30 Years of Running Marathons
30 Years of Running Marathons
Racing Riverboats and Muddy Miles: Embracing the Challenge of the Eton and Windsor 10K
What if you had to race against boats on a soggy trail? Join me as I gear up for the adrenaline-pumping "Beat the Boat" 10K race in Eton and Windsor, where the excitement of running alongside boats adds a unique twist. I'll share my previous experiences, the muddy challenges we might face, and how park runs have helped me improve my speed work, despite my preference for solo runs. With unpredictable weather and inconsistent training, I'm determined to finish under 55 minutes and enjoy every moment of this unique race.
As I prepare for the Abingdon Marathon after a 30-year hiatus, I discuss the importance of consistent training and the balance between work, life, and running. This episode delves into my pre-race rituals, the significance of trail shoes, and the forecasted light showers that could affect both the race and post-race celebrations. Despite feeling tired, I'm focused on beating my personal best time and contemplating the temptations of post-race socializing at the pub. Join me for an honest conversation about building confidence, overcoming fatigue, and the journey of rekindling my passion for running.
Thanks for listening. Keep on running.
The race is on. The race is on. So let's get straight into this episode of 30 years of running marathons. And today's episode is a bit more off the cuff. It's going to be a bit more sort of ad hoc, sort of all over the place basically, as I'm in sort of one of those moods today, I've got a race tomorrow, so I'm excited about that.
Speaker 1:It's one of my favourite 10ks. It's called beat the boat. I mentioned it in my previous episode. It's basically where you're racing against a boat, which is like really unusual. I mean, there aren't many races where you get to to actually race against a boat. So it's um, yeah, it's, it's going to be something pretty special.
Speaker 1:I've run it for the last few years. It's a relatively new race and it's it's running um eton and windsor um here in the uk. So basically you run towards windsor castle, you've got like do a lap of the field and then literally looks like a loop. So you come along the river and you have these boats and in these and they're quite large boats and you've got spectators on there. So it's basically your family and friends or anybody else basically wants to go on on these, on these boats, and they track the runners so you hear your family and friends shouting from the boats as you're running along. Now each of these boats will have a big band on the side and it'll have one of several numbers, so they'll have something like 40.
Speaker 1:I think it's 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and that relates to minutes. So I think a few years ago I actually went for the 45 minute boat, so I was trying to beat the 45 minute boat and I eventually came in. I think I just just beat it in 44 minutes. Um, I mean, and my pb for um for the 10k is, uh, 44 minutes. So, um, yeah, that was pretty quick. Now, actually, let me, let me get this right. No, 44 minutes was my pb red in 10k. Now, I think it was actually sorry. I think it's actually the see, I'm rambling now one of those uh moods today I'm pretty tired.
Speaker 1:I think it was the 50 minute boat and I did it in yeah, it was nearer 48 minutes, if I remember rightly and the last year, I think I did it. Last year I think I did it in about 56 minutes and I was trying to beat the 55 minute boat, and this year my training's been all over the place. So I'm trying to beat 55 minutes. But, to be honest, it doesn't really matter either way, because whether you beat the time or not, you still get your medal, your lovely medal and the t-shirt. So it's it's all down to beating yourself, basically. And if you listen to my previous episodes, you know I'm really competitive, so I'm pretty sure I really want to beat that 55 minutes.
Speaker 1:You example I did a 5K. Yeah, I did a. Yeah, it was a 5K. Obviously, it's half the distance. I mean, I work in miles normally, so this was just over three miles, but it was equivalent to 5K and I did that in about 27 minutes 40 seconds. So that's just maybe on the cusp of getting 55 minutes.
