Hot and Long in Scotland...or how I nearly went sub 4 for a marathon!

***Finally I have managed to make some time to catch up on a little blogging.  Technically I should really be caked in dust ripping the last bit of ceiling down, but that can wait until after lunch now!***

Race Preparation

I was a little nervous going into this race as it was 5 years ago that I last ran this distance and my training hasn't been going as well as I had hoped .  I'm at one of those life junctures where everything seems to be colliding (Work, Study, DIY, Fatherhood, 2012 challenge and marathon training) and I have yet to work out how it's all going to fit together on the other side.  But life is a compromise and so although I hadn't run as many long runs as I had hoped, I did have a good run of high mileage weeks in February and I hoped that combined with my daily running streak I would at least have a good enough base to get around in one piece.

Running through St Andrews Park...
Yes it was too hot for tights!

I did manage to taper as much as I could whilst still running at least a mile each day, knocking out 23 miles Monday to Saturday and with the exception of a tempo run on Tuesday they were all at a comfortable or slow pace.

Carbo loading began on Tuesday after my fast run and with the discovery of NUUN hydration tablets (thanks Shaun!) I felt a lot less worried about salts and hydration than I have been in previous events.

MBW took on the driving and with a stop over in Birmingham on Thursday night we arrived in Edinburgh late Friday afternoon in time for another big pasta meal and a good nights sleep.  Unfortunately, we were located in a third floor flat on Cowgate, just up from the infamous Three Sisters and so we had a choice...bake in the flat with the windows and secondary glazing shut, or try to sleep through the late night revelries of numerous local and European stag/hen parties!

Expo...or was it?

The following day after a restless sleep we headed down to the race expo which was being hosted in Dynamic Earth.

Marathon Expo and EMF events

I have to say this was a little disappointing.

Having run London and Paris marathons before, and knowing what pride the Scots take in a good event and party, I couldn't believe that the organisers hadn't managed to get a selection of trade stands together and host some talks, maybe massages, ask the experts etc... Even Bristol managed to have more going on at the 10k a few weeks ago.  Given the high cost of entry for this event this was a major let down.

However, I did get to meet some of the lovely Team Macmillan ladies who were brilliant in offering MBW a pass into the finishing enclosure so that she had somewhere to rest the bump before I caught up with everyone at the end.

L to R: Reshma, Sue, Me & Jan

I also managed to pick up some useful additions from the one small but fortunately well stocked trade stand, run and become.

Tri-berry and Strawberry Lemonade flavours...yum!

...and a handy none bounce belt for gels and nuun

After a quick bite to eat I then decided to grab a quick power nap whilst we awaited John's arrival at the flat.  I must have needed the sleep though; I awoke around two and a bit hours later with John having arrived and everyone ready for a light bite before a bit of Euro-trash to get us ready for bed.

Final countdown...just time for one last run.

Before we ate I managed to head out for a short blast down to the Parliament building and back, and in my short shorts seemed to cause quite a stir, getting all manor of whistles and shouts...worryingly not just from hen parties, but also the odd burly Scottish white van man.  Sometimes I wish I did run in headphones!

Quick shower on my return and a grilled chicken salad, then ready for bed...until we got sucked into watching Eurovision as the voting was about to begin!

By the time Sweden had won, and the UK spared a humiliating last place (thanks to Norway) it was late and pre-race angst was starting to set in. 

Race morning

The heat and noise again didn't provide the best of sleeps and I was a little agitated at breakfast.  Some rice pudding, banana and a little cold custard soon settled my nervous stomach and John and I were ready to head off to our starts.  

Having predicted a 4:30 finish on my application form I was at the blue start on Regents Road; John being a speed demon at 3:30 was a Brown starter on London Road.

Not nervous at all...honest!

The walk to the start was only around a mile, and since I was starting at 10:00 this gave us plenty of time.  The sun was already starting to warm me up though, and by the time I got to Regent's road I was happy to off load my bag and sweater to the baggage bus and head off to find a loo.

The queue for toilets was pretty enormous and I'm not sure looping everyone around the rear of the cubicles on a hot sunny morning was the best of ideas...it only takes one person in a crowded place to start gagging before there's a massive involuntary puke fest!  Not a great hydration strategy at the start of a marathon!

Whilst killing time before the start I did get to chat to quite a few other runners.  Most like me were a little worried about the heat, but the general atmosphere was one of nervous excitement.  There is something wonderful about that moment before the gun; looking around and reading peoples faces, shoulder to shoulder with strangers all united with a common goal.  I glanced down at my watch and my pulse was steady at around 70bpm...it was about to get going!

And we're off!

The first mile was a stead down hill towards the Scottish Parliament building, and despite the crowds I managed a health 8:45 split.  MBW was waiting at the turn around and I was able to give sprout a quick tap, although I was too fast for a photo apparently!

