So, it’s now Saturday evening and tomorrow is the day of the Brighton Marathon. My training has gone pretty much to plan, although the main big hiccup was falling ill just under two weeks ago.
I took three days off of work (which is unheard of in our household) and was laid up in bed all that time. I lost about 10lb in weight and couldn’t really eat anything. This was not in the plan!
Last weekend I was just about feeling back to normal so ran Bushy parkrun - my first run in a week. I finished in 20:40 - not a bad time at all but it felt so much harder than it should have. I then really wanted to get my final long run in before the marathon done so on Monday morning I ran 13.5 miles to where I’m currently working. My heart rate was higher than usual and I’ve had much better runs but it helped to give me confidence that I could still run in a weeks time.
On the eve of the race I’m feeling much much better - been eating plenty and staying hydrated. My weight is back up a few pounds (happy to be nearer ‘race weight’). The weather forecast is looking ideal (around 17 degrees and a 5mph wind) so everything is set.
The plan for tomorrow is to run as close to 3 hours and 9 minutes. I ‘need’ to get under 3 hours 10 to get a ‘Good For Age’ (GFA) time that means automatic entry into the London Marathon for the next two years (2012, 2013). 3:09 gives me a bit of breathing room. On an ideal day I could and should be able to run faster but I don’t want to risk anything. Running 3:09 won’t be easy, that’s for sure - but I know that I should be capable of more. That day will have to wait as I’ve got tomorrow to get through first.
The first few miles are a little bumpy and I won’t worry myself if I hit halfway a minute or so off of even pacing as the final 15 miles are pretty much pancake flat.
I’m not particularly nervous - which is normally the case with me but I know the job at hand won’t be easy. All I need to do is keep concentrating, run comfortably, keep myself hydrated (with energy gels and sports drink/water) and pace myself well.
Sharon and Kirsty are going to be out on the course supporting and I’m sure if you want any updates before I post a race report in a few days time you can either check the Brighton Marathon website or check for any status updates from Sharon on Twitter.