Speaker 1:But I was really really tired that morning. I really wasn't in the mood for a run, and on race day it's always completely different because you've got the adrenaline running against other runners. Having said that, this course is very much a trail course. Last few days we've had so much rain I mean, it's been raining all this morning. This is the day before before the race and it was raining really heavily as well on friday, and I was actually working on friday and it was. It was horrible conditions. So, um, I suspect the ground's going to be really soggy because, as I say it's it's a muddy field. Well, it's going to be muddy field anyway tomorrow. It's always muddy. I mean, I've run it before when it's been really hot and I've had a friend run in there who've had to and I saw her coming afterwards and I gave her some water on the last lap because it was so hot. And if it is, if it does turn out hot, for example, I mean it's like a heat really gets onto it and onto that feels like a frying pan. But it's only going to be that tomorrow. I it's not going to be cold, but the forecast looks like there could be a spot or two of rain, but it's just the rain we've had over the last few days.
Speaker 1:I mean, I was going to go to park run this morning on Saturday. As you know, I often do park runs which are 3Ks Sorry, 5ks, 5, see, I'm getting confused with my Ks and my miles 5Ks, miles and I love going there more for the social aspect, anything else, but also it. It really improves my speed work, not only for the 10k's but for the marathons, marathons, half marathons. Um, as I said before I I never wanted to do a park run because for me the distance was always too short. I know it sounds daft, most people would love to do a short distance, but I just, you know, my friends know that I'd love just going out for an hour, two hour run.
Speaker 1:And I'm not very much really a sociable runner, shall we say. I mean, I am sociable but when I'm running I don't like to listen to music, I just love to be on my own and just, you know, taking nature, not even be with anybody. I think I only ever ran, you know, with friends a handful of times. That's why I've never joined a running club and when I was younger I could have joined a running club but, yeah, again, I was always too shy to mix with people and join a running club. Um, and I was asked to join dachshund dashers. Um, because in fact, uh, one of the members of dachshund dash lived down the road from me and dachsh, actually, dashes are still going today and, yeah, I still see them all the races now. And if you know, if I'd been there now, I'd been there over 30 years probably. I'd probably be on a long-standing members if I'd joined.
Speaker 1:But, as I say, at least if I know if I join a club, I'm going to get very competitive. It's like when I play golf I get very competitive. It's like anything I do get very competitive. So if I, if I join a club, then that puts pressure on me to be so competitive to compete against others there. To take it more seriously, and don't get me wrong, I take my running really seriously. That's why I do this podcast, because I want to pass on all my tips and hints that I've picked up over the years of 30 years running marathons and more than that running altogether. So, over the years of 30 years running marathons and more than that running all together. So, but sometimes, sometimes less is more and you can get too hit up in in in the training and what you should be doing.
Speaker 1:And and I think, as I mentioned before, the technology nowadays allows us to track so much and even I sometimes get you know, for example, as I mentioned before, with my sleep with the garmin watch it says, oh, you've had a good sleep, you don't have a bad sleep, should have had more REM, should have a more deep sleep. Yeah, sometimes I've woken up fine, and so sometimes I just like take the watch off. I'm not going to wear it like last night. It said I had a fair night's sleep. I thought I slept right, I thought it was going to be a good sleep, but I know I haven't been sleeping too much lately, which is probably why I'm feeling really tired. I also think I'm coming down with something, because I've got a bit of a headache, um and and just not not feeling 100 percent, as I say. I think that is, you know, the garmin might be right. In this case it is, I think, a lack of sleep, working too much lately, early mornings, late nights, um, and not not getting the amount of runs and I want to. So it's just been the one run this week and my watch. My watch is saying well, I'm on recovery, which is fine because I've got a race tomorrow.
Speaker 1:At the moment, there's so many other things, you know, pushing in on my life. At the moment, you know, work is really stressful and it's like what we all have to put up with. But at the same time we have to make time for our running. It's my stress relief, it's good for my mental health, so I have to make time for it, along with my other things. I do like meditation. You know I have to make time for it. But sometimes you get to the point where you just get so stressed out you can't even get your foot out the door.
Speaker 1:And it's funny because I was speaking to a customer this week and he sort of said to me, sort of noticed he, I don't know, he could sense that I was a runner, and he said, oh, you're running. I said yes, and we had a long chat about running. He'd run marathons in rotterdam, amsterdam, new york ones. I've never, you know, run, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to run them. Having said that, I'm not keen on flying. To fly to new york might be a bit of a problem, but, um, I think the only one he hasn't done or you know one of the main ones is Boston, because Boston you need to get a really quick qualifying time and he's not that quick.
