The Last Word

It is with some sadness and a lot of relief that I pen my last Marathon Woman blog post. As many of you will know by now Teresa and I completed it in a time of 5 hours 29 minutes and 6 seconds having run the whole thing in very mixed weather conditions.

Rather than take you step by step through the race (I don't really want to write all of that and I'm pretty sure you don't want to read all of that) I'll summarise the before, during and after and maybe just sentimentally reflect on our (all together now) 'Journey' that brought us to this point.

Before: Well Edinburgh is absolutely beautiful and I'm so glad we made a long weekend of it and got to enjoy some of the city. The Hilton was also a great shout and we made good use of the pool facilities to relax us the evening before! I think if I could go back and do any of the preparation again I wouldn't change it. Mentally we were in a good place, we'd eaten a good amount but of (mostly) sensible stuff and it felt good to finally be on the brink of an event that had been hanging over us since December and had basically consumed our time, energy, thoughts and relationships for many months.

I think I was at my most nervous on the Saturday. A continuous stream of good luck messages was brilliant but served as an ever present reminder of what we had to accomplish and that many many people would be waiting for a favourable report the next day. I also think for the week before I had deliberately not thought about the challenge that lay ahead, lest I become overwhelmed, and with time just to relax and think over the weekend those thoughts came to the forefront of my mind. Sunday morning was a long morning. An early breakfast of very exciting porridge and fruit, then a long wait around. When we finally made our way to the start line (having the debate of do I try and do one more wee or just hope for the best) we were ready. We chatted to a few like minded people who we saw then on the way round and at the finish, and the excitement and expectation was very very tangible. Steve and Farley took our bags wished us well, then we were on our own. Us against the world!


It was a great experience though. And I'm very privileged to have done the whole thing with Tree, even to the point of crossing the line in exactly the same time. We in turn provided much amusement for our fellow runners. Having followed advice to write our names on our shirts (best tip we received, SO many passersby shouted encouragement and just hearing random people calling out your name was such a lift), we also decided to write a little slogan. Teresa went with 'she made me do it' with an accusatory arrow pointing in my direction, and I fought back with 'she said it would be fun'. We had a lot of laughs and conversations with people on the way round and each one put a smile on our faces that took us a little bit further.


Also having determined not to eat any sweets from strangers on the way (we hadn't done it in training, so I wasn't going to do it in the race), at the first kindly family holding out a packet of jelly babies I just thought 'screw it' and proceeded to accept the generosity of every sweetie giver-outerer from that point onward.

After: The first thing I did when I crossed the line (apart from stop running) was cry. And the first thing I said was 'I'm never doing that again'. But my short term memory has kicked in once again and I'm already pondering if perhaps I may do another marathon or two in future. I still can't actually believe we did it. I sort of knew in my head that we would but it wasn't until probably mile 22 that I actually knew that we would, and that we wouldn't walk, and I think I was fighting the emotion from then on.

When we eventually found our way to the runners area afterwards we were greeted by big hugs and Creme Eggs. WHOOP! We had a very long walk to the buses back to the city centre, which probably aided recovery, and were certainly in a much better condition than some casualties who hobbled across the line with crimson socks from bleeding feet. Unfortunately, after a week of being sensible and looking longingly at the desserts and drink we were going to enjoy on Sunday evening, I was just too tired to indulge! (well that's a lie, we did attack a monster brownie dessert between the four of us but I think it's only fair!)

We had been forewarned of a feeling of depression following the event, and this really hit me on Monday and Tuesday. Probably not helped by the long journey back from bonny Scotland but for us we had experienced the elation on Sunday, received the congratulations etc and enjoyed the plaudits. What follows is days and days of being asked expectantly 'how was it? did you enjoy it?' and struggling to answer with the enthusiasm that is expected of you by the asker. I must have seemed quite rude to many of you, and I apologise and thank you for your enquiries and support, but even though it's a relief it's all over, there is a disappointment and a sadness that what you have invested so much of yourself in is now accomplished, which is why so many people immediately ask of themselves 'what's next?'!

