Gutted!

If you have been following my blogs you will be aware that I have been having an issue with my right knee and you are might be aware that just over 5 years ago I had keyhole surgery on my knee on my meniscus (football injury).  I then took up cycling which then led me back into running.

My recent issues started in March this year when taking part in the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon which is quite hilly.  It was the downhill elements that seemed to cause the issues and I ended up having to walk the last 3 miles or so.

Since then, I have pulled out of the Brighton Marathon but then trundled round the Kent RoadRunner Marathon.  Last night I took part in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate run and again was still having issues with my knee.  

Over the last 4 months, I have had a multitude of physio sessions, seen a Sports and Musculoskeletal Physician, been for MRI scans and this morning I had a consultation with an Orthopaedic Surgeon who specialises in knee disorders. 

He had a simple instruction for me; "Give Up Running"  Now I was already prepared for this and was ready to come back with, 'well do whatever surgery that is required to get me back running'. 

However, he then took me through my MRI scans showed me where the issues were with my meniscus and cartilage, highlighted the signs that arthritis was beginning (arthritis is heredity in my family)  He frankly explained the following;

• I could have a first operation which would be to 'tidy up' my cartilage and I could be back and running within 3 months
• If need be I could have a 2^nd operation where they could drill holes into my bone in which the seeping bone marrow would create a kind of polyfilla in my knee.  This would result in 6 weeks+ on crutches and probably another 6 months of rehabilitation before I could even start to consider running again

But irrespective of what operation I have if I was to continue with long distance running there is a significant probability that I would have to have a replacement knee operation by the time I am 45 (less than 7 years)

Now I wasn't prepared for that damning diagnosis!

I must admit I am a bit gutted.  As you might have gathered I do actually enjoy my running, but it would be foolish of me to continue in the long run (pun well and truly intended).  I did explain to the consultant that I had the Olympic Run and the Adidas Thunder Run coming up in the next three weeks.  He said, "well if you can get through those without too much discomfort, all well and good, but then that has to be it!"  I even asked what he considered as long distance running and could I still do half marathons?  His honest opinion was no more than 5k! At least maybe I can still run Parkrun, albeit not as frequently as I would like?

Looking at my Garmin stats (which I have worn for probably 99% of my runs) in the last two years I have run over 1300 miles.  So for a bloke that has always carried a few extra pounds in weight, that is quite a bit of wear and tear on the old joints.

The good news is that from a fitness perspective and from a knee perspective is that I can continue cycling (also swimming or rowing).  The bad news (particularly for Mich my wife) is that when we have weekends away, instead of me disappearing typically for 2-3 hours to run a half marathon, I will probably be gone for 7-9 hours cycling 100k events. On the flip side, hopefully Mich will keep up with her running and I can repay her by supporting her at events as she as done so many times for me.

I rang Mich when I came out of the hospital and told her the news.  Max my 3yo boy obviously heard some of the conversation, so Mich had explained to him the situation.  I then received a phone call at work in this afternoon from Mich's mobile, when I answered it, Max was on the phone and the conversation went roughly as follows

Me         "Hello"

Max       "Hello Daddy"

Me         "Hello Buddy"

Max       "Are you still sad"

Me         (now smiling) "No I am OK buddy"

Max       "Are we going running"

Me         "Not really mate, I can't"

Max       "Oh, isn't your leg getting better"

Me         "It will do mate, maybe we can go cycling"

Max       "Can I go cycling with you"

Me         "Yes mate"

Max then shouted to Mich "Daddy said we can go cycling together"

There is nothing more uplifting than a conversation like this from (in my own biased opinion) a very perceptive 3yo boy.

This now means that I won't get to achieve my hatrick of Barcelona Half Marathons. I have already entered next year's RoadRunner Marathon, so there is a place going if anybody wants it? And knowing my luck, I will now get accepted via the ballot for next year's London Marathon!

So the JoggingHippo Jog Blog is now on borrowed time.  I will still blog about the Olympic Run and the Adidas Thunder Run, but then I will need to get my creative thinking cap on and change the name of my blog to something cycling related? Ideas on a postcard.

At least I achieved my sub-4 Marathon!

