Marathon Mann

Does this title describe me at the moment? No! I was simply inspired by this rather spended sculpture of Stephenson’s Blücher (a forerunner of the Rocket) that I passed while running my supposedly easy six miles in Killingworth this evening.

  
I guess that I probably felt sluggish because of the two mile club race I did yesterday.  It just goes to show what being “fresh” means and how important it is to taper before a big race.  Yesterday, I was spurred on by racing a club member who is an established “sparing partner”  (we both roughly hover around the same pace).  Sometimes I am fitter and faster, sometimes she is but yesterday we were well matched except my opponent had a slight edge and won the day.

It reminds me that over the years of being in my running club I have been privileged to mentor many “up and coming” younger runners; giving them something to aim for, pacing, challenging and then watching them overtake me and move on to be great competitive runners, far exceeding my ability!

As for me, I am looking forward to my post marathon training so I can build up my speed again (because I am capable of running a lot faster than I am now).  Then maybe I can live up to the label “Rocket Mann” and even show some of these young wippersnappers a thing or two!

“Even when I am old and grey, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” Psalm‬ ‭71:18‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

With a need for a run today and a grandson’s birthday party to take in, there was only one thing for it: get up and run before breakfast and before Church.  As part of my Marathon taper, I wanted an easy 13 miler and this was three laps of the course that last weekend I did four.

A cold and frosty morning but with a brilliantly clear sky, I was rewarded by the amazing dawn chorus and spectacular views of a misty awakening Leeds.  I found it easy to maintain a slightly faster pace than last week and at the end I could have certainly easily run futher.  This of course is exactly where I ought to be in my programme right now and so all the physio and careful training seems to have paid off.

I won’t run as far again until the 24th April and my tapering runs will continue; next weekend I shall do just two laps of my route which comes to about 8.5 miles.  So far this month I have ran 50.6 miles, this means I should complete my 100 miles in April during the London Marathon so I will receive no less than two medals for my efforts.

“he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.”” ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

Today was the day; my last “long” run before the taper in preparation for London. After today it’s all about banking what I have done, the training is effectively over and now it’s a matter of keeping fit, out of trouble and fresh for the day.

The objective was 18 miles to be done via 4 laps of a local route, never more than a mile from home so I can even have a water stop.  Helen joined me for the first two laps and it was nice to have company even though she wanted to go much faster than I (because she only had two laps to do).  Laps present their own psychological challenges because on say, lap 2 you are thinking “even the next time around here won’t be the last” so it probably takes a little more willpower to keep going.  The other problem is that your proximity to home presents great temptation.

The first three laps were OK (which is promising) but by mid way though lap 4 I was struggling.  By mile 15 when I was about 200 yards from home, I really hit “the wall” and felt so spent that I was really ready to call it a day.  As I covered those 200 yards though, I contemplated what I might feel like to stop so short of my goal, this would be the final opportunity for me to prove to myself I had the stamina to do a Marathon in 3 weeks time.  Something in me kept me going, just.  The up-hill sections were too much and I had to walk, but somehow I made it round to reach 18 miles!

When I got home and completed my stretches and post run excercises, I had difficulty even standing up for any length of time.  Sitting here now, after being fed, I feel a lot better but still drained.  I reckon I’ve pushed my stamina to the limit today.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” ‭Romans‬ ‭5:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