Marathon position: 150th Time: 3:19:07 Pace per mile: 7:32 Number of times fell over: 1 Number of times felt like crying: 18 Number of children hit by discarded water bottle: 1 Number of times I would like to see Sefton Park again in future: 0 Number of shouts of “Go on Messi, lad”: Too many…
Category: Liverpool 2011
The emptiness of the non-long distance runner
So that’s that then. Summer 2011 has been and gone; a blur of grey, humid, miserable sweaty evenings, spent trudging round and round South Manchester getting myself as prepared as I possibly could to attempt, and I’m glad to say complete, my first ever marathon. And apart from falling on my arse, I think it…
An enormous sense of achievement
177½ days. Or, 25.4 weeks; a shade under six months. That is the time that elapsed between entering and starting the Liverpool Marathon 2011, the “long and winding road race”. 4,260 hours to be more precise, or 255,600 minutes even. Nearly half a year of worrying senseless that it would be the last thing I…
Endgame
Sunday 9th October. The date that has been etched into my brain and dominated my thoughts ever since that one glass of wine too many led to me signing up for a marathon all the way back in April. Six long, long months of thinking about pretty much nothing else other than running, sweating, weeping,…
Watersports
Training for a marathon while living in one of the biggest cities in the UK isn’t particularly pleasant to say the least. Endlessly pounding the cracked, lumpy pavements alongside hundreds and hundreds of buses. Cars appearing from nowhere while crossing junctions. Shouts, heckles, general abuse. Running past pub gardens on hot days and wishing I could…
World rankin 23
Those of you that follow me on Twitter, or have clicked on the World-Rank.in link down the side of this blog, may be aware of a very strange little website that has been tracking me as I’ve been running all over South Manchester this summer. I did not sign up to it, I have never contacted anyone…
Running liveblog #3
The River Mersey and Chorlton Water Park by sunset. Glorious evening for a run.
Target smashing
First things first. As of around 1pm on Thursday, I clicked over £1,000 on my JustGiving page. I’m quite frankly amazed at this. I originally had an idea that it would be quite cool to raise a nice round £500, with the Children’s Heart Association being such a small charity and all. Thanks to all…
Running liveblog #2
A gentle jog around Chorlton Water Park. Ducks, geese and pigeons welcome.