Speaker 1:I think his fastest time, he said, was three hours eight and the fastest I've ever done is three hours 18, which, if you listen to my first podcast episode, it was back when I was a youngster and I didn't really push forward on from that. I I took it for granted that I would always be able to run that sort of time and I never pushed forward. I probably could have broken three hours if I'd really pushed forward and gone on with the training, like my, my friend who, he, his mother trained him and she said to my parents that if she could train me I'd be even better than him and I was close to, uh, to beating him. I know she had dreams of him going to Olympics, which you know he never quite did. But um, he was, he was good at. But yeah, again, I was very shy when I was a kid and maybe if I had gone into it more, I. But you know, that's hindsight is wonderful thing.
Speaker 1:But you know, getting back to the running, it for me it is my life. Whether I'm running races or not, and I, you know I can sense my mood. I do get very depressed, I'm not running enough and I haven't run enough over the last few days. But hopefully this recovery period will stand me in good stead for tomorrow. But as I said, it's been. You know that's why I didn't go to parkrun this morning. I can send it to ground. It's gonna be really soggy tomorrow. So it's gonna be a case of trail shoes and I've got my trail shoes ready.
Speaker 1:Um, in one of my previous episodes if you listen to it, you will have known that years ago, being, you know, a bit naive, I thought, well, I don't really need trail shoes, it's just running on on basically grass and of course, like what we've had over the last few days, it was really soggy ground conditions. In fact, the, the lady who won, she actually won coming in with only one shoe. That's how bad it was. But I was slipping all over the place like bambi and of course, I had a torn meniscus in my knee previously, um, and I I just slipped and got the big cyst in my knee and so from then on in, you know, I've always made sure I've got trail shoes and even if, you know, I was always there on the side of caution.
Speaker 1:So if people are asking, well, do I really need trail shoes or not, I'm thinking if it's a trail, I don't care what it's dry or not, trust me, I'm wearing trail shoes. So I know tomorrow it's going to be, would I have worn trail shoes otherwise? I don't know, maybe not, because where I'm running along the river around this field, I used to run it as a kid. I used to run from home all the way up to Maidenhead, which was about seven miles. So I could really, you know, get my long, long runs in. I'd go seven, eight, even 10 miles out there and back and it's a really beautiful place and I know it's not really trail-y in that sense, but sure enough, when the rain hits it the field's soggy, the path's going to be soggy, there might be puddles, it could be all sorts. So definitely trail shoes tomorrow.
Speaker 1:I'm hoping it's not going to be raining when we're actually running, because one of my pet hates running in the rain. I'm hoping it's not going to be raining when we're actually running, because one of my pet hates running in the rain. I don't want to really have to wear a light raincoat because you just sweat underneath it, because it's not going to be cold tomorrow. Well, not cold for us here, probably about in the 60s. So the forecast isn't looking good. But I said they said it could be light showers, and certainly afterwards when we finish, which is a shame because the rate changed, and certainly afterwards when we finish, which is a shame because the rate changed.
Speaker 1:Quarters is actually where you go to pick your number up and your T-shirt is actually the pub. In fact it's two pubs now, so it's moved from one pub a few hours to the other pub, so it'll be a case of going back to the two pubs after the race. Now, normally what happens is all us runners fill up the beer garden and it's lovely sitting there in the sun having a nice drink or two. Normally you get a discount off your first drink and it's great atmosphere. But I can't see that happening tomorrow. I think there's going to be light showers. There's going to be a case of finishing maybe going back to the pub having one drink inside. The trouble is there's so many runners, the pub is so small and it's going to be, it's going to be so congested it's.