Until next time

TJH

Not Ordinary or Standard

Saturday 1st June, the date of the Kent RoadRunner Marathon which would be my fifth Marathon.  Today would certainly be a case of mind over matter and this will probably be quite a long blog, so you might need to mental resolution to read through this?

If you have been reading my blogs, you will know that preparation for this Marathon has been far from ordinary or standard.  In fact I only entered this Marathon, when I realised I was going to be unable to run the Brighton Marathon in April after picking up a knee injury during the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon in March.

Lo and behold, I then won a competition via the Southern Running Guide, which gave me entry into the Marathon, 2 nights in the Dartford Hilton Hotel and an exclusive polo shirt.  So I was determined to run (and hopefully complete) this Marathon.

I was only given the all clear that I could at least attempt the Marathon last week after having the results of my MRI scans back.  No further damage to my meniscus in my knee, but some damage to my cartilage and bruising.

Anyway after getting home from work and sorting the final bits out, Mich, Max and I drove to the Hilton.  Just to top the poor preparation, Max had a nasty cough all night that meant all 3 of us had a rubbish nights sleep.

At 06:15 the alarm that I set sounded.  Looking out of the window, I was pleased to see cloudy conditions.  Friday afternoon had been quite hot and there was talk that the weekend would be more of the same.  So I sorted myself out and had my brekkie.

Getting to the venue, The Cyclosport complex was simplicity itself and we arrived at 07:30, within 5 minutes, I had my number, timing chip and 16 wrist bands, not an ordinary or normal item you would receive normally at a Marathon, but then this isn't a ordinary or normal (despite the distance) Marathon.

16 bands and a camera strap in the shot for good measure

As the Marathon is round the Cyclosport tarmac track, you have to run 17 laps.  At the end of each lap you remove a band and chuck it into a large plastic container.  Sounds a bit strange, but it is a simple and effective method

Once I had got myself sorted, I went in search for Ian the race organiser and introduced myself, he asked me to be near the front at the start, so he could make a quick presentation.

My final warm up before the run was to play football with Max, probably not the most conventional of warm ups, but Max was happy. I bumped into and had a chat with a few people I knew, Kris from work and Rupert from Orpington Runners.

So at 08:55 the 350 odd runners assembled at the start line.  There were a selection of international flags and this we were told represented the nationalities of the people that had or were taking part in this Marathon (2013 being only the 2nd year of this event)  The Japan and Nigeria flags were the ones that stood out.

In addition to my presentation, 3 people were celebrating their birthdays by running a Marathon and there was a far more impressive presentation to a lady called Rachel who was running her 100th Marathon.  In fact there were quite a few running vests from 100 Marathon Club, obviously these centurions were keen to add this Marathon to their collection.

Ian (Race Director) presenting me with my polo shirt (c) Stuart March Photography



Shortly after 9am, we were off.  I had heard on the grapevine that this was a relatively flat course and good for a PB.  The word 'relative' is the key part of this sentence.  I will admit there are no lung busting hills, but there are 3 notable inclines, now if you multiply that by 17, I think you get the picture.

So a bit about the race in general. 

How many Marathon's do you know that only have 1 water station? Well when you have a 17 lap course, that is all you need and this was no ordinary or normal water station.  Water, juice, energy cubes, biscuits, jelly babies, donuts.  It was near on a picnic!  Plus, there is a section where runners could set up their own table where people could have their own provisions to hand. So no need really for running belts or having to carry any gels etc. 

One chap was commissioned to run around the course the wrong way just keep an eye on everybody.  This chap was fantastic, firstly he was wearing a Help for Heroes running vest (Top Man) but he also was encouraging everybody as he ran against the tide.  Now considering he was passing 330+ runners 17 times, that in itself requires a lot of energy, let alone having to run a Marathon also.

The two photographers were very friendly and also very encouraging and the race day photos are free! Again how many Marathon's do you know that provide free photos?  The prices these days of obtaining even just a digital image are quite frankly obscene.

The Marshalls, one word, Fantastic, every single one of them.  Special mention must go to Linda who was standing on the hill over the bridge.  She had an assortment of musical items (bells, castanets, whistle etc) and the energy she showed to stand there for probably 6+ hours and encourage everybody deserves a medal.  I had a bit of banter with her on every lap.

Those previous 3 paragraphs might seem that I am writing this because I won the competition, but i can assure you this is an unbiased honest appraisal

Now about my race.