First of many Macmillan cheer points!

The lead group just after 1 mile

The route continued out through East Edinburgh (through some partially open roads which wasn't nice since fumes from traffic are not conducive to good health whilst pushing your lungs hard!) towards the coast and I managed to sustain splits averaging 8:35 until mile 6 and a necessary pee stop.  Queuing cost be around 4 minutes and I as we were along the flat but congested promenade I upped the pace a little for the next three miles to try and claw back some of the time lost.  By half way I was averaging 8:37 pace (discounting my toilet stop) and I was feeling pretty comfortable despite the heat of the midday sun.

My hydration at this point was my main concern.  I didn't want to drink too much, but the heat of the sun was making me very thirsty.  I decided to add a nuun tablet to each of the water bottles at the drinks stations and take on about a third to half of a bottle each time (around 100-160ml), discarding the rest.

There's quite a trick to getting the oversized tablet into a bottle on the run.  By the third or fourth station I had mastered the technique which involved removing and breaking the tablet when I saw the signs for drinks, then trying not to dissolve them in my hands whilst being splashed by other runners!  Sticky and slightly salt hands, but quick movement through the drinks stations was achieved

The route out along the coast road was lovely, but the dark tarmac and the beating down sun was starting to hurt by mile 17 and when I saw the Macmillan cheer point just before mile 18 I had to stop for a drink, some jelly babies and....the green afro!  With my pace still under 9 mins I was looking good for a 3:45 finish, something I would never dared dream before the start!

But the sun was really cooking the runners now.  Afterwards I would be told that out on the coast road the temperature got up to 26c, but it felt hotter than that when we moved away from the slight coastal breeze to the still of Gosford House  By mile 19 my splits had dropped to 9:30's but I still managed the 30k mat in 2:49:43 so a sub-4 looked on the cards.

The green afro was a master stroke.  Far from what everyone believed (that it would cook my head) it proved to be a huge asset, not only in eliciting moral support and cheers from the crowds:

'GO JIMMY GREEN'

'YER AIRS GOON GREEN'

...it also was great when sodden with water at keeping my temperature down!

However, despite every effort to keep cool in the tortuous heat, by quads gave in at around mile 22 as we approached Cockenzie power station on the return leg.  My splits plummeted and now it was a battle to stay sub 4:05, nope...sub 4:10....not quite, sub 4:15!

With every last bit off effort and struggling through a horrid 12:24 for mile 25 and 11:11 for mile 26, I managed to up the pace for the final stretch and power through across the finish line in 4:13:15, knocking over 45mins off my previous marathon PB.

Can you spot THE GREEN AFRO!

I was spent!  That was the toughest run I've had in a very long time.  The course is as advertised a fast flat-ish route, but why they start so late is beyond me!  I really feel for the 5-6hr runners who would have been under that intense heat for even longer.  Please EMF, if you can, why not match every other major city road marathon and start early!

Post race celebrations

Having crashed down across the finish line I wasn't in any huge rush to get into the crowds in the meeting zone and so I slowly ambled across until John and MBW caught sight of me and shouted out.

John had managed an impressive, but slightly frustrating 3:33:43 and so was a few minutes of his target, however I would learn later that another friend, Pete from Up and Running Bristol would be even closer to breaking 3:30, with a frustratingly close 3:30:28

We headed over to the Macmillan tent where we were greeted by cheerleaders and treated to a massage before refuelling on all manor of goodies.

Give me an M....

A sea of green, winners every one!

Although I was running for all five of my charities that are part of my run2012miles challenge, the support from Macmillan really made this a memorable event.  The cheer points and the tent at the end were hugely appreciated and they really did a great job in securing such sponsorship from local businesses who provided all of the refreshments and food at the end. A great charity and one I would urge first time marathoners to support as they will certainly be there to support you!

Final thoughts

Although the training hadn't been brilliant and my 2012 challenge and running streak meant that rest days were not an option, this was still a satisfying and enjoyable race.

Knowing I had friends in the field, support waiting for me and the best wishes of my friends and sponsors really meant a lot and contributed towards another memorable moment this year.  I certainly couldn;t have gotten this far without the love and support of MBW (Jenny) who made the journey up (and the 2mile each way walk to the coaches!) despite being 24 weeks pregnant with out first baby.

I'm often found eulogising marathons and I'm sure it annoys some people; it may not be everyone's cup of tea.  However, when you look at the crowd of people, spectators, supporters, runners and event crew, all enjoying being part of an event where you can push yourself, find your limits and then find out how you deal with them....well, it really is something you have to have experienced to understand how great that feels.

So a big shout out to all those people who have supported me in this, the first of this years marathons and the run that took me through 800 miles of my 2012 mile challenge!

Me and John...ready for pizza!

THANK YOU EVERYONE