Runner's Words

Anyone who’s followed my blog over the years will know I like to run a marathon every so often. Okay, so “like” clearly isn’t quite the right word, but the fact is that it’s happened a few times now since that inaugural effort in 2011. Every so often I like to do one of these for charity, which is exactly what I’m doing this time around (and if you didn’t see my last blog, you can read more about why, and maybe donate here).

This one feels different though. For a start, the buildup has been quite unlike any I’ve done in the past, more on that below. More importantly though, crossing the finish line tomorrow isn’t the end of the road this time around.

Usually, after running 26.2 miles another run is the absolute last thing on my mind, I mean it usually takes me until like Wednesday to even be able to walk down a flight of stairs without bursting into tears. By the end of the week I might be able to attempt a couple of miles around the block but definitely nothing too heavy. This time around? The Manchester Half Marathon almost exactly one week after the Chester Full Marathon. Oh dear.

It’s all for a great cause though and I’m so grateful to those of you who’ve sponsored me so far, over halfway towards my target already. Every penny you can give will help Moya Cole Hospice do their amazing work, going towards their daily fundraising target of £20,000 per day to help them to provide services like these to those with life-limiting illness as well as their relatives, carers and friends. Thank you so much.

So on the eve of my Moyathon, the question is: am I ready for it. And the answer is: I guess so? Looking back on the last few months of running I’ve done okay I think, even though for the first time ever I’ve not put a training plan in place, or gone through some of my usual marathon rituals like not shaving, or cutting my hair, for the weeks leading up to it. I’ve managed to get some solid long runs in, and apart from my first and last ones I’ve avoided the monotony of my usual routes, instead trying to mix it up a bit and explore new places to keep the motivation up. It’s led to some of the most epic runs of my life to Werneth Low, Hartshead Pike and The Cage in Lyme Park (covered in scaffolding, I was delighted to discover when I got there, but still), as well as some properly magic runs while on holiday over the summer and I can safely say I’ve enjoyed it a whole lot more than trudging up and down the A34 over and over again.

But also, maybe not. There’s been a few injuries along the way this time around, some of those I’ve mentioned before in blogs going back as far as 2022, but also a couple of others that felt Properly Serious, only to mysteriously drift away despite me keeping up most of the weekly mileage as I managed my way through them. My massive finish at the Chester Half Marathon back in May left me with some particularly spicy pain behind the kneecap, and with no rhyme or reason as to where it came from, or where it went, there’s always a nagging feeling that something might go drastically wrong tomorrow over the full distance when I least expect it.

Knowing I’m doing something positive for charity always helps battle through these things though, and if I run a decent marathon tomorrow I’ll look back on the occasions when I forced myself out against my will, or ran more than planned even though I didn’t feel up to it at first. The 15.5 miler to Werneth Low and back in the pissing rain felt like a real breakthrough, the furthest I’d run for over two years despite being out on the beers the night before for a friend’s birthday. A couple of weeks later managing to increase the long run further still, helping towards ticking off a 32 mile weekend despite temperatures nudging up to the 30s. That run to The Cage came off the back of a run to and from parkrun the day beforehand, where I came 9th, and I really regretted that extra effort in the final few miles back from Lyme Park as I wondered at times if I’d even be able to make it home. It all counts and despite the lack of structure or plan to what I’ve been doing this summer, I hope I’ve given myself the best chance to do myself justice on raceday.

So I’ll guess we’ll find out tomorrow. All being well, I should be done by this time tomorrow, despite the weather looking a bit on the tasty side (even though it would likely have been even worse had it been 24 hours earlier and we were all out while Storm Amy was doing her thing). As is usual with these things, all that’s left now is for me to run the bloody thing and justify all the incredible faith people have put in me. And then, half as far again the following weekend. See you on the other side.