Run > Race

520/644. 25/35 in age group.This was a disaster. The worst race and least enjoyable I have ever done. The only positives I can take are that I finished and that I don't think I did any further muscle damage. I was undecided whether or not to start the race at all. I didn't want to jepordise London and would have stopped straight away if I thought I was doing any damage. I felt no twinges in the day before the race so decided to give it a go. Weather forecast was for Force 8 gales and torrential rain. It wasn't as bad as that but it was very windy at times and rained part of time. Kathryn wanted to run with me for the first mile to get into a good pace. After about half a mile I felt the hamstring and thought I might not make it to the end of the road, but it eased and so I carried on. I managed a decent pace early on and stuck to my race timeband ok. After 7 miles I hit an uneven patch of road and got a real shooter in my hamstring. I thought at first it had gone, but then I realised it hadn't and got back into my running ok. I reached the halfway point only about a minute outside my planned time, although I felt weary. But at around 14 miles I realised that I was running with a slightly bent leg, presumably to protect my hamstring. Then I realised I couldn't straighten it. kathryn passed me just after this point and then Danny kay. It was really hard work. From 18 miles my quads were totally shot and from then on it was the longest 18 miles of my life. Awful. Had to keep stopping and stretching. But I had to finish, partly because of the text on my shirt, which got several comments. It became embarrassing. I even had walkers and a fat helf marathon runner and a paramedic ask me if I was ok. If I thought it would always be like this then I wouldn't do another. I got to the finish line and feared I would collapse, but managed to hold it together. In the days afterwards I really did plan to give up running races and just run occasionally for fitness. In the last two years I have run Paris injured, missed Nice to Cannes altogether, run Belfast on limited training, New York was brill, Malta a disaster and I've already missed two weeks of London training. Thats 5 out of 6 missed or injured at some point. I don't think I can keep coping with the disappointment. It's making me depressed. I need to think what I'm going to do. Kathryn did 4.12.07. 414/644. 3/5 in age group