pickupthepacepaul

Considering I have decided to challenge myself to run 26 marathons in 2023 to raise money for Cancer Research, I thought I better start running some marathons. So on the 11th February 2023 I took part in the Mon”Key” Marathon. This was my second Marathon of 2023, and day 1 of 2 this weekend. It was also by 117th marathon plus, but actually my 100th official marathon distance.

I’m still struggling a little bit with motivation to run at my best. To be honest I think a lot of it is to do with my upcoming Tokyo Marathon, where I will be completing my 6 star journey. This is something I’ve been looking forward to for so long, but after the cancellation in 2020 it has been a battle just to get my place back. It is something that has cost a fortune and full of let downs, including recently finding out I won’t get my 2020 medal despite literally everyone else getting theirs. It doesn’t matter, but makes me feel a little “meh” about it all.

So to kick start my motivation I’ve entered lots of events, planning to make sure I average a marathon every other week for the whole year. I got to Walton on Thames really early because Mick kindly gave me a lift. I started straight away, and ran comfortably throughout. It was great to see lots of familiar faces, and the tow path has dried out a lot making more pleasant running conditions.

I stopped for a drink on each lap, and had a couple of toilet stops in the pub. I find the lack of preparation the night before, and the very early start, leaves me needing the toilet during the run. But I enjoyed the run, slowing down at around 15 miles and gradually just taking it a little bit easier.

Neil joined me for the last lap which was a real boost. It resulted in me speeding back up to my desired pace, and it is incredible the difference it makes when your mind is occupied and you have company, seriously not to be underestimated.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the medal.

I’m happy enough with a 4:29:09, and I felt great at the end. Now time for fuel and recovery ahead of tomorrow when I will be back for another Marathon.

At the end we were all given a scratch card for RunCoin for Every Run Counts. If you haven’t heard of it yet then it’s definitely worth checking out. It is a free platform which rewards you for being active. I ran today for free because of the platform. Check out http://www.everyruncounts.co.uk and if you go to redeem code and put in P8KD4RRV you will get 25 RunCoin to get you started.