The Pink Imposter: Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon Weekend

Lisa Webb and I arrived in Leeds, exactly in time for the Leeds footy game! We eventually reached our hotel and by this time I had become ‘hangry’. And so came one of my firsts of the weekend. We found ourselves, sat in the middle of a super market isle eating a Subway. Not something either of us imagined doing, but it did put the smile back on both our faces as we chuckled. That evening, we met up with nine other KuHACs for carb loading, otherwise known as Italian at Santo’s. I think all will agree, a great choice by Sarah Rowland.

Race day arrives and all is going smoothly. It is cool and misty for now, but we’re all a little worried about how hot it’s going to get, especially since Steve Sole is here – yep, that says it all!! Before we know it, it is time to join our respective pens, but the race start is delayed. We listen to a poem, an emotional speech from Kevin Sinfield (not sure there were many dry eyes after that) and then another, just as emotional was read out on behalf of Rob Burrow.

Finally, the race starts and wave by wave we’re off on our 26.2 mile journey. The weather had warmed up by this time, but was still fine in my book. The crowds in support at the start were awesome. You’re running up hill, but don’t really notice because you’re too busy soaking in the atmosphere. Or maybe that was just me, it being my first marathon experience.

 

One of the things I really liked about the route is there are loads of out n’ backs and crossover points. Loved these because they gave us chance to see and cheer on, just about everyone from Kingston, both in front of us and behind, and even the half marathon runners too. Also, while looking out for you all, it took our minds off the undulating route underfoot. Maybe I’m mad, or it’s down to Tom’s gruelling hill sessions, but I’m actually loving this part of the course. The up hills don’t seem anywhere near as bad as I was expecting. The down hills seem long and are more than making up for the up at this point. Although we are a little concerned, because presumably, what goes down, must come back up...

We’re not too far into the route when we hear some extra exuberant cheering. We look over and see a group, with a strange woman in the middle, with a traffic cone on her head. Ahhh, that’ll be Sally, Sue, Laura and Becky. Fabulous to see you en route ladies, it really is uplifting.  

We continue through the streets; the villages absolutely did Leeds proud with the number of spectators and supporters out all around the route; people with jelly babies and Haribo’s, hose pipes and water sprays (I was avoiding those lol); various signs, one in particular was repeated a lot ‘pain is just French for bread’. The miles are quickly passing by, 6, 8, 10, and I’m loving it.

We had a discussion that everyone says 20 miles is half way. Having never planned to run a marathon, I don’t remember ever having that conversation, but I can now verify, that is so true. We reach the ‘unofficial’ half way 13.1, I’m still feeling good and a check of my watch tells me I’m at 2.20 which was exactly the time I hoped to reach that point if my run was going to plan. By now the sun is pretty hot and I’m doing my best to drink little and often.

The only problem with that is that you then need the loo! Another first, I’ve never queued for a toilet during a race! We both stopped once, but I had to make a second and Lisa carried on steadily. Getting back on the course, Cheryl had just gone past me. I knew she was running faster than me overall, but this bit was downhill so I caught her up and ran with her for a bit, but keeping an eye on my pace as another first for me in a race, was needing to slow down (apart from on the downhills) because most important to me was that I would have the energy to finish.

We found Lisa again and my plan was to stay with her. Cheryl went on ahead. But then we hit ‘that hill’ and I think all the best laid plans went out of the window. Each of us realised we just had to get up it our own way, whatever way we could. Lisa and I had already agreed we would walk if we need to and pretty much everyone around us started walking. I carried on a slow run for a good while, grateful for all the hill sessions I did prior.

I found Cheryl again who was run walking strongly at this point. Then after a bit, we both decided to walk. I had a cereal bar in my pocket and thought this a good time to eat it. I think I made the right choice. I still have no idea when we reached the top of that hill. No glorious downhill arrived. It went down a little and before I knew it we were going back up again.

Those people that said the end is all downhill LIED!!! There were quite a few on the course around me, really not happy to find they’d been lied to. Some interesting language was getting thrown about, possibly more ‘French’?  Luckily, I don’t trust people very well so had checked the route for myself and hadn’t been fooled, lol.

I am now in completely new territory – miles 20 to 22ish, never run this far, lost Lisa and despite the cereal bar which I think hadn’t quite kicked in, and with the heat added, I started to feel a little light headed. For the first time, I had a slight panic that I was going to be laid on the side of the road as many others we’d passed along the way and not be able to finish. The first time I had thought I may not make it to the finish line.

But I am not a quitter. I put my practical head on, took some deep breaths, realised the energy from the cereal bar should kick in soon (I couldn’t take another gel, it was too soon and too many also upset my tummy). And I focussed on the last words Steve Sole said to me: ‘When (not if), when it gets hard. Forget how far you’ve come. Forget how far you have to go. Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other’.

And that is what I did. Literally looking at my feet and chanting one foot in front of the other and thinking of all the KuHACs and my two friends that were in the stadium waiting to cheer me in. After a short while the cereal bar must’ve kicked in, the light headedness went and I wasn’t feeling so wobbly, but my strength was low. Although I was able to pick it up a little on the downhills, I didn’t have much left to give. I didn’t want the wheels to completely fall off now, after coming so far. So many others have said this, and it is soooo important. You absolutely MUST run with your name on your top. I am not new to that and have benefitted at other races. But the support out there was absolutely incredible in those last six to eight miles, so many people cheered me by name, gave positive encouragement when I was needing it most, especially those last four miles.

In that eight-ish/10 mile stretch there also seemed to be quite a few official tannoys. For some reason, I had my full name shouted out at each one. Three maybe four times. That was unbelievable, because then all the crowds knew your name and all chanted and shouted and cheered. It was such a boost. I thought ‘this must be what it’s like to be famous’. Haha. I think I can appreciate the 12^th man on a football pitch, more than I ever have done before. People say the crowd will get you through. I’m pretty sure they did for me. So the miles are creeping by, mile 23 and another nasty little hill.  I’ve ‘just got a parkrun to go’!! I absolutely hate that saying in a race lol, luckily no one said it to me. Mile 24…I can see Cheryl just ahead of me, eventually mile 25….looking out for 26 and sight of the stadium. Can’t see either! Miss the 26 marker and I’m practicing my ‘French’ now. Where the hell have they hidden the stadium…

Then I see it, but we’ve got to run around the outside. Which evil @*$# thought that was a good idea!!! Then I see the sign 500m to go. But it already feels like the longest 500m ever and I’ve not even reached it!. Probably 200m on from there and you finally turn in to the stadium and no, it’s not a hallucination, the finish line is RIGHT THERE!! And I finally smiled again. I’d done it!! I was making it across that line!  And I did. To huge cheers from the KuHAC family, who have adopted me, and two of my best friends who gave me the biggest hug as soon as I was over that line.

So many of you have supported me on this incredible journey, some of you probably in ways you don’t even realise. I loved just about every step of my training and that was down to you all.  I can’t thank you enough, with extra special thanks to Sarah for always believing in me and introducing me to you lot and to Lisa for her unwavering support. You all helped me achieve something, I never ever wanted to do, lol!

But now that I have, I am so proud of myself, especially as my running was almost none existent at the start of this year.

 

PS no, I have not booked myself on another!