Archives for: May 2008

A year ago I ran my my first marathon and declared it to be my last. Yesterday I ran my second Edinburgh marathon.

The route was ever so slightly different from last year: starting on Waterloo Place rather than Princes Street and having all those extra bits on the way out rather than on the soul-sapping way back. The change to Waterloo Place is thanks to those overly focused leaders who want to give Edinburgh a tram service is so dearly doesn't need and, hopefully, only a temporary move. Princes Street has more space for the 13,000-odd runners and as many supporters with their pushchairs.

The change to the course past Port Seaton was a huge improvement. Last year's run U-turn 100-meters past Gosford House, the run around the House to emerge at the same point you entered, and the run up to Longniddry with another U-turn to run back down were nasty. This year the run up to Longniddry was done on the way out (unpleasant rather than nasty) and the run around Gosford House was the turning point to come back. Once around Gosford House it was an almost direct run along the main road to the finish at Mussleburgh. That's all you want by that point: to finish. You don't want a detours and U-turns.

I ran the first 17-miles at so close to exactly the 4-hours pace I'd planned that I should be pleased. However, by mile 13 I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up to the end. For the next few miles my plan of racing myself mile-by-mile, aiming simply to complete each mile in slightly over 9-minutes, worked. Then we turned off the main road to run around Gosford House to run uphill on a dirt path. I couldn't keep up the pace, gave up the goal of running a 4-hour marathon and went to my backup time of beating Sean's time from last year. It got worse from there.

Sean, wisely, chose not to enter the marathon. NT and A both pulled out earlier this month with injuries. Which means I can only compare my time of about 4:34 with last year of (me 4:50, Sean 4:26, and A 3:40) and the fact that act about 24-miles I was passed by a gorilla wearing a tutu. A horribly slow finish.

NT had come to the finish for support and to help me back into Edinburgh on the buses made available (at a cost) by the organisers. The queue for the buses was very long and stationary, so when my sister 'phoned offering a lift home I took it. A little mean of me since I knew the state of the traffic, but I really couldn't wait in that queue for a bus that would take me to the wrong end of Princes Street. A mile's walk may not sound much, but by this point I was slumped on the pavement.

I'm angered that I didn't even manage my backup time, everything below my waist aches, and I now know that men reach an age where they should wear a hat when in the sun.

You can buy photographs of yourself running many organised runs. The miser within me normally shuns such a waste of money, but recently I've been paying for photographs of a sweaty me. I paid almost £18 for pictures of me running the 10k. Came home drunk on Friday night and figured out I could've got them for free through media.greatrun's password free website. Sigh.

Anyway.

Vaguely interesting images:

I seem to be in the old folks group.

The end - moments after I realise which clock is my clock.

Is it my imagination, or do Gordon Brown and I share the same mouth?

Two years later and a stone heavier ... should I be pleased that I finished this year's 10k 8-seconds faster?