Speaker 1:It's such a shame because you know it's it's midsummer here in the uk and we should be getting better weather than this, and you know where is all the global warming and the climate change here? We're not getting the and certainly the hot weather that we should be getting. I mean, we've, we've had the odd day, but nothing, nothing really hot as yet. Um, and, sure enough, as soon as we do get one hot week, there'll be a case of, you know, emergency stations we're in a drought hosepipe bands and all the rest of it, but I know a lot of countries would love the amount of rain we've had so far. We've just had so, so much of it. Everywhere's been flooded. It's been, I mean, obviously that is that is a cause of climate change, but certainly we've not had the warming as yet this summer.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I'm digressing again. So, yeah, tomorrow I think it's. I'm still looking to beat 55 minutes, but as I'm recording this, I'm feeling quite, quite tired and I don't know why. I mean, I worked yesterday but it wasn't a long day. I had a bit of lying this morning because I didn't do the park run.
Speaker 1:But it's just a case of, as I say I've mentioned in previous episodes about mindset um, these races don't come along that often obviously. They only come around once a year, each specific race. So it's a case of making, uh, the most of it, and you can always do more than what you think. I think it's the SAS that say you always have 40% more in you. So you know your body's telling you one thing. You've got to have your mind tell you another, or tell your mind another thing, what you want it to do. And I do want to run tomorrow. I know I enjoy it. I just hope that as long as it stays dry during the race. If after the race it rains, nothing I can do. But also it's not too nice for spectators. I know the boats are covered, but it would be nice if we had a nice summer's day, which you know we should at this time of the year. So I'm hoping to beat 55 minutes, certainly under an hour.
Speaker 1:My only concern is England are playing Switzerland tonight in the European Championships in the quarterfinals, and there's a very big temptation to go down the pub and have a drink or two. I'm not one of these runners who can drink before a race and then run the next day. Um, I know a friend of mine drank several pints before he ran a half rather than he did better than me. But I'm a fairly lightweight when it comes to drinking. So I haven't said that I don't particularly want to stay at home or watch it. I'd rather be in the pub and enjoy the atmosphere. But it'll either be a case of maybe having a non-alcoholic or just I don't know. Maybe one I could get away to, maybe two, I don't know.
Speaker 1:The racing start to call it to 10, but that would certainly affect my performance. Um, so I, you know, I certainly wouldn't do if it's a half marathon or a marathon, because that'd be way too long before park run. 3k or 10K maybe not quite as bad, but you know, a bit like the race, these things only come around once now and then and you know Tinglim to be in the quarterfinals we've not played particularly brilliantly. I don't have a lot of confidence. It'll be worth it if I go there and have a couple and they win and then I don't feel so good. You know, if I don't feel particularly good at the race, that's fine, but if they lose, that would just make it even worse.
Speaker 1:And talking about drinking, actually the funny thing is about this race and I think I mentioned in my last episode actually is they have a couple of drink stations there which technically you don't really need for a 10k, but they put one or two on and here you obviously have your normal water, but also they serve prosecco, would you believe, and beer. And I remember one time I did it, I picked up a beer by mistake, but it was one of these really hot days and it was so hot I just need some liquid, you know, just something to refresh in my mouth and so I drank it anyway. But I felt terrible afterwards. And they do say now and I've made a note of this, but even now I'm getting a bit confused yeah, I think it's a larger table and the drink station has the water. Yeah, that will be a bit larger one because most people obviously go for the water and the smaller drink station is for the prosecco and beer.
Speaker 1:So you know, depending how I feel tomorrow, if I've had a drink tonight probably definitely won't want it. Or is it a case of hair the dog, I don't know. Or if england win maybe a celebration prosecco tomorrow, I'll see how I go. But I know if I take one of those and that'll certainly slow me down. Having said that, I probably won't. You know, there's two drink stations that might maybe not go for the first one because I slowed me down, but probably the first one's over halfway. So maybe do that.
Speaker 1:As I say, you know I'm not going for a PB because I'm not going to get 44 minutes. It's a rough course, it's going to be soggy tomorrow and, as I say, it's more of a fun race, so I'm not going to worry so much about the time. I'm still very determined to beat 55 minutes, certainly under an hour. I didn't quite beat 55 minutes last time. As I say, not that much training, but the times I've been doing. You know the last one would have been just outside 55 and on the race day it's going to be 55. You know I'm going to have to do about 27 for 5K. That'll bring me in 54.
