Why do we watch sport? Sport is often on a knife edge. Yesterday I watched QPR play at home against Stoke, and right up to the 90th minute the Rangers looked relegated, then QPR scored, Bolton let a goal in and things changed. QPR can still be doomed this season, but football or any sport for that matter is always on a knife edge. That's why it is so exciting. That Cisse goal yesterday was like nothing else: relief, joy, some sadness that the season is coming to an end. I can't remember the last time I celebrated a goal like that. Grown men were jumping around like children in Cadbury World in the Loft end. Here's Cisse's goal celebration:
There were many people watching along the route of the marathon last week. I don't think they were there to watch sport on a knife edge though. They were fantastic. The support they offered was wonderful, it really kept me and I am sure the vast majority of runners going. I shook hands with a few people along the way and had a few comments prepared that I was to mix up. Bear in mind it was raining heavily all day last Sunday - these people needed to see the runners responding too and have some fun. So I replied to a few:
Without that support I wouldn't have made it to the end of the race. I started off well, around 11 minute miles as was my target pace. MK is flat, so there were no huge hills to worry about. Around mile 18 I began to flag to 12.30 minute miles. Miles 22 and 23 were terrible, I can't remember how bad it felt, but it was really horrible. I walked the last 2.5 miles. I had made an understanding with myself before the race that I would run whatever it took, but I just sort of conked out - my legs just gave up. But I made it to the end, and getting to the end felt almost as good as Cisse's goal yesterday, almost.
On reflection my two months of training for this marathon was not enough. I ran my first 13 mile race a month before the marathon, it was sub two hour but it was too late. My time in the marathon was over 5 hours 30 minutes, I know I can go faster than that. But there are no short cuts in training for a marathon, I set my sights low and I knew there would be a period in the race where things would get horrible. I will not be too hard on myself, my training was curtailed due to injury, next time I will be better prepared. And I finished.
This marathon training has taught me that I am of a character where I do not give up, perhaps I am a little relentless and maybe a little pragmatic. I set my sights just outside the bounds of my perceived capability and just go for it regardless. I then reflect about it on the world wide web. What a strange chap.
I have learned a great deal through the process of preparing for the MK marathon. Thanks for sharing your experience on this blog, on facebook and in person. I made it thanks to you :)
I have put up my photos from the marathon below. Yes, that's me, and it's much wetter then it looks! You might also notice a QPR sweatband in these photos - I was running this race in memory of my grandad and raising money for a hospice charity. My grandad was a big QPR fan, you could argue it was my grandad that ruined my life by giving me no choice other than supporting QPR. How different would my life have been if he was an Arsenal fan?
There were many people watching along the route of the marathon last week. I don't think they were there to watch sport on a knife edge though. They were fantastic. The support they offered was wonderful, it really kept me and I am sure the vast majority of runners going. I shook hands with a few people along the way and had a few comments prepared that I was to mix up. Bear in mind it was raining heavily all day last Sunday - these people needed to see the runners responding too and have some fun. So I replied to a few:
- Can anyone give me a lift to the finish?
- Does anyone know a short cut?
- Are we nearly there yet?
- Has anyone got any performance enhancing drugs?
- Can I borrow your bike?
Without that support I wouldn't have made it to the end of the race. I started off well, around 11 minute miles as was my target pace. MK is flat, so there were no huge hills to worry about. Around mile 18 I began to flag to 12.30 minute miles. Miles 22 and 23 were terrible, I can't remember how bad it felt, but it was really horrible. I walked the last 2.5 miles. I had made an understanding with myself before the race that I would run whatever it took, but I just sort of conked out - my legs just gave up. But I made it to the end, and getting to the end felt almost as good as Cisse's goal yesterday, almost.
On reflection my two months of training for this marathon was not enough. I ran my first 13 mile race a month before the marathon, it was sub two hour but it was too late. My time in the marathon was over 5 hours 30 minutes, I know I can go faster than that. But there are no short cuts in training for a marathon, I set my sights low and I knew there would be a period in the race where things would get horrible. I will not be too hard on myself, my training was curtailed due to injury, next time I will be better prepared. And I finished.
This marathon training has taught me that I am of a character where I do not give up, perhaps I am a little relentless and maybe a little pragmatic. I set my sights just outside the bounds of my perceived capability and just go for it regardless. I then reflect about it on the world wide web. What a strange chap.
I have learned a great deal through the process of preparing for the MK marathon. Thanks for sharing your experience on this blog, on facebook and in person. I made it thanks to you :)
I have put up my photos from the marathon below. Yes, that's me, and it's much wetter then it looks! You might also notice a QPR sweatband in these photos - I was running this race in memory of my grandad and raising money for a hospice charity. My grandad was a big QPR fan, you could argue it was my grandad that ruined my life by giving me no choice other than supporting QPR. How different would my life have been if he was an Arsenal fan?