What's Next?! So, what is next? Well, on the running front I will keep training over the summer (my body has now recovered sufficiently that I can think of this without trepidation) and am looking forward to a half marathon in September with my brother. I think for me the next challenge will be non-athletic. I have relationships I need to now invest more time into, an exciting summer of seeing friends and family ahead, and things I want to get more involved in at my church like youth work and house group. Plus two months and amazingly the football season will have rolled round again. So I think I'm quite busy enough!

So this is it for now, the end of Marathon Woman (not the end of me but the end of the, one more time, 'Journey' that started with me not being able to run for more than 30seconds nonstop and finished with five and a half hours of continuous, albeit slow and steady, running). Thank you so much for your support, money, prayers and belief in us. This is the first thing I've taken up and really stuck at so it really is possible to achieve stuff if you persevere. Right, that's enough from Oprah Winfrey, thanks again everyone!

Can I have my Easter egg now please Mark?!

Here We Go...

2 days 20 hours 52 minutes and 25 seconds remaining. According to the official Edinburgh Marathon website. Last day at work today, and I'm racking my brain to make sure everything is in place to take.

Realised I had made a bit of a faux pas yesterday when looking at the bumpf and the course route. For some reason, in my head, cities are like Bath, where I went to uni. Full of history and culture, and also small enough to walk across in an hour or so. However there are of course larger cities. Like London or Edinburgh, that you just cannot walk across in an hour. So when looking at the position of the start line (about 100 yards from the hotel) and the finish line (about 6-7 miles from the start) I realised that there may be a slight issue post race.

Now I have to hold my hands up and say that Teresa did bring to my attention weeks ago the availability of shuttle bus passes from the finish back to the start. And my reaction was something like '(laughing) oh no my dear friend, we don't want to waste money on something like that, we'll just walk as our cool down, it won't be far that'. FOOL! And I heartily apologise to Tree!

Now rather fortuitously, the bus tickets, sold on a first some first served basis, were still available yesterday and have now been purchased, downloaded and printed ready for the off. That would have been a very nasty shock after the elation of finishing! I'm sure in years gone by we would look back and laugh at my foolish naivety, but that's only if The others were still speaking to me :(

I did my last run yesterday evening. Just a short and steady 2.5miles to keep my legs ticking over. Mr Minstrel has helped me along on the carbo loading front today and despite the constant nervous buzz in my tummy I am finding I am able to eat quite well.

There really isn't much more we can do now except rest up and fuel up and trust in the preparation we have done. I had read on the official website that there would be some televised coverage, for those that have asked, but I can't find any trace of this in Sky TV listings. Pity.

I'm sure you will all be eagerly awaiting the next instalment, no turning back now!

2 days 20 hours 39 minutes and 59, 58, 57, 56....

Reality Check

Reality is starting to bite today.

I went for a 4mile run Monday night which I very much enjoyed, took it easy, and the legs felt good. My last run will be tonight, another easy 4miles and then important rest and fuelling up for Sunday. SUNDAY!!!!

My race number and timing chip came through Monday and I was very excited when I got home, and that is excitement is definitely there today as I print off all the paperwork I need and start to think about what to pack. But today another emotion has come to settle in my stomach. I wouldn't go so far as to call it dread. But I think fear would be an accurate description.

I guess fear of the unknown. Fear of death, well maybe not death but fear of pain. But most of all my old nemesis- fear of failure. I'm not entirely sure what would constitute failure at this stage. Not finishing it would obviously be gutting but I'm confident that we have prepared as best we can and as we are both very determined we will finish, unless we have medical problems and are forced to pull out by the marshals. But even if we come in way over our desired time, compared to where we started and just how far we have come, we are a success. And I think for both of us, having lots of interests and being perhaps a bit flighty at times (me certainly), this is the first thing that we've really taken up and stuck with, so that in itself is also a huge achievement.

