Short and Sweet.

Job done. Stuart McLeod

Kate Barney – She looks like she could run it again.

Stuart’s Marathon
 

Report – Stuart McLean


So this was my chance to run the London Marathon after the shock of getting a ‘good for age’ place following my first ever marathon run at Brighton last year.

Not the best of preparation, coming back from a walking/running holiday in Scotland which meant RICE treatment for a calf strain and spending the Wednesday evening with the club’s own Emma Bexson treating my twisted spine. Thanks Emma you worked wonders!
 
It was very well organised and the opportunity to chat with other runners before the start even found me talking to a previous Stratford ‘Morrisons’  manager now living in Bristol who started C25K last year and was running his first marathon.

A very crowded run saw me start just after 11am and with massive 10 deep crowd support saw me hit the half way point in 2hr 28min.

As I was supporting the National Autistic Society my name was on my vest and shouts of STU ART STU ART were ringing in my ears.

Lots of drink stations including Lucozade but the road surface there was like running through treacle and I understand one runner did pour a cup of the golden stuff over his head thinking it was water!

 Naturally, I wanted to allow another runner the chance to get a ‘good for age’ place next year so did the gentlemanly thing of slowing down for the second half, declining the offer of oxygen from the fully clad fireman’s cylinder and a lift from the RNLI lifeboat.

5hr 41min after I started I crossed the line and was whisked off to the Dilly Hotel with my supporters (Angela, Luke, Fiona, and grandchildren Freya & Sebby) where the charity fed and watered us providing me with a welcome massage.

Would I do it again – Not a chance! Unless of course my name is drawn in the ballot of half a million other hopefulls.
 

Kate’s Marathon
 

As we all know you don’t choose London Marathon, London Marathon chooses you. Just as I was beginning to think it was a myth that people got places through the ballot, my acceptance email came through – I was stunned but excited!

Fast forward 6 months, training started with the goal to achieve a sub-4-hour marathon. I roped in Sarah Bland to give myself a fighting chance of achieving it but life had other plans and about halfway through my training block my left IT band decided it no longer wanted to function and the prospects of hitting that target were beginning to look less likely.

I knew that I wanted to be on that start line and reduced my expectations accordingly.

Running was replaced by stretching, foam rolling and strength training and after a fortuitous week of skiing in the Alps, I was ready to resume training – albeit 4 weeks out from the big day.

The final training weeks were productive (slightly reminiscent of Eryri Marathon) and my original goal was starting to look more realistic. The excitement was building and it was time to head to London. 

I arrived at Greenwich in good time, dropped off my bag and waited in the red section until my wave was called. All the initial excitement I had had the preceding week had disappeared and was replaced with a feeling I couldn’t quite put my finger on – it was like my body realised it had to run a marathon and was no longer excited by the prospect.

The feeling carried on until we hit Woolwich where I gave myself a stern pep talk and threw myself into the race.

The 1^st half felt smooth with a personal highlight being spotting the Hardest Geezer stood in the middle of the road at Greenwich.

The roads passed by and I arrived at Tower Bridge bang on pace. I soaked all the noise and cheer in before going into a focus mode for the second half. 

I felt good until about mile 18 – the muscle soreness had begun to creep in a few miles back and had really started to take hold through Canary Wharf. I experienced something similar when I ran Manchester last year and during that decided to walk. I really wanted to again but there was a voice reminding me that 1) it’s going to take you a hell of a lot longer to get back if you walk meaning 2) you will be in pain for longer.

So, I ploughed on allowing myself to slow down but not stop running.

The final hour was a blur as I focused on the task ahead. Before I knew it Big Ben was in front of me – I definitely wasn’t stopping now. At this point, I had resigned to the fact that I wasn’t achieving a sub-4 but I knew I was still on for a PB.

Crossing the line, my watch buzzed to tell me I had finished in 04:01:04. We all know that is extremely close to 4 hours but do you think I was disappointed? 100% no.

I had managed to run the entire marathon and, in the process, achieved a 22-minute PB. I was over the moon and incredibly proud that I had managed to ignore every little voice that told me to walk. 

London Marathon? Completed it. Name back in the ballot? Of course it is.

Maggie Silvers and Josh Davies

 

Corby Open

Maggie Silvers and Josh Davies, a couple of our talented juniors’ competed in the Corby Open on Tuesday both running in the 800m.

For U13 Maggie it was her first official event at this distance and she should be really pleased with herself as she dipped under 3 minutes to record a time of 2:58.57.

U17 Josh ran 2:17.21, a big 10 second PB with his last 3 attempts at this distance all being circa 2:27. By all accounts he ran a storming 2nd lap. I’ve never been able to master that somehow. 

Reece Yarnold

 

 

U13 Reece Yarnold who competed in the Ashton 5k last Sunday, finishing in 15th place overall with a time of 20:13.9.

The race was won by our U20 Tom Cox in 16:58.7. His winning margin being a comfortable 38 seconds. Also spotted in the results was U13 Reuben Joyce who was 23rd in a time of 21:59.4