Altitude: 55m/ 160ft
Temp: 20°C/ 68°F
Weather: Clear and hot
After all the training in the cold of the northeast US and the cool of Scotland the day of the race dawns clear and bright with a forecast of unusually hot weather for this part of the world. I'm up early for my usual marathon breakfast of muesli, coffee and a couple of pieces of toast before the short walk to the bus and the ride into the middle of Edinburgh. The start is at the foot of Carlton Hill and organisation seems very effective as I drop my bag to be transported to the end, grab a sports drink and take a walk around the mustering area. We even have some good views of the city and Arthur's Seat to enjoy. I time my visit to the Portaloos well (no queue when I arrive, queues forming quickly as I exit) and find a good spot at the front of my mustering coral where we all enjoy the antics of a team of Spaniards who are giving the MC more audience participation than the rest of the assembled company put together.
With 5 minutes to go to the scheduled start we are walked close to the starting line, just behind the elite runners, and the race begins on the dot of 9am. The first section is all downhill and everyone at the front seems to get off at an even and easy pace despite the temptation to speed along in the perfect conditions. The pace continues to feel good and easy as we pass the Scottish Parliament and get a flat stretch on Queens Drive which brings us to Meadowbank Stadium where we pick up the route of the Edinburgh Half Marathon I ran. Another downhill stretch brings us to the only significant uphill on the course but this is easily overcome before the long downhill towards the seafront. My split for 5km was about 19:18 (at which point I accidentally turned off my stopwatch, ending self timed splits), probably about right given the considerable drop in altitude until the course reaches the sea after the 4 mile marker.
Once on the seafront the race settles down as we find the right pace in the calm conditions with just enough headwind to help keep us cool, and I pass the 10km timing mat at 38:26, only a little slower than the 10km race I ran a few weeks ago in appalling weather and 1 minute 40 faster than my last marathon in New York. This part of the course through Portobello and Musselburgh has plenty of spectators to cheer us on, especially around the first relay changeover at 8 miles (and near the eventual finish line at Musselburgh racecourse). The next stretch is more rural but with the road lined by hedges and trees there is quite a bit of shade, a boon as the temperature climbs. As we come through Musselburgh I hear cries of “come on Superman” and I'm duly passed by a runner wearing a costume. Having seen a very athletic looking “Elvis” complete with wig and white jumpsuit disappear ahead of me near the start it was dispiriting to get behind another costume!
The miles pass slowly as we continue relatively flat through Prestonpans and the halfway point (1:25:44, 55 seconds ahead of New York and maybe a little faster than ideal but I am still feeling strong) and then past the enormous Cockenzie Power Station, a landmark visible since we hit the shore near mile 4. Somewhere past mile 15 the two front runners pass me on their return west, well ahead of the third man. Here we turn inland for a “make up the distance” stretch, a short climb on a side road followed by a U-turn and a return to the coast road. By this time more of the lead runners are heading past (including one I recognise from Parkrun) and we get to see how many “Elite” (better than 2.30 predicted time) runners were being beaten by my fellow “Orange” (2.30-3.15 finishing time) athletes. Apparently in previous years the race featured a simple U-turn on the road but now they circle us around the grounds of Gosford House between miles 17 and 19. This is a pleasantly peaceful stretch for me, despite a sharpish climb in the first section on a dirt track that has been covered in a layer of dirt and gravel to level the surface, and the lack of any cooling breeze. Not so pleasant for those in the main pack with hundreds of feet kicking up dust I would guess.
Our loop brings us past the House and out at the gatehouse to begin the final stretch of 7 miles west back to Musselburgh. My expectation here pre-race was for a struggle into the prevailing wind like in the half marathon, but in fact we are running away from a slight tail-wind. This makes for some very warm stretches with not a breath of breeze, and a few low moments. Getting to the point where we are running opposite other runners with much more work to do gives a boost of sorts but this was one of the worst sections of the race for me as the temperature begins to combine with the usual tiredness to drag at my resolve to keep on pace. I also find that on a couple of occasions a slight increase in my breathing leads to sudden tightness in my chest, possibly as a result of the hay fever I always suffer a bit of in the UK spring. Luckily however easing the pace a fraction allows me to breathe again.
Now is the time in the race to take it one mile at a time as the cliché goes. On the positive side I am on schedule for the sub-3.00 time, passing 20 miles before the 2.15 mark and putting in sub-7.30 miles for the next 4, helped by a good dose of water on the head and soaking the hat at each water stop. I also have Superman back in my sights and I'm gaining on him, and overtook a girl about mile 24 to compensate for another who had pulled past me a mile or two previously. Not being beaten by too many women is up there in the unwritten rules along with men in costume!
The lowest point of the race comes near mile 25 where I briefly feel unbearably hot and sick and long for the final water station which arrives just in time to resurrect me for the run in. The final stretch is enlivened by increasing crowds as we return into Musselburgh and spot the racecourse, with the furlong markers to plot our remaining distance. Past marker 5, check, past marker 4, check, past marker 3, then the 26 mile sign and the cut though the perimeter onto the racecourse. Here the half marathon had seen us running on a range of surfaces, but today there is a plastic cover laid either for our benefit or to protect the racecourse surface. If it was the former they could do without it, I found it awful to run on and probably looked pretty wobbly for 200 yards before we got back on tarmac and the glorious sight of the finish... and a clock reading 2:58 and counting. A final sprint just failed to get me in under 2:59 but that was immaterial, I'd succeeded in running the race in under 3 hours and that's all that mattered.
The post race organization was good at this point (don't know how it held up a the crowds of finishers increased) as I was swiftly dosed with water , rehydration fluid, bananas, a medal and had my chip removed. Then the magic words “there is beer over there” and I stroll over to a table where angels in Stewarts Brewery shirts dispense samples of their Marathon Ale. It would seem like many fast runners are not convinced of the healing value of beer (shame on them!) so there was a small number of us at the table, allowing me to chat to a few who had finished in around the same time and knock back a few of the little cups of amber nectar. Then it was off to pick up my bag and walk into town to find a bus to Haddington to meet Tracy and the rest of the Edinburgh Hashers and sink a few more beers.
Overall the toll on the body was tolerable. For the first time in 4 marathons I get a little foot trouble (no blisters, just a couple of toes that get sore around mile 22 and suffer a little bruising) but suffer no chafing despite eschewing Vaseline for the first time. My excellent Nike shorts have never rubbed and a couple of plasters (band aids) protect the nipples perfectly. The knee and ankle joints never give a moments trouble, the leg muscles don't cramp at all and only the butt muscles get really sore on the course. Plus for the first time my IT band does not seize up within minutes of the finish. I have even kept my fluids and electrolytes topped up well despite the heat.
Later in the day (after a reviving shower) we meet a collection of Edinburgh Hashers who had competed in the 4 person relay and a considerable number from London who had done the full race... including Superman (actually Superwoman he told me), a Hasher from London who had ended up finishing just behind me. And what was the toll on the body the next day? Very sore quads and butt muscles, fairly sore calves and two bruised toes. I'll take that!
AWESOME!!! Great write-up too.
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