Milton Keynes Marathon (or 26.2 mile monsoon run)

The Good

• The marshalls
• The supporters
• Carla and Alma for braving the elements
• Meeting Nicky and running the last three miles with her (how can anyone look that immaculate after 20 plus miles?)
• Making the decision not to run with Mr Garmin
• Climbing in to dry clothes at the end
• Being slow meant no queue at the baggage truck or at the car park
• Turning down water at the end, stating I’d seen enough and getting a hug from the goody bag lady, thank you kind lady!
• The goody bag
• The bling

The Bad

• The puddles
• The much undulating course
• A stitch from mile 19 that would not shift
• My mood
• Running with wet squelchy feet and boy that water was cold
• Being slow

The Ugly

• Pond sized puddles
• Mud
• The biting wind
• Rain
• My mood
• Choppy water on the Lake
• Being slow to the point of walking (crawling was tempting)
• Socks
• Trainers
• Being slow

 And the plain hysterical

• Ducks paddling in the car park
• A child telling us ‘dont use the hill as an excuse keep going’ (he is so lucky not to find himself in the canal)
• Comments over heard ‘who’s idea was this?’ ‘seemed like a good idea in August’
• Trying to put my dry socks on afterwards and discovering my legs had grown and reaching my feet was impossible

16 weeks of training hard and at the end of it a nightmare run, in horrendous conditions. I got to the end but certainly did not enjoy it. I have no idea what time I did, I cant bring myself to look (its kind of like bracing yourself to pull a plaster off) in time I will. However now I appreciate the time I did VLM in, in 2005 & 2007.

I can’t thank my bloggy friends Carla, Alma and Nicky enough, your guys are ‘simply the best’. XX