We'll get to the fact I've got to do it all over again in 7 days in a moment.
So, how was it? Well I couldn't have done it without a few people. First my running at the speed of chat buddy Um Bongo Jules. We laughed, cried, high fived, hugged and photo bombed our way round nearly the whole way. Even in the dreaded industrial park we kept each other going. And boy did we pace it perfectly. Each mile ticked off exactly as planned. And I'm super proud she kept it going and was able to finish in 4 hours 50!
Second all the fabulous supporters out on route - Teresa, Howard, Tony, Lucy, the McDonnells, the Um Bongo fan club, then my own crew - Yolaine, Veronique, Sharon, Nicky, Caroline, Mike and Serena. Even better my amazing niece Maria who I saw 3 times and Keeley who was in the right place at the right time as always.
So the race itself - it started with excitement (not just for my VIP area and posh toilets) and high fiving Jo Pavey. We kept to our pace place 7min/km for the start. Not going off too fast. Chatting. Cheering. Spotting friends and family. The route was great. Flat and crowded as we wound around the streets of Brighton and headed out toward Rodean. A few gentle hills but nothing like our Downs training runs. The sun was hot and there was little sea breeze so we knew this wasn't going to be easy. By half way we were flying and it was great to see Keeley and everyone enjoying themselves too. It was a great day. We photo bombed Katharine Merry doing a TV interview and at 15 miles I even paused for a quick Footloose dance outside a pub which got a great cheer!
This is what makes Brighton so tough. Most runners haven't gone beyond 20 miles in training. So the first time you do is in the race. And in Brighton they make this the toughest part of the run - out into the industrial waste land of Shoreham Power station. It's long, it's bleak and it smells of fish. There is little to enjoy out there. But you learn what you're made of. I was so lucky to have Jules alongside me. We tried to find things to talk about. To take our mind off it. We carried on laughing and chatting. But I could feel my legs and my head fading. This was getting harder and hotter. At 22 miles we passed the fabulous Saucony screen and lucky for me Keeley appeared - I didn't hear what she said but seeing her was enough. It brought tears to my eyes but strength to my heart. She would be at mile 25. I just had to keep going.
As we turned through mile 23 we reached just a 5k to go! One final parkrun. We had been counting them down slowly and surely. And as if to cement the point there were the Giles' with hugs and water!
Don't be fooled a marathon is tough and it's now at mile 23 you understand how tough it is. What was great was that Jules still had energy in her legs - so with a heavy heart from both of us one said "go!" And the other said "I'm sorry!" It's mad isn't how you feel - one guilty the other actually pleased someone can still run!! There's a moment where I thought - keep up. Chase her down. But my legs didn't have it. I started to feel despair when at that moment a friend from the past appeared alongside me, cheering me on and running alongside me for a short way. Jo you will never know how much I needed that! Another mile ticked past. 24. Two to go.
By now I was run/walking. No more than a 20 second walk. But enough to help me feel I could get there. I so wanted to run the whole way. But I just didn't have it. Yet every time someone cheered me I picked up and started again and then I knew I was near my cheering point. 25.6 miles. I think I sprinted toward Keeley to get that last energy giving hug. To feel I could do this. To feel I could make the end. I could feel she didn't want to let me go and I knew she knew how hard I was finding it. But I had to finish. And I had to finish in under 5 hours!
I had been working out how slow I could go to still make it. My mind was sapped of all the strength I thought it had. The crowds grew larger. The cheers louder. I was being swept along. I reached 26 miles at a walking pace. At which point I said out loud "for F@%# sake Jo you can run 385 yards!!" And I broke in to a run again. Cheers everywhere and then there was Maria waving her banner along the finish. The final inspiration I needed with an exchange of love between us! And there was the finish line. I'd done it. I'd made it. It is me after all so out came the smiles, the jazz hands and the glory!!
And then it was over. An amazing race. A medal around my neck. A long walk to reach my bag and my friends and family. But I was walking. Elated. Exhausted. Emotional. A marathon runner.
But what makes Brighton so special - not only my first marathon but so many of us did it and did it well! Lisa, Ben, Sue, James, Richard, Gerry, Jules, Jim, Claire, Felicity. And the woman who's fault it all was hey Dolly!
This last week I've been over and over it all. So many times. I know what I did wrong. I know what I would change. I've been disappointed in myself. I've been proud of myself. It's a roller coaster. Part of me is glad I get to do it again so quickly. My legs are recovering. I've got a cold which is on its way out. And surely I can find the mental strength which seemed to desert me at mile 21 in Brighton? So I'm as ready as I'll ever be for London and if you can't raise your game for the London Marathon, celebrating its 35th anniversary and with Paula Radcliffe running then what can you do? Besides many of the support team will be out there again and I know Keeley will be at mile 25 and this time I'm determined she sees the Jo that has dug deep and is feeling strong!
