I really think it made a difference.
Thanks to any of you who may have read this blog – I hope you may be able to show this to other potential marathon runners, or even to get you out and completing one?
And finally a very, very big thank you to everyone who has donated to the Prostate Cancer charity I ran for. We have around £400 so far, and the donations remain open for a couple of months so we may get even more.
Thanks all.
Bye for now.
Andrew.
Results: http://www.jandresults.co.uk/
The course: http://www.shakespearemarathon.org.uk/Maps.html