Yorkshire Marathon

I had run the Yorkshire Marathon last year and really enjoyed the course, organisation and friendly supporters. Having family with good local knowledge meant they could navigate the route to watch me at various points. As a sole event in my Autumn calendar I had earmarked this for some serious training and even attempt getting close to a PB effort.

Alas, life doesn't always go the way intended. I have struggled with MS fatigue in recent months and just haven't been able to getup early enough to fit in a Long run into my routine. Without that component of my training, motivation for interval and tempo runs waned, So much so, that I had it in my head that I would register a DNS (Did not Start) and return to the distance at a later date. However,  after some personal reflection I thought about what it was about running that I enjoyed, what it meant to me personally, where I had come from and where I was at present. I was confident that I could complete the distance, and so, with no expectations, (no training!) and just gratitude for being able to move decided I would lace up, book some last minute train tickets and run.

The run itself was in the part most enjoyable (as much as covering 26.2 miles can be) it was a beautiful day and I got to actually see my family at multiple points.  For me the hardest part remains the usual foes of vision and balance, coming to a stable stop remains a challenge and even walking in a straight line after a period of running remains tough. However, having spent time on strength and conditioning my body is getting stronger at being able to withstand tumbles and knocks along the way. This may have been my slowest marathon time at 4:34, but there was lots to be proud of from the day and remain grateful at still being able to complete the distance.