So now we're at the bit I was really looking forward to- eating. I excel at eating, always have done :) But my recklessness seems to have disappeared and instead of reaching for 1kg of Dairy Milk I'm going with bagels, fruit, pasta, rice etc. How very exciting. Maybe I am finally growing up.

Nah!

(As a little aside I did buy 6 Creme Eggs for £1 yesterday at Farm Foods, bit of free advertising, but can confirm all six are still present and correct in their unopened packaging and will be waiting for us at the finishing line on Sunday. Well maybe not all 6 in one go! Depends how much pain we are in and whether eating ourselves into a Creme Egg induced coma will help numb that pain).

The forecast looks ideal. About 12 degrees, overcast/ raining, stereotypical Scotland really!

I expect you will get one more broadcast from me tomorrow then silence until it is all over. We will be setting off at 6.45am on Friday morning for the long drive and returning sometime Monday evening, triumphant but exhausted I would imagine.

A final plea, please please consider sponsoring us if you haven't already. As cliched as it is, knowing that we are doing this not only as a personal achievement but to raise money for an excellent cause will really help when the fatigue hits :D

The Final Countdown

well, we're both on countdown mode now. This time next week we will be on our way back from the great city of Edinburgh, probably stopping at every Burger King on the way down :)

6 days to go and the hard graft of preparation has been put in and is now behind us. This week I have two more runs left to do, tonight and Wednesday, both of which will be about 4-5 miles but pretty gentle just to keep the legs ticking over and keep my head in the game. And lots of eating soon.

The weekend wasn't as diligent in eating as it could have been, what with it being Eurovision, but I stayed away from chocolate and indulgences were limited to Chinese and cake. And I did run. I'm still focusing on the protein for the next couple of days to continue to aid muscle repair and then Wednesday onwards I will start to reduce the protein and up the intake of complex carbohydrates. Although advice says you can feast on sugary carbs as it will all be stored as glycogen, I want to try, as far as is possible, to keep focused, to fuel up with carbs that are mainly lower in fat, so as to avoid the sluggish feeling that can come from too much chocolatey type stuff.

My excitement is building now. I'm trying not to think too much about the pain that lies ahead but I am really happy with the efforts we have put nto the preparation and I firmly believe that will pay off on race day. Also hoping this glorious overcast weather holds as that would be ideal race day conditions.

Thank you for your ongoing support. If you are able please consider supporting us via our justgiving page- www.justgiving.com/sueandteresa

We'll do the hard work on Sunday on your behalf!

11 days to go- Taper Time :)

Early yesterday morning I was doing some more research on the Internet on tapering- the preparation period in the couple of weeks before a marathon when your running tapers down and your eating increases. Goody I thought. The advice I read yesterday, from a good source, Runners' World magazine, actually advised a 3 week prep period with the long run (20miles) last weekend, as opposed to the 2 week period I'd previously read about. Hmm, I thought, well it's a bit late for that now as we'd planned all along to do 20miles yesterday then ease down from there. So, we decided to go for the 20 and stick with original plans.

I did everything to spec for marathon day, down to clothing etc as well. And when I put on my red Ormiston running vest not only was I pleasantly surprised by the reflection in the mirror (contrary to popular belief Lycra can cover a multitude of sins if it's particularly supportive) but I felt very excited for the first time, and really quite proud.

So anyway, got to Tree's, had a mini photo shoot in our gear (will get some pics up later) and got ready to hit the road. It was hot, really not nice to run in. Tree wasn't relishing the thought of running for longer than she'd had hours sleep (poor Tree didn't get back from a weekend away until the early hours to face the prospect of a 20miler in sunny Colchester) but determined to do it.

