As I mentioned in an earlier post, part of my job is getting and staying fit enough to ride with my boys so I can really assess their fitness level...No better way to do that than run a marathon right?

I started the venture about 3 months back with my local running club, a great group with all levels mixed together. We raced a 10k about 6 weeks ago, a half marathon about 3 weeks ago and then the marathon yesterday....I went so far as to prepare with a Scandinavian diet from Sunday to Wednesday-emptying my body of carbs and eating only proteins and lipids, and then from Thursday on loading with rice, potatoes, and sports drinks made by First Endurance.


By Sunday morning I was disgusted with carbs all around and force fed myself the last sports drink i could before chugging an espresso and heading off to the race. My plan was to run 4.10 per km with a pal, and all started well under grey skies and lite drizzle...at km 10 my partner conked and I pressed onward....we passed the half marathon in 1h28 at about a 2h56 marathon pace. I felt good but told myself don't accelerate between km 22 and 32 or you may regret....right then we were on a plateau, and my group started running like it was an ITT wanting to pick off one guy at a time.

 
Instead of staying at 14,3kmh we were at 14,5kmh -14,8kmh....I followed but at km 35 i felt a KABOOM! Suddenly it was the 4th of July....my group started to slip away...I told myself I'd keep them at 10m, 20m, 50? 100? then pouffe! they were gone.

Soon after at km 37 the 3h balloon passed me and I couldn't follow let alone hold their pace. At km 38 out of nowhere came my biker buds who emotionally carried me to the line. I somehow battled myself, inner thoughts, extreme pain as if I had just done 100 squats with 60kgs, to finish 4th in 3h06.....Soon after I sat down at a bar and sipped a nice cold Leffe which had me on Cloud 9 in no time...