This weekend was going to be a big “ask” from me. I had booked to do this double marathon on the day of my operation back on 9th December but hadn’t planned on losing so much training time through illness after I had recovered from the operation. I knew the course was going to be tough but having not done it before I couldn’t gauge how tough it would be. Mentally I was prepared to do both days but knowing my lack of fitness, I planned to complete day 1 and depending on how my legs and body felt, assess whether to do day 2 on Saturday night/Sunday morning.
Day 1
It was very cold with a strong wind and the top of Winter Hill was covered in thick cloud meaning that not only didn’t see any views from the top but also didn’t see the mast as I ran straight past it once at the top.
For the first part of the race I ran with Shane who fell in an extremely boggy bit on the top of Winter Hill. His leg disappeared all the way up to his hips. I tried not to laugh but it was so funny, I had tears of laughter running down my face. It’s hard to run and watch where you are putting your own feet when in a fit of laughter. Sorry for laughing Shane but you would have done the same. Shane always runs with his little friends Bert, Ernie and Grover, small teddies from the children’s TV show Sesame Street. Poor old Ernie got covered in mud. This got me thinking about Sesame Street and later in the race I found myself humming the tune to the children’s programme. I just couldn’t get it out of my head! One of these days I will ask Shane why he carries them on all his marathons.
The course was proving to be extreme tough, yes it was hilly but it wasn’t the hills that were making it so difficult. It was the terrain under foot. There were some straight forward sections on road but there were also slippy muddy bits, peat boggy sections, rocky parts and paths through woods with lots of tree roots to negotiate. This complicated array of underfoot conditions leads to what we runners call a technical course and this is probably one of the most technical I’ve ever done. It is physically tiring lifting your feet over objects and around them, pulling them out of mud and stopping yourself sliding or falling over but it is also mentally draining as you have to concentrate where you are putting every step. This mental aspect of the run becomes increasingly exhausting in the latter stages of a marathon when you have been concentrating for hours and are also physically tired and dehydrated.
The wind I found was an added factor today it seemed that if I wasn’t battling with the technical nature of the course or its hills then I was battling with the wind.
Mile 22 was a steep climb up the side of Rivington, an evil mile with lots of slippy mud where it was virtually impossible to get any traction. It was like something out of a cross country race where your preferred foot wear would be 12mm spikes but I only had road shoes.
A tough, tough day running but I always knew it wouldn’t be easy and was relatively pleased with a finishing time of 4 hour 25 minutes 22 seconds. At the end of the day my legs felt surprisingly fresh considering, so more positives to take from the day as I start to build up my fitness again.
Day 2
The legs feeling surprisingly good in the morning and I was able to start off with a good steady pace and felt strong.
The weather was much better today, calm with light high cloud which as the day continued broke and let through some pleasant sunshine. It also meant I got to see the mast as I ran past it and lots of lovely views across Horwich, Bolton Wanderers football ground and on to Cheshire.
At 16 miles the nature of the hilly, muddy and very technical course started to seriously wear me down to the point where I felt I had completely run out of energy, like a car that had run out of petrol. On a positive note my leg and muscles felt fine. I find the human body very amazing how when you feel you can’t go on with a positive mind and determination the body can be pushed to go beyond what you think is possible.
At 23 miles I was on the top of the moors of Winter Hill, very much on my own with no other runners around me. The afternoon was getting pleasantly warm as the sun had come out, the sound of traffic was hardly audible in the distance far below with only the sound of bird song to break the silence. Although I was very tired it was a lovely moment where I felt relaxed and at peace with the world. I think it is interesting how sometimes I get these memorable moments in a race and seem to for a moment forget how tired I actually am.
I must thank Phil, Melissa, Burden Road Runners and all the helpers for putting on this great tough double marathon event. The course was well signed, well organised and everyone was so very friendly. It was lovely to see so many friends and runners I have had the privilege to get to know through my hobby and as it was such a local event it meant seeing friends from my club and other local clubs as well as friends from further afield.
I’m so pleased after my recent knee operation and illness resulting in very little training to have managed to complete both days. In fact, I’m rather amazed at what I’ve done this weekend and in general what we can make our human bodies do when we push them. The more tough events I do the more I realise the human body is amazing and is capable of incredible feats of endurance.
Day 1, 4 hours 25 minutes 22 seconds
Day 2, 4 hours 33 minutes 54 seconds