We were going ok, pacing ourselves, focused on the task ahead then out of nowhere Tree suffered a bit of a panic attack at 9 miles. Never had one before, not sure what caused it, but pretty scary. So, once Tree had calmed down and got her breath we walked for a few hundred yards then a gentle jog the last half mile back to the house. By this point Tree was absolutely fine, back to normal but...

One of the things we have developed in this training is adaptability and as much as it would have been a psychological boost to know we'd done the magic 20 before race day, you also need to be sensible and to react to circumstances as they arise. So we regrouped at Tree's, filled up on water, packed our swimming things, and did another 4.5miles ish with back packs (for me that was worse than the ten without, so uncomfortable!) to the local pool/ mini spa where we then enjoyed an afternoon of switching between jacuzzis, steam rooms and the cold plunge (me, not Tree, chicken ;D) all in the name of aiding blood flow to muscles and boosting recovery. And it really did help. I can actually walk up stairs today. I also bopped down to a low cupboard and up again. Accompanied by a loud cracking sounds form my knees but still an improvement on last time!

So, tapering. The RW plan was something like- 3 weekends before 20 miles (we did 18 so not too far off :S), 2 weekend before 12-14miles (14.5, get in), 1 weekend before 8-10miles (you'll be lucky! Pretty busy, might be able to squeeze in 5-7 miles). Also meant to be doing short runs (no more than 4miles) on some of the days in between. So not quite the restful week of eating I'd previously envisaged but I will do whatever I have to in order to be as prepared as possible in the last couple of weeks.

Eating wise, we've now upped our protein for a few days to aid muscle repair and recovery and decreased carbs a little to balance the calorie intake. My last run will be either next Wednesday or Thursday afternoon and it'll probably be next Wednesday onwards that I will properly carb it up. Lots of pasta and bread and fruit and veg. Good fats are also advised, nuts, seeds etc, vitamin C as our immune systems are vulnerable with all this intense running malarky. Any chocolate etc will be stored as glycogen, so it's all valid, but I'm going to try and just be a bit restrained and sensible and go for the complex carbs that are lower in fat. High trans-fats are out (bye bye icecream) and Sensible Sue is here.

But even with just 11 days to go the battle this afternoon has been Minstrels or no Minstrels? It's a no-brainer really, to have come this far the answer is (of course) no Minstrels. And I've held out (mini cheer for me, whoop!), but I do need to get a grip on my chocolate consumption habits because once the running dies down they'll be no saving grace for my tummy anymore!

Please keep supporting us to the bitter end!!!!

13 days and 1 long training run to go :)

We're so very nearly there. I lost focus a little with my eating again this week but not disastrously. Well, not by my definition of disastrous anyway. A couple of short runs, Friday and this morning, and my knees have recovered from last Monday ready to go again tomorrow!

Tomorrow will be hard. 20 miles but a familiar circuit so we'll have a realistic idea of how far round we are which I prefer. I like to have that mental control and to know what's coming. The forecast is 21 degrees and bright sunshine which is far from ideal as we'll be starting at 10am- the same as actual race day so we can prepare food wise as we will then- and running for about 4 hours through the hottest part of the day. But, as much as we're hoping otherwise, it really could be like that on race day the way the summer is going so far so at least we'll have practised in that.

It's in sight now. I'm still pretty happy with our preparation, we've followed all the knowledge and advice we've been given, and I think that will pay off on the day. Ideally I'd be carrying about 2 stone less around but at least I have strong leg muscles as a result :S

It's really good to know that we only have one more long run before the event, when we will want to savour every moment and feel rightly proud of what we will achieve! I had a bit of a breakthrough this week in that I really really enjoyed the run I did Friday morning. It was only 5 miles but it was absolutely glorious and I think I can finally say that I'm a runner. Looking forward to early morning summer runs when this is over when the air is fresh and the bugs are still asleep!

Once again thanks for all your support so far. Keep supporting us to the very end, we'll need it!

