Date: Sunday, November 7, 2021
Distance: 26.2 miles
Listened to: A couple of Desert Island Discs episodes and chats with some new friends
If you have not read the kids’ books, That’s Not My Teddy, That’s Not My Dinosaur and so on, then the title of this blog will not mean much, but hopefully you will get the gist by the end of it!
It’s taken me a few weeks to order my thoughts about this marathon, hence the delay and I’m still not sure if I am there yet, but here’s what I think right now. The Exeter Marathon was supposed to be my first marathon back in April 2021.
I had signed up on the advice of my super-running friend (super runner and super friend) Rachel. In her mind, if you are feeling good, why not sign up? And, if you don’t sign up, you’ll never do it. She was right, of course, but her perspective is slightly different than mine. Rachel ran her fastest marathon to date on this flat course after only running for a few years. She went from a novice to Good For Age time to qualify for the London Marathon in a blink of an eye. She is seriously impressive. As many of our mutual friends say: “Never compare yourself to a Mahood.” Just to clarify, her surname is Mahood!
The pandemic meant the April date was delayed to November, so I choose to do a DIY marathon locally instead in April before signing up for the Virtual London Marathon that took place last month. That meant there were just five weeks between the Virtual London and Exeter…and I had no clue how to train in between the two! The general consensus was that I had done the training for the Virtual London and that would be enough. Meanwhile, other Exeter participants were knocking out 20-mile runs while I was still pootling about. I did a few runs around the town, my fastest alternative Kingsbridge 10k (under an hour if you are interested) and a 17k to commemorate the 17th birthday of my cousin’s son Tait, who passed away two years ago. That was it! I felt woefully underprepared but had to trust in the training I had done before.
I wasn’t the only one from Kingsbridge who had signed up for the Exeter Marathon. Nine of the 190 people who took part were known to me. We made up almost 5% of the start list! Rachel offered the local crew a lift to Exeter in their van – the fun bus – and it was then I realised I may be on the wrong bus! Of the seven on the bus, six had taken part in The Royal Marines Iron Challenge, with the tagline “Where iron becomes steel”, in September. They had attempted a 2.4-mile sea swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a coastal marathon that included more than 3,500 metres of climbing! The only one who was not an ironman competitor was me. WHY WAS I ON THIS BUS? IT’S NOT SLOW ENOUGH!
I was on the bus because they are all lovely. They are flipping speedy but that does not mean I do not like them. Where I probably beat them all hands down though is my prolific pre-race pooing efficiency. Two at home and one on the portaloo. Boom. Done. I thank you! If only the Olympic movement could see fit to open up events for pooing and apostrophes, I would be on that podium for sure.
Rachel’s husband George commented on how calm I was before the race. I think I had been in denial since the Virtual London that Exeter was going to happen, but here I was at the start line…. Actually I was not at the start line. We all had to run a fair way from the portaloos to get to the start line. It caught us a little by surprise and I think I ran faster to the start than I did at any point in the race! And then we were off…my first official marathon race with no John in my support crew (as he was at a rugby match with Maggie) and no cause to raise money for. This one was just all about running and, if I am honest, just me rather than about my Dad.
The Exeter Marathon is a two-loop, very flat course with plenty of opportunity to see your buddies on the way. I managed to keep up with Tim and Vienna for a few miles before letting them go ahead so I could concentrate on my own pace. I waved merrily to my fellow van riders in the distance and plodded along. It was a sunny day and the first half went by without any incident. I tracked a few fellow competitors to keep my pace consistent. As we went into the second loop and the field began to stretch out, the headwind picked up and I saw that as a perfect excuse to walk. I do not know why my brain tells me to walk, but it does and I dutifully obey!
I was very much buoyed by the presence of my eldest daughter Ella, my mum and step-father, my work colleague Lucy, and my lunatic friends and families who had driven up from Kingsbridge to support the nine of us, but I still wanted to walk. As I went though the historic quay area of Exeter, I caught up with a gentleman who I spotted earlier in the race who had a very unique running style…and had just finished his second cup of tea along the way. This turned out to be my new running friend for the next seven miles. Introducing Andrew Bickle, who was running his 542nd marathon! I asked him why he was running/walking with me and shouldn’t I be running behind him as a sign of respect, but he seemed keen to chat, so we trundled along together.
