North Dorset Village Marathon
Sunny spells on a warm Sunday Morning in Sturminster Newton.
At 8.30 I set off on my very first marathon, round some very scenic north Dorset villages, along some quiet country lanes. The first half came and went, it seemed, very easy, I was joined by Jason from Sheffield. We came together after a couple of miles, agreeing we were both looking for a time of 4 to 4 and a half hours.
As my family are from that area of the country, we found a lot to talk about and it took our minds off the enormous task ahead. At the half way point, 2 hours 8 mins, I felt I needed to increase my speed to achieve a finishing time nearer the 4 hour mark. We split up, as Jason took a call of nature, he never caught up, as he got cramp. (We saw each other after the race).
I was going very well passing other runners, feeling good until around 23 miles, when disaster struck - cramp. After a few yards it went away, but then after a little while a different muscle decided to cramp, and so it went on. This, obviously, slowed my pace and coming to the last mile my legs were giving up, but being a stubborn ********** , I pushed on. Then, I saw a mirage - 3 cheerleaders in short skirts - what a boost!!
I limped over the finish line in 4 hours 23 mins. It took 10 mins or so to stop the cramps. The other good news was no blisters, a problem I was having during the training for this race. I am very pleased with the time, considering the cramp, and after 4 days recovery, the legs are now feeling good. Now, looking forward to the next marathon. In addition, I also raised over £500 for MENCAP. The attached picture shows Jason and myself at about 9.5 miles. George Howarth