Day two - Running on Empty

I sure was today - after 8 hours in the car yesterday & only 4 hours sleep before a 2.15 wake call I can safely say that's how not to prepare for a marathon - I finished it that's one of the best things I can say about it. Yesterday I bought you an idiots guide "How not to run a sub 4 marathon" following on from that today was the next in that series with "How not to run a sub 5 marathon" I set off at just under 9 minute mile pace with that hope that after 5 or 6 miles my legs would get into the flow of things but they didn't & by 6 miles in my sub 4 dreams were dashed & I just had to grind out a run walk for sub 5, I used the Jeff Galloway method as much as possible & was constantly recalculating what i needed to break 5, not often i'm doing that kind of maths. I would guess there were about 100 of us doing the marathon & it was a lovely course with views of open pastures & never ending roads - I looked around as my ipod played the title track to this blog & I looked around & almost felt like Forrest Gump & that gave me a lift. At 7 miles I trod on a snake, you don't get that at the Wolverhampton marathon - leaping out of its way might have been the quickest I moved all day ? Don't get me wrong it wasn't a Cottonmouth, King Cobra or a rattler & probably just a 2 foot long grass snake but I wasn't about to hang out & google snakes of Montana on my phone (which i didn't have !!) I kept trading places with a few girls struggling & also having to adopt a run/walk strategy we chatted at times which helped get through the distance & the marshals & volunteers out there were great. The finish couldn't come quick enough I accelerated down the hill to break 4.50 flying home in 4.49.44 & for a change getting a medal that doesn't spin !! But a great bit of bling die cut to the shape of the state. I'm gonna go for a swim & hot tub in the hope of getting some life back into my legs before Beer & Pizza. Eraly nith tonight before heading to Bowman North Dakota & getting to see the third member of Team GB Michael Greha disappear into the distance - I will of course be milking the excuse of having done 2 already - The Travmeister came home in 4.13 - need a hose that boy is on fire !!! Right time to swim maybe I need to find a different sport ?! Splits !! 8:57 8:46 8:53 8:53 9:12 10:23 11:21 10:17 10:46 11:14 12:58 9:28 10:12 9:57 11:15 11:06 10:29 11:37 11:22 13:20 11:30 12:32 13:37 13:18 11:51 12:37 3:54 Foxy in the USA x