My longest training run for this event was a 13 mile run, one month prior and my average weekly mileage was under 20 miles.  Ask anybody who has run a Marathon and 99% will tell you that is not enough.  I now have conclusive proof of that.

I started off at a 9 min/mile pace and managed to maintain that for 9 miles.  Yes I did have some discomfort in my knee, but the brutal truth is that of lack of training (albeit knee related) you will be found out in a Marathon, there is no hiding place.  I managed the Half Marathon in sub2 but I knew I was looking at at least 4:30 finish time.  During the second part of the race I adopted a run-walk strategy, but my walking also included the couple of sharpish decline, purely because it was less painful on my knee.

The one thing that all but the fastest runners know is that you are going to be lapped.  My mate Kris, who actually finished in under 3 hours!! I think lapped me 5 times :-)  But what is also strange is that somebody can overtake you but they can actually be a lap or two behind you.  Also as you get near the end you are trying to work out if you only have 2 or 3 laps left.  But you have to get rid of your last band and then you are your final lap.

I can tell you those bands become a bit of an obsession.

Mich and Max had been there to see me run my first couple of laps and then Mich took Max back to Bromley for his Munckin Athletics, but being only a 30 minute drive away I knew they would be back before I finished.  When I did see them again, I had 5 laps left, Max was waiting there ready to give me a High-Five.  I was glad I saw them as I needed some Vaseline, as for some reason, my under arms were rubbing and getting red raw.  A bloke running behind me said "Mate can I have some as well please", " No problems I replied"  He however, had rubbing issues in a slightly more tender area"!

As I came up the finishing straight for the final time, instead of high-fiving him I grabbed his hand and we ran (shuffled) the last 100 metres together, a very proud father & son moment.

Wave to Mummy

 

Father and Son completing a Marathon

 

My final time was 4:47:50.  Garmin stats via the link below.  Please note the elevation! Not flat ;-)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/321884760

Oh so that now means that PWR doesn't stand for Petts Wood Runners, but Personal Worst (for) Ray.  But I really am not bothered, I finished.

Once I had collect my medal, I can assure you this is no ordinary or standard medal either, it is a whopper! we made our way back to the hotel and once I had stretched and showered, I had the perfect post run nutritional refuel of Fish & Chips and a couple of pints of real ale. Bliss!

Max had to help hold the medal up as I was knackered

I whole heartedly recommend this Marathon.  It is certainly a challenge, not only physically, but psychologically as well.  But it is not standard or ordinary and that is what makes it great!  I will be doing this again, hopefully with some ordinary and standard prep?

Until next time
TJH

London Marathon - The other side of the barrier

I am sure it hasn't escaped anybody's attention that there were a few people having a run around London on Sunday, 36k+ to be precise.

I don't want to dwell too much on the tragic circumstances that occurred at Boston.  I was out with a group of people from work on Monday evening celebrating what would have been a 40th birthday of a friend and colleague who passed away suddenly last year.  I then saw the Newsflash.  Thoughts were immediately of a PWR who was running the marathon.  The beauty of technology and social media meant that word quickly spread that he was fine.  My thoughts are with those who have suffered as result of the mindless attack.

I ran Parkrun on Saturday morning in beautiful weather and a 30 second silence as a mark of respect was impeccably observed by the 350+ people there.

In some ways the London Marathon being only 6 days after the Boston was the perfect tonic for Marathon runners and society to unite and show that acts of terrorism cannot and will not break the human spirit!

In the build up to the Marathon, I must admit I have been envious of those who were running, but I have also enjoyed sharing other people's excitement and expectation and it was also nice to help a couple of mates with their training.

Sunday morning, I awoke to another glorious morning and to be honest, it was actually quite nice having a relaxed morning getting ready to go up to London but without the pre-race nerves.

Myself Mich and Max met up with a group of PWRs on a train just before 10am. By 10:45 we were situated at our vantage point just past the 12 mile marker.  Walking to our rendezvous point, you could already sense the feel good factor in the air as we witnessed a young lad sitting on a police motorbike having his picture taken with a police hat on and being shown how to turn the flashing lights on by the Police officer.

