Friday 4 December 2020

Marathon 12/15 - Southampton: The one with the pace car and the deluge

If I thought marathon 11 was wet, it was nothing in comparison to marathon 12.



A biblical deluge was meant to have blown through by the time I started on the morning of Saturday 14th November - however it was here to stay and I found myself considering whether to abandon the run before it had even started. However, having had some kind offers of running company and water stations along the way I felt compelled to get to the start line. 

Lockdown meant that the Exe Valley marathon was cancelled and instead I was creating another local route to run. It also meant running solo or with a maximum of one run partner. So I set off at 8am on my own and even by the end of the road was pretty soggy and lamenting the coronavirus once more. 

A couple of miles in, some familiar figures appeared as I headed out of the villages towards the countryside, our friends had come out in the pouring rain to wave me on and I already needed it by then as the constant downpour was pretty depressing. Big thanks to Chris, Lindsey and Emma for waving me on! Within half a mile I was cursing White Van Man who took a disproportionate amount of pleasure in driving through an enormous puddle to soak me to the skin. So there I was at mile 2.5 already looking like a drowned rat and feeling miserable! But it’s at this point that I thought I would just stick a metaphorical two fingers up at the weather and fight back, to run with determination and a ‘who cares’ attitude, I was in this deep, I might as well carry on. 

The pace picked up a little as I arrived in Hedge End, to rendezvous with my brother-in-law Pete at 5 miles. I was just below 45 minutes so sticking well to my target pace of 9 minute miles. He was on a 20 mile run of his own and would be joining me for about 10k. We ran at a good pace up the steady incline past Hampshire Cricket Ground and towards Southampton, only chatting a little through our clenched teeth. What a stark contrast to the glorious sunshine of the New Forest Marathon just a few weeks ago that we had shared in Marathon 10. 

Onwards towards the city, stopping briefly at mile 7 for some water kindly provided by our friend Julie, who had stayed out in the rain to see us and provide some much needed encouragement. We dropped down into Riverside Park, where the River Itchen had risen so much in 48 hours it was over the pavement in some places and coming through the trainers. The wind was blowing in off the coast too and it really wasn’t much fun I must admit, but we pressed on towards Bitterne, getting some strange looks from dog walkers along the way, but a few friendly waves from similarly nutty runners out for a Saturday run. 

arriving at Mark and Julie's house for a water stop at mile 7 


Over the Northam Bridge past the old ITV studios we continued and down to Southampton FC where we found Kev and Suzie waiting in their car for us. We were at 11 miles and doing well, still on track at less than 9 minute miles, with clothes so soaked to the skin they were essentially one and the same thing. 
At St Marys where a message from SFC welcomes us - "WE NEVER STOP"


Suzie shouted her usual fantastic encouragement and threw me a drink, Pete ran off as part of his big loop, so Kev joined me as we headed towards the City Centre. Up through Southampton Common where the UK’s second biggest parkrun usually meets on a Saturday with over a thousand runners and walkers. We saw a few of them out and about this Saturday despite the rain and it was good to get some smiles and waves as we ploughed on through the puddles. 

Out the other side of the Common and we stopped at our friends’ house for a drink. Phil and Christine are amazing encouragers from our church, always with a smile and a kind word for ‘you young ones’, as he often calls us. They’ve been on their own fitness journey over the past couple of years and have joined us at various parkruns, and they’re a great example to us. Christine is a retired NHS nurse and is always interested in the work of Sands and they are very fond of our lively children. Of course we can’t actually go to their house as we’re in lockdown but there they are, waiting in their garage, with two bottles of water for us 2 metres away! It’s a welcome sight and great to have their verbal encouragement as we set out again. 

Down Burgess Road and through the University campus, another White Van Man amuses himself by driving hard through a lake but by this time it’s all immaterial anyway as another few litres of puddle water aren’t going to make any difference. Along Stoneham Lane and we receive a friendly wave from our friend Allan outside his house, and back into the countryside linking Southampton with Eastleigh. Surprisingly this section is flying by, and before we know it we are at mile 17 at the agreed rendezvous with Suzie who takes over running company duties from Kev. Suzie reveals that we’ve received lots of donations already this morning, as people have responded well to the challenge and probably are feeling sorry for me as we swim our way towards the end of Marathon 12. 
drenched to the skin

We almost drown in Lakeside Park, the water coming over the top of our trainers as we wade through an enormous stretch of footpath probably a foot under water, and turn for the town centre. The legs are beginning to get a bit sore by this point but aren’t too bad, all things considered, but I’m worried about blisters on the feet forming later on. We get a cheer and a bottle of water left out on the wall by our close friends Hannah and Gavin as we arrive in Eastleigh at mile 19. These guys, along with Kev and Suzie have been our weekly Friday night Gin Club co-members throughout 2020, an essential weekly catch during such a difficult year. Starting during lockdown in March and carrying on throughout the year, it’s been an oasis of calm during the chaos and has really helped us to anchor another week as it transitions into the weekend.

