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I knew when I wrote the last blog that there were some runs coming up so therefore I would have something to write about. However, within hours of pressing "publish" I got the news I've been waiting for. Like most others who entered the London Marathon ballot, my heart sank when the bulky magazine arrived, meaning that it was a "no". I know there are other marathons and I know the chances were small, but after a feeble attempt last year (yes, I got injured but I still think it's feeble), and for other personal reasons, I was naturally disappointed. So, I went down the charity route again which in itself is another lottery! Again, disappointment waited for me here but a phone call, a good conversation, and then the offer of a place to run for SCOPE has delighted me!
Many people will become converts to their charitable cause, but this really is something close to my heart. I have a number of friends, whom in one way or another have a disability and seem to have to fight to get noticed. This both saddens and infuriates me. If I tell someone that I'm meeting another friend, I won't describe them as "the guy who wears red shoes", or "the girl with the yellow tights" - I'll use their name. So if I am meeting one of my aforementioned friends, why should I refer to their chair? Of course, some christen their chairs with names and I may refer to them as a double act, but seeing someone for their chair, not for the person they are is just wrong on so many levels. #lookbeyondthechair is my hashtag for this race and hopefully others will do the same!
The day had already started well with a cheeky 5km run on the prom with Paramedic Anderson getting her run in before a shift. The temperatures are dropping for sure and it was a stunning morning for a gentle run. We were joined for the last 200 metres (which seemed longer as I stupidly commented how I couldn't believe we were finishing already!) by a Hove Prom regular. We had a good chat - even if he said I looked better than I did on Saturday where I was much slower! - and it was with a tinge of regret, that as he headed off, I never asked his name. Nevertheless, a great start to the morning and that was before the phone call and subsequent email!
Wednesday as ever is GoodGym night and I was able to make a prompt start to the run which meant I was treated to some magnificent colours from the setting sun. So many people out recording the sky with their phones, and whilst I was tempted mid-run, I found I was actually enjoying myself. Yes, a second run of the day and this felt great. Whatever tonic a VMLM place gives you should be bottled and sold for a tidy profit! Good to see Melissa powering down the Prom and even nicer that she saw me. It's been a running joke (a pun so bad it's almost good) that when I see her she has the sunglasses and earphones on and doesn't hear or see any shouts or waves from me. Tonight, no such problem!! There was even time to catch the last bits of the red sky, before darkness took a hold!
Flush with new found enthusiasm, Luce and I met at a very chilly Preston Park the following morning to do yet another freedom run. The legs may have protested but it was a good start to the day. The weather is finally turning and with the chance of colder weather coming this weekend, it is good to know the inhaler is stocked up on. As Lucy headed off for another twelve hour shift, I took solace in the sauna at the gym! Toasty!!
Friday saw me head up to "That London" to catch up with Frances , where I once again indulged in my hobby of scaring Southerners by starting conversations on the tube and offering my seat to anyone who looked like they needed it. It was also an opportunity to lay the ghost (a little bit) of VMLM '18. I'm not sure how Frances and I came up with this idea but as part of our occasional training runs together, we plotted a route from Bermondsey (my usual place of residence the night before the marathon) to the finish line on The Mall. My plans the day before were almost scuppered when I discovered that walkjogrun.net has gone to the web browser in the sky, meaning I spent several frustrating minutes on Strava trying to plot the route. I now know that as you come over Tower Bridge, you're actually about a parkrun from the finish line....until some git makes you turn RIGHT towards Canary Wharf instead of LEFT! We'd planned to do at least ten miles and from our starting position (outside the tube station) we knew there would be some adding on at the end. The run itself started off fine, with me basically boring the arse off Frances with "oh and when I got to this stage at VMLM <insert boring memory here>" and "on the day, when you get here...." Alas for the poor girl, those members of the public whom on marathon day will be out in all weathers cheering and supporting, were today wandering aimlessly about on the pavements, heads buried in mobile phone screens and generally just getting in the way, so an escape from my war stories was impossible.
It was great to dismiss the disappointment of VMLM '18 with this run and it renewed a drive and desire for the marathon which quite frankly has been missing since I crossed the line at WMLM 2016. That year, as anyone who knows me will have been told several times, I did Barcelona, Manchester, Brighton and London in the space of seven weeks; there was a real fear factor in my training and a purpose - a purpose which sadly has been missing in the subsequent Beachy Head, Manchester and (as we know) London marathons. This time is different. This felt like proper training and adding on at the end was a good mental test too as that last third of a mile lasted forever. Still, we managed eleven miles, a new longest distance for Frances and the longest I'd run since the last time I donned my trainers in the capital. We then headed back over Acton way, "entertaining" passengers on the London Overground with Peter Kay sketches, before Frances' boyfriend, Nabz had some cracking food ready for us, which we were able to devour, guilt free with 1,700 calories earned!