Our vantage point had everything you could want.  It was in the sunshine, we had a band a few hundred yards away playing good old classics you could sing along to, my favourite (as it is my karaoke song) being Sweet Caroline. There was a pub only 50 metres away (important for our hydration) and we were just past a water stop (important for the runners hydration) which meant we had the bonus of people slowing down slightly to collect water giving us a better chance to see them and start shouting and waving manically.

Our 12 mile spot (note PWR vest on the pole ready to be held aloft)

We were fortunate enough to see the Paralympians run past including Richard Whithead and also got a glimpse of Mo Farah flash past with the leading Elite group.  Flash being the operative word. 

Now excuse me while I digress, but I looked at Mo's stats on the London Marathon website and I saw that he was averaging over 20km/h.  So I am going to conduct a little experiment this week.  After a warm up, I am going to increase the speed on the treadmill to 20km/h and see how long I can maintain it for.  I will update you in my next blog.

Anyway, a couple who we were with (Brian & Susie), we actually knew before we found out that Brian was a PWR.  Brian is not a bad runner (sic) with a sub 3:20 Marathon PB.  Susie actually admitted that as the throngs of runner streamed past that she had never really seen this part of a Marathon as she had normally moved on to try and ensure she could get to the next point to try and see Brian again.  Mich on the other hand was used to seeing this many runners waiting for me to trundle past.

The atmosphere was superb and it was so inspiring to see people all shapes, sizes and ages running past.  We managed to see quite a few PWRs and I also managed to see a couple of people from work and also one of my mates who I had been running with at lunchtimes.  It was quite difficult trying to keep an eye out for people amongst the constantly moving kaleidoscope of colours, spotting them, shouting, screaming & waving and then trying to get a picture, as the picture of my mate Kirbs demonstrates.

Kirbs looking good

 

Max was evidently enjoying himself and liked pointing out all of the weird and wonderful characters. He seemed to particularly like the two Peppa Pigs, the countless Rhinos and the assortment of different Mr Men characters that he saw.  He was very vocal also, even if sometime he was only copying what either myself or Mich was shouting, but by the time he repeated our shout of encouragement, more often than not the person had already ran past.  But I have to award him 10/10 for enthusiasm, despite his timing being about as good as my photography timing ;-)

 

We wanted to wait at the 12 mile mark until one of the PWR Group 1 runners (Donna) had run past and there was an explosion of noise from our group when we saw her.  She was running and she was smiling which was encouraging.  Once Donna had run past, the PWR supporting group split. Myself Mich & Max, along with Brian, Susie and their 2 boys and Jo another PWR made our way over Tower Bridge to find a spot near the 23 mile mark.

 

As we were walking across Tower Bridge a runner came past carrying a surf board, I commented that he was mad and his response was "Never bet when you are drunk"

 

I was surprised to find the 23 mile mark to start with extremely busy, especially compared to 2 years ago.  I think that it was a combination of the nice weather and also a show of solidarity by the British public.

 

It is at this point where you really get to see what the Marathon for what I reckon 90% of runners is all about.  Pain, true grit and determination.  This is not to detract from the effort and no doubt pain that the elite athletes may suffer, but they are conditioned for it.  Max was insistent on trying to get high fives and did get a bit upset that his offered hand was quite often ignored.  How do you explain to a 3 year old that these folk have been on their feet for 4 hours plus, are shattered and either don't have the energy or just completely focused on getting to the end.

 

 

Max hoping for a High Five



I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see everybody I wanted too, but with the number of runners, that was always going to be inevitable.  But I am sure I speak for our little group that we were all delighted to see Donna again and she was still smiling!

Inspirational Donna

Once we had seen Donna again we started to make our way home, by walking back to Tower Bridge. I then saw another side of the Marathon that probably not many people see.  The people that will have an 8hour plus finishing time, the sweep bus with dejected runners sitting onboard who have had to pull out of the race and the army of volunteers clearing up quite literally around those still soldiering on.  It brings a lump to your throat but despite some not necessarily being in great physical shape, you cannot question their stubbornness, desire and will to complete the 26.2 miles. These are the people that probably need the most encouragement yet a vast number of the crowds will have already gone. I think between us as we walked back, we made sure we shouted for and encouraged every single person!

Mich admitted that the atmosphere is intoxicating and it makes her want to run the Marathon, although first on the agenda is a 10k.  26.2 miles might be a couple of years away.