Water stop at Gav & Hannah's with Suzie

We head up towards Chandlers Ford, by which point I’m hardly talking at all, just focusing on breathing well and sticking to pace, and we reach mile 20 in less than 3 hours, so another sub-4 hour marathon is still on the cards, surprisingly. There are a couple of hills to overcome yet, so I know it’s not over just yet. I am beginning to fade a bit and want to stop but pass a secondary school whose herald is ‘steadfast’ and whose motto is ‘personal best’… I smile wryly and remind myself that if I can keep going I will indeed complete an unexpected Personal Best of my own, so it’s just the inspiration I need.


Inspiring school motto 



We arrive at Suzie and Kev’s house where Jayne is waiting in the car, it’s mile 22 and she’s brought a bag of spare clothes for me, but to be honest I just grab a few glugs of Lucozade Sport and keep going, there’s no point stopping now as it may be counter-productive. We head through the alleys and under the motorway, knowing that there are less than 4 miles to go. Jayne tells me we’ve had the most amazing support and have topped the £4,000 mark, which stood at £3,500 only last night. People seem to have been captured by the photos on social media of our efforts in the rain, thank you if you are one of them! 

We turn into Boyatt Wood I’m flagging now, despite the good news It’s mile 23 as the pouring rain continues to pound down on us, filling up trainers and weighing down clothes. As we come out of a side road we are suddenly made to jump by the beeping of a car horn. On approaching the main road where the car is positioned I hear the shouts of children’s encouragement and see a number of hand-made banners in the windows as the car starts to set off alongside us. The hazard lights go on and then the familiar voice of our good friends Charlie and Sean can be heard from the front windows, cheering us on, encouraging us to keep going, reminding us of how far we had come and not to give up. 
The car stays with us for about a half mile and just those few minutes give me the boost I needed to dig in for the final 5k. We turn onto the pavement of the main road which would lead us back home, whilst the car heads back toward its own home, its work done. I can’t thank them enough.

One of the banners really struck me- “pace car”. Charlie and Sean and their children had spent time creating banners to help encourage me on my marathon journey, to help keep my pace up. They invested their paper, their pens, their voices and their time, just to encourage me onward. How awesome is that? They helped me to keep pace when I was flagging and I needed it most. They were my pace car - my encouragement, clearing other cars out of the way - effectively saying “runner coming through”.  I must admit that for just a few moments I felt like Sir Mo Farah.


The amazing pace car - LEGEND - YOU CAN DO IT! - what an amazing sight 
 
They’ve been amazing supporters on the marathon challenge over the past year. I’ve mentioned before that their daughter Tilly died in 2012 just before we got to know them. I often think of them and families like them on my marathons, reminding myself during the dark miles why I’m doing the challenge in the first place. We long to see a world where fewer babies die every day (currently around 14 a day in the UK), and where the care and support provided for families when a baby does die is high quality, empathetic and compassionate. 

Their support gets me thinking, who can I encourage this week on this endless marathon journey we’re all enduring? Who can I cheer on? Whose pace can I help to set? Who can I invest my resources and time in, to keep them going, even for a short while? I encourage you to jump in that pace car – actual or metaphorical – and put the hazard lights on; it will make all the difference to your friend.

We’re on the home straight now, down Twyford Road towards the railway station. Jayne gets out her phone to read me all the lovely messages people have sent via facebook and text, which help to keep me going until the end. One more effort up the steep incline and over the railway bridge. Just a mile and a half to go now. The familiar streets where I’ve done so many training runs come into view as we head back towards home. Although the legs have felt like lead for the last couple of miles, they manage to keep pounding the pavement, most likely through muscle memory and sheer repetition. 

We head up Fair Oak Road and see our kids who have gathered together with the Sands flag to welcome us back over the imaginary finish line. It’s great to see them and they’ve brought some Lucozade and a towel with them which are just what I need. 
Team H welcoming Dad home 


We plod back up the hill to the house where a warm bath and a beer await. The clock says I finished in 3h57m29s, taking a further 2 minutes off a personal best, talk about unexpected! I’m chuffed with that, given the extreme weather, and it’s a good reminder that a positive mindset and determined attitude can help you to overcome all the knockbacks life can throw at you. 
Team Sands 


By the end of the weekend the challenge total is closing in on £4,400. We set out with a target of £2,500, but here we are with three marathons to go and an amazing £5,000 is in sight. Again huge thanks to everyone who has supported us with running, shouting, water providing, donating, texting, encouraging. You’re all amazing and I, and all the Sands families, are so, so grateful. 

Onwards then to marathons 13, 14 and 15 which, given the cancellations of various races due to current restrictions, will take place on consecutive weekends in December. 

These will be:

13/15 Firstly the Goodwood Marathon, 11 and a bit laps of the GP track in Sussex on Sunday 6th December. This could be a mental challenge, with no supporters allowed on the day. 

14/15 Then Saturday 12th December will see me running ‘the story of my life’, from my birthplace at Winchester hospital to our current home via my childhood schools and colleges. 

15/15 Finally on Saturday 19th December I’ll be running the virtual Portsmouth Coastal Marathon, running from Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth to Princess Anne (Maternity) Hospital at Southampton General. 

A number of friends and colleagues have expressed an interest in joining me on one or more of these last two marathons, so please get in touch if you’d like further details. 

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