Fleetwood Half marathon

Sunday 29th August 2010

I have just got back from a 22mile run!  I am feeling relieved that it is over and delighted that I made the distance.  I just wanted to say thank you to everyone in Wesham Road Runners for their support.

 

Earlier in the year I decided I would like to run a marathon before my 40th birthday in July but unfortunately, I didn’t start the training earlier enough.  I mentioned the idea of running a Marathon to Helen Lawrenson and she agreed she would like to try one before the end of 2010 too. 

 

After returning from a 10 mile run one Sunday afternoon and feeling that I could have gone further I spontaneously entered the Loch Ness Marathon 2010 and immediately sent a text Helen. Helen also entered and over the past few months we have been on our ‘long runs’ together. I am sure Helen agrees with me that the ‘tips’ we get from the accustomed long distance runners are so valuable no matter how small they might seem.

 

Today, Helen and I were supported by Wesham Road Runners on our longest run in our training programme.  We had a ‘plan’.  To warm up for 6 miles, run the Fleetwood Half at a steady pace and finish wish a cool down to make our 22 miler.  

 

In particular on behalf of myself and Helen we would like to thank Sharon Cooper for meeting us at 8am on a very grey and extremely windy Sunday morning to join us on our warm up run of 6 miles.  Sharon wished us well and then along came Kerry again and again.  The next two occasions we were to see Kerry was as she handed us jelly beans from the roadside in the early stages of the half marathon.  The third occasion we saw her she was heading towards us at about the 10 mile marker and she turned and ran with us to the finish the race but Kerry didn’t stop there. She and Dave Young made sure we got the 22miles we needed in a cool down.  

 

Emma sneaked up on us at about mile 8 as the sandstorm hit.  It was either a sandstorm or the three Wesham Guys kicking sand in our faces as they steamed past us!!!   Nigel Shepherd gave us a good marathon tip today ‘take as much food and drink on board as you can even if you end up feeling sick!’  We certainly took the fluid on board today, the jelly beans thanks to Kerry and we even tried the gels that Tracey and Angela suggested. 

 

Thank you to Wesham for supporting me and, of course, the biggest, thank you to Helen for her commitment, encouragement and motivation on the long runs. I will let Helen tell you how the marathon goes!

 

Written by: Nicola Unsworth

Submitted: 29th August 2010

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Publications Editor