All in all a fantastic and uplifting day.  My blog probably doesn't do the day justice so if you have never spent the day at the London Marathon, put it on your 'To Do' list, in fact, put it on your 'Must Do' list.  You won't regret it.

Incidentally, Kirbs finished in 4:24 and Donna finished in 7:03.  I just want to say a massive well done to everybody I know who completed the Marathon, apologies that you have not all been mentioned in the blog, but I know that your family and friends will all be very proud.

So 29th April is when the ballot for the 2014 London Marathon opens I believe,  I have a reminder set in my calendar!

Until next time
TJH

P.S.  Donna is a fellow Blogger, and her blog can be found HERE

SWAT the DOMS

Just a brief blog. One week ago today I ran the Valencia Marathon and for those that run long distances you know there is a good chance that a day or two later you will be walking like a robot as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) says hello.

Well, I think I have made a scientific breakthrough as I have not suffered any DOMS unlike the London Marathon where a couple of days after the run, stairs were my nemisis.

After the Marathon on Sunday, once I collected my medal, I had a little stretch and then had to walk quite a bit first to find Mich & Max and then to get back to the hotel. This was temporarily interupted for a sit down and a few beers. The after having a shower and relaxing for an hour or so, I donned compression tights and then went for another walk for about an hour before having Paella for dinner with a glass of rijoca. The next day I was walking most of the day as we walked round the city before flying home late evening. The rest of the week, I have had very mild aching legs and no real pain at all.

So my conclusion and 6 step guide for preventing DOMS is:

1) Stretch gently and walk for 30-45 mins straight after the run
2) Have a couple of beers
3) Wear compression tights and walk for another hour
4) Have a good meal plus glass or two of red wine
5) Sleep in compression tights
6) Walk for at least a couple of hours the next day

or to help, just remember S.W.A.T (Stretch, Walk, Alochol, Tights) Until next time TJH

Valencia Part 2 - The Journey

If you have read Part 1, you may be thinking 'bloody hell Ray, you haven't won an Olympic medal'  I admit it may seem that I am dramatising this heroic achievement.  I am also aware that there were 4,835 people in front of me so my time may not be that special.  If I may I would just like to explain why this meant so much to me.

As some of you may be aware, I was fortunate enough to be selected by Men's Running magazine to be part of 'Project 26.2' where they selected 5 men running a Marathon and provided all the help and guidance you could need to achieve their goals.  I didn't think my goal was too ambitious bearing in mind that I had done two marathons 13 & 15 years ago and had managed 04:30 with basic and probably not very structured training.

So I had a physio, nutrition running apparel and a qualified coach (Nick Anderson) that set me a programme to achieve my goal.  I was taught about core strength, interval sessions, speed session, recovery runs.  During this training I managed a 01:38 Half Marathon and a 20 mile race in 03:01.  So my training was definitely showing the benefits.  This in fact in hindsight was probably my downfall.  Everything was going so well, I was over confident that I would achieve a sub4, in fact I changed my target and was going for a 03:45.  Oh was I brought down to earth with a bump.  Having done 16 miles in the London Marathon at a consistent average of 08:35 min/miles the wheels slowly began to fall off and the rest as they say is history.

I was gutted at the time and despite getting a new PB, I felt I had let a lot of people down.  So this time I was determined not to make the same mistake.

Within a week of what I saw as a failure I was looking for a Marathon for the latter part of the year to attempt a sub4 again.  Valencia was my chosen race.

I followed a similar schedule to what I had done for the London with slightly less races (Nick had raised his concerns that I was maybe doing too many races and needed to take some of these slowly)  In truth, I probably didn't do as much as I would have liked and even had an enforced 10 days without any running due to illness right when I was due to do a long slow run.  However, by following Nick's concepts and actually doing what I should have done in the London Marathon on race day, I achieved a sub4!

Could I have gone quicker? Maybe? but I learnt that for the majority of runners, the Marathon needs to be treated with due respect not only with the training and prep but the actual running on the day.

