Bournemouth Marathon 2013

I didn't really train for this, but I think I have enough guile and residual fitness to get round.  I did 20 miles to Polhill and back and wasn't destroyed and at 9:30 pace.  It's a couple of hour drive down to Bournemouth.  I park up and prepare.  I get someone to take a photo I look fat.  I get someone else to take a photo and I still look fat.  Still I'm not after anything spectacular today.

We start off and I am remarkably disciplined.  I hold a steady pace.  The first mile takes ages to come.  The second and third are equally hard.  By 7 miles I am really struggling.

Then the sun starts to beat down and gradually I am frazzled.  Even before halfway I start a run walk, 9 minutes running 1 minute walking.   This then soon becomes 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking.  This helps.  Around mile 18 I consider DNF'ing but I want the medal.

I start to get really thirsty and at some points I am so sun effected I have to walk for long bursts though this is hard.  Towards the end I manage to do some running but I am absolutely destroyed.  Even though I am thirsty and hot, I can't drink anymore water.

Finally I spy the finish and manage somehow to sprint at full tilt.

I'm glad I hadn't trained too hard for this as even if I was in tip-top shape then I would have still blown-up.  I can't run Marathons in the Direct Bright Sun.  But who knows what Marathon day is going to be like?  I think I will train hard for Brighton and then maybe knock the marathons on the head.  To much work for too uncertain an outcome.

26.2 Miles 4:38:58