Woke up this morning at 4.04am. Out running by 4.15am.
Miles 1-7
Feeling good. Beautiful dawn, birds singing, foxes on the common. I feel strong.
Miles 7-12
Still feeling strong, though it's starting to get hot - I'm glad I stacked Lucozades on the route.
Miles 12-14
My right thigh has started to hurt and I can feel blisters forming on several toes and the side of my foot. I shrug it off. I feel like a runner.
Miles 14-15
Thigh is now seriously sore, and I've developed stomach cramps that come in waves and cause me to shout in pain when they are at their worst. Consider stopping as I'll be passing by home in the next mile. Feel low.
Miles 15 -20
Drink an entire Lucazade, and a bottle of water and feel a bit better. Begin wishing I'd never mentioned running 20 miles on the blog. Thigh is now complaining incessantly.
Miles 20-22
Pass home (again) and break the 20 mile barrier. In a moment (one of several) of irrational thought I decide to keep going - I don't want to have to run this distance again to have a crack at the full 26 miles.
Miles 22-23
It's amazing how quickly the body can deteriorate. My thigh has started screaming at me, a strange moist sensation between my legs tells me that my haemorrhoid (from too much cycling) has started bleeding (it happened once before running). I find the sensation both disgusting and pleasant at the same time. That is until it turns into excruciating pain. Things are bad. I wonder about giving up almost constantly.
Miles 23-24
Realising that there are degrees of fuckedness - yes there is pain, then there is agony, then there is a weird groaning period. Luckily as I enter this tricky emotional territory I come to where I stacked the Lucozades the night before. Stopping to drink I take stock of the situation...and decide I don't really have any choices I have to keep going (I have a meeting in Town at 10am after all).
Miles 24-25
I'm moving so slowly (I wouldn't call it running any more) that an over weight middle aged women overtakes me, she looks very pleased with herself...if only she knew, if only she knew. At mile 25(ish) I give up and stop running altogether, it's not worth the pain anymore.
Miles 25-26
Walk the final mile and enjoy making peace with my thigh (though something tells me it's going to have the last laugh in the next couple of days). I can now see the road I live on. As I walk the final hundred meters I reflect on how I'm feeling. My body is in pieces, though I'm certain it will go back together soon enough. I don't feel as emotionally uplifted as I was expecting - I'm relieved more than anything.
I run to make sense of the world and myself, but I can't make sense of either at the moment.
Arrive home in 3hrs 55mins.
Marathon done.
Shower. And leave for work.
(A special mention to Mr. J. Cash for keeping me sane and feeling my pain, rest in peace brother.)
I admire your indefatigability! My collegues and I salute you!
Posted by: T Spooner | 07/04/2006 at 05:15 PM
brilliant! for some weird reason, you reminded me of vince lombardi :)
Posted by: diana | 07/04/2006 at 09:38 PM
In what way Diana?
Posted by: Colman | 07/04/2006 at 11:25 PM
cool description.
considering doing another one?
Posted by: fernanda | 07/04/2006 at 11:43 PM
Another one?
I'm just happy to be walking today. Need a rest. Going to do some cycling and some light running for a couple of days and then maybe start stretching back into half marathons at the back end of next week.
Think I'll leave it a while before I do another full one.
Posted by: Colman | 07/05/2006 at 08:21 AM
Having seen you in a meeting at 10am that morning, i can confirm that you seemed to be dealing with it all ok. You certainly didn't look as if you'd run a marathon.
And as far as I could tell, the horror of miles 22-23 wasn't re-occurring whilst sat in the office.
Really well done. But for your own sake, don't make a habit of it. Plus it makes the rest of us feel slightly pathetic.
Posted by: Lebowski | 07/05/2006 at 09:44 AM
his winning mentality...all those: "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, his greatest fulfillment of all he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." and "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." and "Winners never quit and quitters never win." and so on. Might make no sense to you, but that's how your post made me feel :).
Posted by: diana | 07/05/2006 at 10:34 AM
Lebowski, I can confirm there was no 'discharge' in the W+K building.
Diana, it does make sense to me. I don't know who said it but I like "it's hard to beat someone who won't give up".
Posted by: Colman | 07/05/2006 at 01:23 PM
very nice! apparently it was babe ruth, "the sultan of swat", who said it :)
Posted by: diana | 07/05/2006 at 02:54 PM
That's amazing. 3hrs 55 mins before work! Hah!
What a hero!
That is awesome. I did a marathon last year in just under 4hrs and nearly died - I had to lie down. You've inspired me to get back on the streets.
Posted by: Pete | 07/05/2006 at 05:09 PM
I'm full of admiration for such a performance and also for the very descriptive narrative - I agree with RD - one of the best I've read. But more so because of the so enjoyable social evening we spent with you and 'The Wife' that evening.Don't know how you do it !!
Posted by: Harry C | 07/05/2006 at 05:30 PM
Cheers Pete, see you on the streets some time.
Dad, the only thing I can put it down to is strong genes.
Posted by: Colman | 07/06/2006 at 08:49 AM
Perhaps you're right.!!
Posted by: Harry C | 07/06/2006 at 09:10 PM
Paul you're the new Forrest Gump. Soon blog readers all over london will be following you for inspiration and a whole new running(not jogging) underworld will develop.
Posted by: Leeroy | 07/27/2006 at 11:08 AM