The forecast had predicted that Sunday 29th April would be the worse day of a wet and windy week and it was not wrong. Driving out to Milton Keynes the rain poured down and I tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to avoid the puddles that covered half the road in places. Still I’d slept well, trained well, tapered and carboloaded – I was still in with a chance of a sub-4 hour PB and if not I’d settle for 4:10 as good enough considering the conditions.
We queued in the rain for the Furzton Lake car park and I was a little alarmed as the marshalls had to help push the car in front up a saturated grassy slope as it’s wheels span and sprayed. I took a run at it and managed without help. A banana, a drink and some ibuprofen then I put on coat and hat then ventured out into the downpour to catch the shuttle bus to the start at the Milton Keynes Stadium.
We’d arranged to meet outside gate 5 but first I fought my way through the throng of runners and supporters sheltering from the weather to find a desperately needed loo where there was fortunately no queue. Back out in the weather I found Peter, who had turned out to support and take photos, but none of the others. I deposited my bag in the ‘buggage’ (well that’s what they called it on the little map) and headed for the start where it turned out they’d got the time band flags mixed up so we had a bit of a scramble finding our correct places which passed the time. I met Vegan Runner Shelley at the start who was looking confident and in good form.
My plan was to start off wearing an old cycling jacket and unloved gloves then ditch them once I warmed up, I knew one of my problems was likely to be wind-chill on wet clothing and I hadn’t forgotten the freezing wet Milton Keynes Half earlier in the year.
We started off on time at 10am and by the time we crossed the line we were running, it felt good to be on the move. I couldn’t see the promised 4 hour pacer but managed to keep under 9 minute miles and was snug in my jacket. The wind was horrendous on the exposed stretches so I tried to shelter behind the masses which was easy enough at first as there was a big turnout despite the weather.
We ran up a closed road with a roundabout where a bagpipe band were playing, under a subway where Vegetarian Cycling and Athletic Club members Keith and Sharon were supporting. Through parks, along cycleways, round a lake – a lively drum band spurred us on – there was lots of support despite the weather. I dumped my jacket, then later my sodden gloves, in bins somewhere around here, I wasn’t too warm but felt weighed down. I was keeping to planned pace and making sure I had a gel and a drink every few miles. A long mile, which later turned out to be a last minute diversion round flooding, cost me a couple of minutes but I was still on target.
The 4 hour pace man appeared from nowhere, or maybe I just caught him up, and I decided to keep behind him for the rest of the race. An ache in my left thigh had been bugging me from the start, I’d hoped it would disappear as I warmed up but it hadn’t. My upper arms were mysteriously aching as well. We were all thoroughly soaked and what with the wind and the huge puddles we tried to avoid via squelching diversions across waterlogged grass it was hard work for a flat road race. Still, I was on schedule and had re-caught the pacer after a quick hedge stop.
Halfway, including the extra bit, in 2 hours – then it started coming apart. I’d spent too much energy, physical and psychological, keeping up the pace and my spirits during the first half and soon enough the pacer was disappearing from sight as my attempts to keep up slipped then vanished. My splits tell me that miles 14 and 15 I was just hanging on about 9 minute miles then miles 16 and 17 nearer 10 minutes miles and, after an occasional walking break became an occasional running break, the rest over 11, 12 even a 13 minute mile. If there was any way out of this drudge – a taxi, a bus – I’d be gone!
It rained and it rained and the course got a bit hilly, hundreds of runners passed me while the few I passed looked in a terrible way. I was gradually joined by more walking runners though and after a bit we’d recognise each other and chat then jog. The 4:15 pacer past but I’d already reconciled myself to 4hr 30m. I remembered to eat and drink. I resolved never to start a long race in these conditions again. I still had over an hour of rain and wind to get through and I ached all over, particularly my upper arms which seemed totally unreasonable. I wished I hadn’t chucked my coat away.
Somewhere about here I got a shout from Rich who was supporting at one of the many bridges. I made a point of running where the supporters were congregating and not stopping till I’d got past that bunch. I must have had more than 10 shouts of ‘go on vegans’ or similar and only one joke about steak. The 4:30 pacer passed much too soon and I agreed with a fellow walker that we could still manage 4:30 without chasing him. I was managing to cheer up a bit though not getting any faster, on one of the many cycle underpass ramps I noticed everyone was walking – a road marathon with about 20 walkers and not one runner!
I jogged past Keith and Sharon again. A chap overtook and said he was a vegan runner too. The 25th mile was the slowest but it was nearly over and for that I was very happy. I ran all the last 0.8 miles and running into the dry of the stadium, only just losing a pathetic race for the line, was actually rather fun. Peter appeared from the seating, having supported round the course then gone home for a much needed dry-out, and took another photo – that is not a look of triumph – just relief!
A brief chat then I regained my buggage and put on a jersey and a waterproof, apparently I was lucky as the baggage had been unmanned chaos earlier. I said goodbye to Peter and headed off to find the shuttle bus, having to ask a marshall when I realised I’d no idea where I was going. My thigh started cramping badly but was temporarily eased by squatting so I must have made an unusual sight, not as bad as some of the limpers though or the poor hypothermic shiverer who I was glad to see someone more capable than me stopped to help. I was stopped twice by grinning survivors waving their phone cameras and requesting I take their picture which I just about managed. The bus was waiting, the car warm and not stuck in the mud, the journey home pleasant enough.
Result seems to be 4hr 28m 27s 1800/2934 chip time. The fact that the winner ‘only’ managed 2hr 42m and only about 25 of nearly 3000 runners got sub-3 testified to the conditions. I’m not particularly pleased with myself though, I would better have accepted the weather and revised my target before the start than foolishly tried for a PB when it just wasn’t going to happen then end up with a predicable death march. Still, I’ll try and learn the lesson this time (again). Roll on Abingdon Marathon!
Oh the cat – I almost forgot! Jane and I went out for a wander down Lye Valley on Monday, me making it clear it was to be a slow walk. We looked sadly again at the poster about Isis the missing black cat, gone almost 2 weeks now. We saw a couple of muntjac then later, sitting on a broken willow some way off the path, a black cat. Probably just some other mog off chasing birds but maybe? We tried to approach through the thick undergrowth but it was gone. A bit of a search but we didn’t see it again, all the same it just might be Isis so Jane phoned the number on the poster when we got home and left a message. We’ve almost lost cats before and it’s very distressing. A chap (we know the house but not the people) phoned back and said he’d go and have a look. Later that evening he phoned to say it was indeed Isis, she was back home, a bit skinny and bedraggled but now ‘filling her boots’. He was so pleased and so were we – a better result than any marathon PB!