Behaving Myself :(

Eating good stuff is no fun! What I would really like to do is go ito town after work, and buy a big bag of chocolate buttons to eat while watching a film tonight. And even though I've got to drag myself round 26 miles in 2 and a half weeks I probably would if I didn't have to admit to it on here. So, today- cereal, an apple, tuna sandwich, mini ryvitas, a yoghurt. Gosh, what an exciting life I lead! This afternoon, will probably have a banana. Liver, potatoes and veg for dinner (get those iron levels up!), and maybe some strawberries and a meringue nest for dessert. Whoop!!! :)

Hippos Really Can Run

Sitting here recovering from this morning's run so I thought I'd update you all with our progress (I will aim to update more frequently in the lead up to the marathon). We did 18miles this morning and very glad to have done that and battled through. It was a battle at times, mentally and physically, but apart from a brief water and comfort stop at Tree's after 10miles (scheduled in!) we ran it all. We both hit a wall. Not sure if it's 'THE' wall, or if there's worse to come on the day but we kept going. I also managed to run into a piece of sharp wire sticking out from something so now have a 6 inch gash on my leg (not as dramatic as I'm making it sound) plus a hole in my favoured pair of running trousers :(

I felt mentally ready for the run this morning which was a huge positive. I had done one gym session and an eight mile run in the last week to tide me over and loaded up on carbs yesterday to give myself a fighting chance today. I used a lot of self talk today to keep me going when it got tough ('keep strong and positive' and 'in 3 weeks it will be over' being 2 of the most used phrases!). I wore a hat. I wasn't sick when we finished. The conditions were slightly cooler than last week, with a nice breeze, but a couple of degrees cooler still on race day wouldn't hurt. But we'll have to see what we're dealt on the day.

One thing that continues to plague me is a phenomenon I like to call 'runner's tummy'. And anyone who run long distances will know what I mean! Horrible cramps from about mile 7-8 onwards, but not a huge amount you can do except keep running. (If anyone has found a solution to this do let me know!). And today I had knee twinges while running for the first time. They always ache afterwards but not normally during. But, on the whole we've been very fortunate to stay injury free during training and a couple of rest days should help. On the day we'll just have to keep going so suck it up Sue :D

We have our last long run next Tuesday, when we'll be doing 20miles, then a week and a half of tapering with a couple of short runs and proper food preparation. I think Tree would like an extra week of training but I just don't think I can mentally take it! I don't want to wish time away but the relief of having it done and out the way in 3 weeks is definitely a motivating factor to just dig deep for the last couple of weeks. Then a break. Until I start training for the next half marathon in September. Oh yeah, and although I said I wasn't entering the London marathon ballot...well I did! Co-erced by my oldest brother. And it turns out, again despite saying otherwise, that Tree's thrown her name in the hat as well. Gluttons for punishment. Hi, my name's Sue and I'm a runaholic.

The other thing I'm struggling with, and might as well share with the world, is feeling like a hippo! Albeit a hippo that can run for 18miles. My eating's not been brilliant lately and following the marathon I will be heading back to Wibbly Wobblies to shed the last couple of stone that plagues me. Yes, I am definitely a lot fitter than I used to be, but it'd be best all round for my joints, heart, risk of obesity, cancer, heart disease and everything else associated with excess blubber, if I get rid of it once and for all. Bye bye Ben & Jerry :(

So for now I am going to start blogging my eating until the marathon to keep me on the straight and narrow- starting today:

Today- BIG bowl of porridge and honey, apricots, Yorkie (I know, they're not for girls but if you can't have one after 18miles of running when can you?), prawn sandwich, then probably...apple, sweet and sour pork and rice (sadly not from the Chinese or deep fried in anyway), and a yoghurt. And lots of water.

I need the accountability people!! Finally, my constant concern with what people think of me has a purpose- to keep me focused for the last bit of the 'journey' (just for you Steve, haven't rolled out the J word in a while).

Thanks for your continued support, really does help!