So, my first sub 3 hour marathon attempt was my second marathon, in 2012, aged 27 at the EMF Edinburgh Marathon, which was one month after I ran my first marathon, the London Marathon.
I felt great after London and ran the Leeds Half Marathon a couple of weeks later, in around 1:27:00 (can’t remember exact time), I was feeling ready. Then stupidly and due to my lack of experience, a week before I was due to run, I decided to carry on my usual routine and played football in a 5 a side competitive league. The worst thing happened, in an explosive movement I tore my calf muscle. I’d never torn a muscle ever in all my years of playing competitive football since the age of 7 or 8, but I didn’t realise what effects running 26.2 miles in one sitting has on your body. You must allow your body, your legs to recover and I did not do this.
So, my first sub 3-hour marathon attempt, on what was deemed a flat to downhill course, I was going into it injured. I had it strapped up and on a very hot day I ran the first half marathon at a close to PB pace. I ran the first 10K in 38 minutes, which was not far off my PB at the time for 10K, I ran the first half of the marathon in 1:25:00, which again, was only a minute slower than my half marathon PB. My plan was to run the first half very fast and if my calf slowed me down in the second half of the marathon, it would buy myself some time.
After the race, I had a massage on my calves by a semi-elite triathlete and she was shocked that I was able to run a marathon with my calf in such bad condition, it baffled her. I guess back then I had so much determination, heart and love of the adrenaline pain barrier I could withstand such a painful injury. It was so badly torn afterwards and I was out of action in both football and running for a good three months and on and off for longer, just when I thought my calf had recovered, it would pull again playing football. Then strangely enough, it just seemed to get really strong again within a matter of weeks.
At Edinburgh Marathon 2012, it was not to be on this day, but I was determined to recover from my injury and bounce back for another attempt in 2013. I had so much hunger in me to achieve so much more in the marathon and I wasn’t going to let any injuries stop me.
I planned the race with a pacing card I made myself which I kept tucked into my running shorts. The pacing plan was not for every mile but I had to be at 5 miles, 10 miles, 15 miles, 20 miles and 26 miles by a certain time to ensure I finished the race in 2:58:00.
Looking back, this pacing plan was very naive and I think my inexperience in pacing and marathon pacing really showed. I always ran off how I felt rather than sticking to a mile by mile pacing plan and I thought that as long as I got to the milestone miles in a certain time, the rest of the miles didn’t matter, but this race was a harsh lesson that consistent pacing is key to a sub 3-hour time. You can get away with it in 10K, even the half marathon, infact, I did get away with it on the 20 mile race but not a full marathon, it’s a different kettle of fish.
I ran like in 5 or 6 mile paces, I reached most of the miles in my intended target times but the problem is, as I didn’t measure the times of my miles in between, my pacing was not consistent. I would be faster and slower for some miles just running off how I felt, then when I was a bit behind, I would push to hit my target time.
But by the time I hit 20 miles I was just falling behind my target time, I was putting my all into it, running my absolute heart out and by the time I got to 26 miles I was behind my 2:58:00 target time by two minutes, I was literally 50 plus seconds off sub 3 hour (2:59:59). I knew it would be close, I knew it would be tight, I started to panic but I also put everything I possibly could to beat 2:59:59, anything under 3 hours would do. I was making all sorts of respiratory noises in the last 200 metres but I realised my hopes were dashed. I finished in 3:00:41 seconds, I was literally 42 seconds off under 3 hours. I really was devastated, all that effort, all that pain to painfully miss out on my ambition, it was mentally draining - I literally couldn’t have put any more effort in that day.
I was so gutted, although receiving a Lucozade Top 10 Percent athlete award after took away some of the mental pain. After some thought, I got over it and I was proud of running in 3 hours, it was a PB and another Good For Age and I couldn’t have put any more effort in.
I could have quit, I could have decided that I put in everything I could of done physically and failed, but no, that wasn’t and isn’t in my nature, there is no quit in me, not in my DNA, I battle until the end. I had to go back to the drawing board and next time run smarter, work on my pacing and have a mile by mile plan.
I played football, just before the Leeds Half Marathon and a week after my London Marathon. When playing football I developed a very painful overuse injury to my Achilles’ tendon and this was yet again, just like in 2012, by not giving my body time to recover. Light workouts are fine and probably good for your body after a marathon but football is very explosive and my achilles sadly couldn’t take it.
So, I ran the Leeds Half Marathon with this painful injury and made it worse. By the time the Edinburgh Marathon came along, my achilles was full of mini fibre tears and the pain was unbearable at times, even when just walking. At that time I felt I was invincible and I still ran the Edinburgh Marathon but I knew I would be no where near sub 3-hour, so I did the best I could. I finished in 3:18:00, but I was proud to finish, the pain was awful and the only way I could describe the feeling is that my Achilles’ tendon felt like a rubber band being over stretched, it was a worry that I would completely tear or snap, I am not going to lie and if that did happen, my running could well have been over in a flash. Thankfully it didn’t and I rested for 3 or 4 months to live another day, as they say.
I ran the Liversedge Half Marathon in 1:25:00, I ran my 20 mile race for the season in a PB of 2:15:00 (I can’t remember if it was Spen 20 or East Hull 20 off the top of my head) and was all set with my consistent pacing. I was also in the best physical shape of my life at 29 years old in terms of core strength and strength conditioning, I was ready and I would say, quietly confident. I now respected the marathon the way it should be respected.
With 200 metres to go I could enjoy it, take in the atmosphere and the crowd from the Grand Stand - I crossed that line in 2:57:29, I smashed it and it felt unbelievable, a euphoric feeling for all the right reasons. I am not afraid to admit that I even had a lump in my throat, it was a truly emotional moment for me and especially after the rollercoaster few years I had experienced in my personal life, it meant a lot to me and I had achieved something great in my life and turned my life around at that time.
This was my greatest achievement in running and one of my greatest achievements in life as well, for many different reasons which are personal to me and only some of my closest friends will understand.
I also had very rare blister problems in this race from my Adidas Boost running trainers and I had blisters from the first 3 or 4 miles, very painful. I endured the pain and ran my heart out yet again to achieve sub 3 hour. When I took my trainers and socks off after the race, the result was clear to see. Ouch.
Sadly, having such a long break from the distance and barely running any meaningful races during the two years break and with my training being very sporadic and non existent at times, at crucial ages of 32 to 33, I lost all of my momentum and I do believe my body began to decline from my peak sporting years. Officially I am now retired from the full marathon distance but I plan to run for many years more and who knows, there may be more marathon challenges ahead for me yet?
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