If Nick happens to be reading this, I am sure he wouldn't say this to my face as he is too much of a gentleman, but I am sure he is thinking 'Yes Ray you div, if you had stuck to the plan and done this in the first place you would have more than likely had a sub4 in the London Marathon'

Well, valuable lesson learnt  When I was having my post race beer with Mich my wife, I said "Thank God I have got that sub4" she replied, "Yes but what is your next target going to be"  She know me too well :-)

For me that is the beauty of running. Unless you are Mo Farah or Patrick Makau there is probably going to be somebody better or faster than you.  So your race is always you against the clock, or you against yourself.  Irrespective of everybody else in a race you can set your own goal whether it be to get round and finish, finish without walking, a sub4 or a PB? 

My next goal? Simple, beat 03:58:47 :-)

TJH

Valencia Part 1 - The Marathon

As you may have gathered, I quite enjoy my blogging now. A way of keeping an online diary and documenting my thoughts, opinions and experiences.  A single Valencia Marathon blog would be pretty lengthy so I have split it into three parts or a trilogy if you will so you can choose what you want to read

Part One - Valencia: The Marathon
Part Two - Valencia: The journey to sub4
Part Three - Valencia: The weekend away

VALENCIA - THE MARATHON

Let's cut to the chase. If you are friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter you will know that I achieved a sub four hour Marathon. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, you read that right, the Jogging Hippo ran a sub-4 Marathon! I ran it in 03:58:47, so not much below 4 hours, but I honestly couldn't care less :-) It is a definite case of mission accomplished.

I had set my alarm for 7am Sunday morning, but awoke around 6am and couldn't sleep.  Weather reports all week had forecast rain and Saturday night there had been thunder storms, but a glance out of the window and a check on the Internet suggested it may now just be overcast.  Which was fortunate as I hadn't packed one the marathon runner's essential piece of attire, the 'black bin liner'

My other faux-pas (not sure what the Spanish equivalent is) was that I had not packed any safety-pins.  I assumed that they would be with my number and didn't really check properly until I got back to my hotel room on the Friday evening.  With an abundance of pharmacy's in Valencia.  I didn't envisage too much trouble obtaining these.  However, my first attempt showed this wasn't going to be the case.  My miming of running a marathon and pinning a number was obviously not up to scratch as I was offered nasal strips and plasters.  I resulted on drawing a picture.  The lady behind the counter immediately knew what I was talking about but then said 'No' they don't sell them.  I then text Ian (a fella I see from time to time at Millwall, more about him later) asking what the Spanish was for safety pins.  His girlfriend is Spanish.  Whilst waiting for a response, we found a poundshop, although I suppose in Spain it is a Euroshop and just as I found my quarry, I received a text with the same word.  So Spanish lesson time, if you need safety pins, you need to ask for 'Imperdibles'

Once I eaten my breakfast (bananas and cereal bars) and sorted myself out (getting dressed, plasters & Vaseline, if you know what I mean) I left my hotel at five past eight and was actually in the orange pen at the start by 08:35.  This is where my initial plan went out the window somewhat.  I had found out by chance that Ian was also running the Valencia Marathon, he had run the Berlin, his first Marathon in 03:57, git ;-).  So we suggested trying to meet up amongst the 7000 other runners by making a beeline for the 4 hour pacer.  It seems that the orange pen was for International runners, as when the person on the PA started announcing all the different countries taking part, it seemed all the cheers came from the Orange pen.  Incidentally it was announced that there was only 45 runners over from the UK.

With the orange pen seemingly the international pen this meant that the 4 hour pacer was in the Blue pen with about 1000 people between us!  However, due to my now traditional "you look daft" (my wife's words) Union Jack bandanna, Ian managed to locate me.

We had a chat and Ian said he was aiming to beat his 03:57.  I said I was just aiming to beat 4 hours.  At 9am there were fireworks which we thought indicated the start of the race.  5 minutes later we still had not moved.  I thought maybe it was a staggered start, but then we were asked to all move back.  This is the first time in an event that I have actually had to go backwards?  I actually started my watch as I crossed the start line at 09:09.  I knew Mich would be waiting for me at the 10k mark.  Ian and I ran together chatting away and Ian said I was probably keeping him is check, as I was conscious not to go off too fast (bitter memories from the London Marathon).

I said to Ian before we got to the 10k mark, that Mich might be concerned that I was behind schedule as I told her the approximate time I should be there.  I saw Mich and Max and managed to high-five Max as I ran past and after passing I heard Mich shout "You had better get a move on"  I laughed as I said to Ian "There you go, my official time keeper thinks I am behind schedule already"  I then said to Ian, "Listen mate, I don't want to ruin your schedule, if you want to push on, go for it" so we wished each other good luck and he kicked on.

