As I'd mentioned i would write up my marathon year. On my old blog I had written up a couple already so I am simply going to repost the first couple of marathons.
"1 down, 11 to go....
I'm never one to gloat, or big myself up, but after completing one of the hardest marathons in the U.K in 5 hours and 18 minutes, I'm happily giving myself some praise, and stuffing my face.
Starting in Holyhead, on the Isle of Anglesey, this marathon was part of the Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series, boasting some of the toughest trail runs in the U.K, and so far I will happily give them the award now, having put my body through 27.6 miles of absolute agony.
When I hobbled through the door, caked in mud, spaced out and unable to sit down, my Dad asked "Was it worth it?" to which I answered "Course it was". This statement although very simple, sums up the marathon in one go, and I didn't even hesitate slightly with my response.
Was it hard? Harder than anything I've ever done in my life, but the achievement and experience was priceless and something I will carry with me for a long time.
A marathon alone pushes you to your absolute limits, both physically and mentally, and with it you really learn what you’re made of. The Anglesey Marathon took this to another level. I've always been a wuss, and backed out of things, procrastinated or told myself I couldn't do it, but in recent years I've developed an attitude where I look to push myself to the edge both physically and emotionally, to really feel alive.
It's very easy to get stuck in a rut in life, watching T.V, going about day to day in our usual working routines, but as I spent my Saturday morning, teetering on the edge of a cliff, with the waves crashing beneath me, clinging on for dear life as I was bashed left and right by 36mph winds, knowing that I had another 26 miles to run with over 2000ft of climbs, I've never felt more alive. Absolutely terrified, yes, but alive none the less.
The marathon itself was beautiful, a mixture of terrain and scenery throughout, which meant you could never complain that running was boring, as the scenery was absolutely stunning. Starting at the bottom of Holyhead Mountain, we ran to the sea, climbed round the side of Holyhead Mountain, along the cliffs. Literally clambering on the rock face (again terrified) and pushing against the wind, we then moved on. After this there was a good mix of country roads, and some lush strips of grass trails to run along, right on the coastline. Powering round little coves watching the wave’s crash against the rocks was an added bonus, and they even threw in a bit of beach running! We then started to head inland, again a nice change of scenery, going through little forestry patches and farms, along country roads, and then the climb began....
Whoever thought "let’s put a mountain at the end of a marathon", thank you. At around 24 miles the climb began. Scrambling up Holyhead Mountain, quads and calves aching, you literally had to see it to believe that it could be done. The sense of unity was fantastic. Gone was the thoughts of a PB as we looked at the climb to the top, everyone grouped together and encouraged each other to keep going (even if it was through grunts and swearing). At about 3/4 of the way up we turned and looked out (yes I took a photo as proof) and the view and achievement was incredible. But still we had to climb! When we reached the top and began to clamber back down, again we got to battle the wind, and try not to tumble down head first!
With the finish line in sight, whoever thought let’s put a nasty little turn back and a mini hill in, you're sick, but thank you for planning one of the most beautiful and challenging marathons!
The thing I love about a marathon, isn't just the physical challenge, it's the mental game. The point where you hit 20 miles and question whether you have anything left in the tank; and of course the moment you cross the finish line in a surreal little daze as you realise you did what you thought was impossible.
To anyone that thinks they could never run a marathon, or never complete a goal that they have set, just remember "never, never, never give up"
Ps. Did I mention that I beat the average female time by 5 minutes! "
No comments:
Post a Comment