Barely 10 1/2 hours after stepping off the train from London, the alarm was going off. A very early start to head to Dulwich parkrun with Lizzie meant my alarm going off at 0430....and 0435 and 0440 before I finally got up! "Well, you were the one who wanted to train with a professional" I muttered to myself as I headed for the car. "Why are we doing this?" came the message on the phone from Lizzie, and a few more the same. One McDonald's coffee stop later and I arrived in Worthing ready to travel up to Dulwich. We both discovered that we are not "morning people" and after several comments, complaints and cat calling, we arrived in good time to a, quite frankly, bloody freezing Dulwich. Lizzie set up her racing chair and I just tried to keep warm as we made our way to the start area. As I was also adjudicating the event, I met with Peter, Run Director on the day and Lucy whom was the Event Director. Fab also to see Rachel and her boys with whom I've chatted loads on Twitter with about all things parkrun! There was very much a Halloween theme to the run brief - thankfully no one thought I was Shrek - and we were off! Lizzie started at the front as this is a course made for wheelchair users and I made steady progress from the middle of the field. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I would fare with the London miles still fresh in the legs, but eventually things started to move and I started to familiarise myself with the three lap course. Ahead, two dogs that belonged to other park users were utilising their Saturday by sniffing each others bottoms, when one of them smelt something it didn't like and bolted....immediately into the path of a parkrunner whom somehow kept himself upright. Thankfully, he finished the course with no other incident. 8:23:00 after the start, and the first lap was completed. I started to feel more comfortable now and took confidence from the fact I did 11 miles the day before and was still out there running - and it felt ok. Flush with said confidence, lap two came in at 8:14:00 so an improvement.
Lap three seemed ok, but suddenly the incline sections (to call them hills would simply be an insult to hills...and you know how much I love hills...not), seemed to be more frequent and longer - a point I made as I passed Rachel on the closing straight. I felt that I was working harder but still well within limits, to the extent that one runner, whom took it as a personal affront when I tried to pass him (and then sped up to repeat the cycle), had made another burst for home. I'm rarely competitive at parkrun but he glanced one way, and I sprinted off the other. Lap time was 8:08:85 which again was an improvement. I was hoping for a time that started with a 25...and I stopped my watch at 25:59:94 which when you add the human factor, came in officially at 26:01! Ah well, another little milestone checked off and my 23rd mile completed since Wednesday! The marathon places certainly are good for the motivation. Afterwards, we decamped for coffee and breakfast at the cafe where I gave feedback on my adjudication and where Lucy took this on board by stealing my muffin! No points to Griffyndor for that!
Sunday saw me tag along with the guys putting on a Snail Run (aptly named for my pace) which was a run to see all 50 of the snails around the city. I'd checked with Rick and Mark about pace and they assured me that I'd be fine (though they neglected to mention some of the hills but there will be no more comments about them from me...well, almost). I was back at Hove Station with a couple of other hardy souls ready for our train to Brighton where we would connect with the Falmer service. A message from Mark followed by an almost instantaneous change on the departures board, and already, we knew we'd have to adopt race pace as our train was delayed, but fortunately there was another, albeit slightly later service! The train arrived at Brighton after seemingly crawling towards the buffer stops...the clock was ticking, we had one minute. Finally, the doors opened and across the platforms was the noise we didn't want to hear - the guard's whistle. Sprinting across the station (I knew I should have Strava-ed it) the doors were still open on the train at the Falmer platform! Shouts could be heard, raising some sort of alarm....it was the lady guards on the train behind us shouting "wrong train!" Thanks to them, we nipped aboard and within seconds, the train made it's way to Falmer. (Surprisingly, they were not tempted to join us)
A one mile warm up to Stanmer House saw us arrive at the first of the 50 snails. The distance between snail one and two would be the longest distance of the day. We set off heading back into the city for approx 4.5 miles and heading down Lewes Road before a trip up memory lane as we turned up Roundhill Crescent. UP was the word for sure and there were some delightful and wonderful* hills which I flew up! (*who am I kidding - the hills were twats and I was slow). Slowly, but surely, we ticked off the snails one by one (well, we did it on an app but you get the idea!) before a typical Brocklehurst moment saw me catch my foot on something and proceed to battle gravity, waving my arms like a Scooby Doo villain as I tried, and naturally failed to keep upright! One scratched knee and lots of embarrassment later, we proceeded to Brighton Marina. A few snails later we headed west and I wasn't feeling great. I was slowing and I started to doubt whether or not I could do this! It was nine miles in and the head started telling me how ten miles would be a good achievement, busy running weekend, blah, blah. Somehow, by the time we got to the pier, thankfully I felt better and also, those silly thoughts went away. The Garmin was kept going even though we had to walk on the pier and I thought I may get some records there - I was wrong.
In the city, the running distances were much shorter and the number of snails mounted up. It was a good job this was the case as I was finding it harder and harder to get started. (Think Peter Kay, "Dad running in car park sketch") Occasionally there was a cold blast of wind and a reminder that it was autumn! Eventually all 50 were collected (thanks to Dorian for helping with some errant numbers which refused to upload) and we decamped to the Watchmaker's Arms for some well deserved refreshments! It was smashing to see Mike and Christine Gibbons there to welcome us home (particularly since for Christine it was only a day after Beachy Head which I wimped out on this year). Good natter with Rob and Izzy too over a sandwich, and I've taken Izzy's advice on this section and just blurted it all out in one go! (What do you mean, "obvs"???)
All in all, a smashing day with funds raised for the Marletts too! Result!
After this buzz of the marathon place, time to take stock and be sensible and tomorrow will be some sort of recovery/rest day. 43.3 miles in the legs this week - a week that started slowly after a migraine! Time to think of other runs this week....but that's another story!