The weather was not as expected and it was showing 19/20 degrees.  Water stations were every 5k, so I was taking a gel just before each water station and then making sure I had a few swigs of water shortly afterwards.

The support was top draw with lots of bands and music along the whole course and one point there was a group of locals about 20 of them all dressed as Sponge Bob Square Pants and at another point there was about 40 odd people dressed as cows?  I am not sure why, but they were very vocal and it brought a smile to my face.

One thing I did notice is that quite a few of the local runners had people cycling along side them handing them their gels and water.  This got me thinking that maybe I should get Mich to cycle along with Max sitting in a trailer handing me my gels and water.  I might run this past her, although I expect a two word answer with the second word being 'off'

At 16 miles I did my first mental check.  This is because it was at 16 miles in the London Marathon that I started to think that something wasn't quite right.  I knew I was running at a sensible and within target pace and I felt quite good.  At 18 miles there is a stretch of about a mile that goes through an underpass.  There were speakers that were blasting out music that any nightclub in Ibiza would be proud off.  The one tune that was playing as I entered the underpass was the bongo song, if you don't know what one I mean, click below for a listen.

Top Tune!

You could see this euphoric music brought a smile to everybody's face.  I even felt like putting on some white gloves, start raving and get the whistle posse going!  The downside to this was that satellites and tunnels don't really work well together, so average mile pacing went a little bit out of the window for a mile or two.

At 20 miles, I was feeling a bit tired but OK  but I didn't want to get too confident as I know 'The Wall' can be hit at any time. Now was the time to start the mind over matter battle.  I told myself that all I had now was a 10k run, something which I have probably done over 100 times.

At 23 miles I started to feel it a bit, but now I told myself I just have over 5k to do which is the Parkrun distance and despite slowing my aim was to keep under a 09:30 min mile which I was sure would still get me my sub4

In the last 10 miles I also saw Mich and Max twice more which I wasn't expecting and that was also a nice psychological boost.

Despite my pace slowing, during the last 3 or 4 miles, I was passing quite a few people.  In the past and paticularly during shorter races, I have taken pride in passing and beating others (my competitive nature) but I took no pride seeing people struggling and suffering in the last few miles as I had been in that position myself just over 6 months previously.

With 1k to go, going by watch I was pretty sure, barring a disaster I would achieve my goal.  The final couple of hundred metres is on like a jetty/pier construction with water either side which definitely makes for a unique experience.

I saw the clock was showing 04:01 which I was a bit confused about as I was expecting it to show something in the region of 04:08 or 04:09 as I hadn't crossed the start line until 09:09.  As I crossed the finish line with arms aloft I stopped my watch on 03:58:49 and I was so happy and relieved that I had broken 4 hours.

A smile cleverly disguised as a grimace

I then instantly felt absolutely and completely exhausted.  As I walked down the finishing funnel and collected my medal along with a whole load more goodies (whole bag of oranges, a gym towel, various drinks & pastries) doubts started creeping in.  Why wasn't the clock showing 04:08/9.  Did losing reception on my Garmin bugger up my timing?  But I was sure I had kept under a 09:09 min mile average and my watch time of 03:58:49 surely had to be right?

After 10 mins or so I found Mich and Max waiting for me.  Hugs and kisses plus me saying "I think, I am pretty sure I have done it"

There was then the debacle of getting out of my sweaty running gear and putting fresh clothes on in the public with Mich holding aforementioned gym towel trying to protect my modesty.

We then took a slow walk (after all I had just run a Marathon) back to the hotel, so slow in fact that Max actually fell asleep in his buggy which meant an opportunity to find a bar and sit outside supping a few cervezas.

It wasn't until later that evening after having a meal and some rijoca that I got official confirmation that I had indeed achieved a sub4.

Chip time aka 'Tiempo Real' is all that matters. 

Note above how I came 1st for Petts Wood Runners.  Pretty impressive when we have approx 250 members.  I won't let the minor detail that I was the only PWR running get in the way of my glory :-)

My garmin stats are below
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/245159408

Incidentally, Ian got a new PB of 03:53:56.  Well done mate!

TJH