As a former journalist, I like to ask questions (it also means I do not have to talk so much), so I got to know about his favourite races, his family and the rest of the 100 Marathon Club runners in this race. One dude was on his 770th! His stories were crazy and made me feel very humble. These people don’t train during the week, they just pop out for a causal marathon every weekend. I could not tell if Andrew liked the company or could sense my enthusiasm for the event was dwindling, but he stuck by me, even when I dropped my headphones and had to run back. He walked when I walked despite me insisting he run on. He told me I would make it under five hours if I kept moving. I have no clue if I would have got under five hours without him, but it was great to spend time with such a prolific runner (nutter).
As we neared the 25-mile mark, I spotted my friend Rachel. She has been suffering from sinusitis for two weeks before this event but still wanted to give it a go. She had given up after the first loop but was encouraged to keep going (by one of Andrew’s friends)… and here I was catching up with her. Although it was lovely to run with Rachel, I also knew it meant she had been suffering. She had also got lost, which did not help, but it gave me a rare opportunity to finish a race with her.
The rest of our friends had finished long before with Ross and Si getting the deserved sub-four hour marathon they were chasing, Kate casually strolling in under four hours too, with the rest posting awesome times as well. This meant the cheering squad was a strong one with all runners, friends and families waiting for us. I was so happy to see them! It gave me the extra impetus to finish strongly, which made me look like I was trying to get a place ahead of Andrew, Rachel and another lady we had scooped up along the way. I really wasn’t (no-on will believe me); I just wanted to get to the end. I think the others slowed a bit too.
It was done and I was very happy that it was done. I was full of hugs and smiles (Andrew got one whether he wanted or not) and I got to pose in a photo with the other fantastic Kingsbridge runners.
Here comes the awkward bit. I thought I had recorded a time of 4hrs 45mins as that is what Strava said, but in my enthusiasm, I forgot about the time I stopped for a wee and to take on fuel. My time was actually 4hrs 53mins. For some reason that really crushed me. I had got under five hours, which was my aim, but I really preferred 4hrs 45mins to 4hrs 53mins. Those eight minutes upset me. Then the fact the time mattered to me really annoyed me. I am supposed to be the self-imposed ambassador for the slow runner and here I was worrying about time.
I think the walking, or the compulsion to walk, is where I feel the most disappointment. I wish I did not feel that way. I need my brain to tell me to do something else or I need more stamina and fitness or both. I need to try harder to not give up running sooner. Sorry to bang on about the Mahoods, but in the second book of his Did Not Finish series, George (who also finished the Exeter Marathon in under four hours by the way) writes about his friend who told him and Rachel off for not hurting enough after a marathon as they obviously did not try hard enough. I want to be able to run comfortably but I think you need to run uncomfortably for while to get to that stage, and definitely should feel uncomfortable if you want to get faster. Next time around, I will try harder or at least try to not listen to my brain as much.
All that said, I do appreciate how far I have come and not just the 26.2 miles on the day. I did wonder if there was any point me trying to be a marathon runner if I cannot run one in that four-hour region. But it’s something to work on or just what I am capable of…and that’s ok. I did all the training and completed the race. As it stands, I can also run 10k and a half marathon whenever I choose. A 10k would have been more more than enough for me three years ago and a half marathon two years, even one year, ago.
What now? I still have some unfinished business. When I ran the Bristol 10k, I did some walking. I have also walked in all of my half marathon races to date. I would like to do these distances and not walk. Then I will probably just keep on running and see where it takes me. I ran an unplanned half on Sunday, so I know I have improved from the frightened woman who took to the 10k start line in May 2018. I still think I have more to learn. I will try to get fitter and more resilient too. I’m just not a Good For Age in two years kind of gal, but I have done the distance.
Running for Dad 