Speaker 1:And I've been doing that in park runs I mean 26, been getting down to 25. Now last week I did my fastest. That was in the 25s and that's. You know that's a bit of a. That is a trail course, yeah, I mean it's got a bit of hills and downhills. So yeah, obviously it's 10k's, twice the distance, but hopefully I've got the stamina there. So certainly a good recovery period because I haven't done much training.
Speaker 1:So I'm lacking a little bit of confidence for tomorrow, cause my last run was a couple of days ago and before that I haven't really been, you know, running much. So a bit out of place. But I'm hoping this uh rest period I will certainly, if England win, I'll be on a happier mood tomorrow to really go out and smash it. So you know, fingers crossed for tomorrow. I am looking forward to it. I say it's very much a fun race. I know the course quite well, so that'd be good. Hopefully I'll see some friends there as well. And I know the course quite well, so that'd be good. Hopefully I'll see some friends there as well. And yeah, I mean that's what I've got on the horizon at the moment.
Speaker 1:And then after that race on Sunday I'm actually going to have just a little mini breakaway. A couple of days away, I'm going down to my favourite place, hayley Island, and there's a nice little hotel there where they've got like a, and I've done it after big, big race before, like marathons and after marathons. Obviously it's only 10k, but it still takes it out of you. I'm going down there and they've got a spa, they've got a gym and they've got a sauna, jacuzzi and normally I'd spend all day, uh, down at the beach. It's just a five minute drive from hotel. The hotel is based on the heart of the actual beach itself. It's five minutes away. Then you travel is.
Speaker 1:I think the next couple of days it's it's going to be raining, but but you know, if it's raining then I'll certainly use more of the um facilities. Maybe do a bit of weights. I don't normally do weights. Do a bit of weights in the gym. They got treadmill there, so maybe get back on and do a little recovery run. I love the jacuzzi as well. They've got a jacuzzi steam room. They've got a small pool as well, so I can do a few lengths.
Speaker 1:And the food at this restaurant is absolutely brilliant. I mean it's five stars, not cheap, and the drinks are expensive there. Wine is expensive, but good quality wine, but beautiful seafood, lovely beef steaks I mean it's real luxury. And the actual price of a hotel to stay is really good the price of it considering for what you get. The actual food, though, is quite expensive, but it is like Michelin star food. It's great, and I always come back from there feeling totally refreshed and that. And then after that I'm looking at what we've got.
Speaker 1:Five weeks until Burning Beach's half marathon, and that soon comes around. And that's what? Middle of August, oh my word. You know summer will soon be over. I don't know where the summer's gone, and we haven't had any. And you know I'd rather.
Speaker 1:It was hot for that race, because that particular race is held in the grounds of a private school and you actually get to use a swimming pool afterwards, and I've ran this ever since I was a kid you know, my, my you know and he hadn't actually heard of Burnham Beach. So I was telling him all about it because in fact he'd run the Winter Half Marathon, which is my grandmother's favourite race. So he knew all about that and I said, well, it's very similar to Winter Half. You know Burnham Beach is a hilly two-lap. And I told him, you know you get to use the swimming pool, which is really nice afterwards, and you know you can relax. So that's the middle of the summer, so that's that's my next race. And then after that we head into winter half, which is like end of september. And then I've got the, the marathon, abingdon marathon, uh, which is, yeah, end of october.
Speaker 1:So normally I'm on the dublin marathon, but I couldn't get in the dublin marathon this year. It's become very popular. I ran it for the last three or four years around the 40th anniversary of it and, as you listen to my previous episode, you know it's become very popular. I'm running for the last three or four years around the 40th anniversary of it and, as you listen to my previous episode, you know it's my absolute favorite marathon of all time. I even prefer it to london. I mean I didn't even apply to london for next year, in fact I think I forgot to apply, but now I think before they had like 500 000 people entering to run it, now something like 800 000. So your chances when I think there's maximum only 40 or 50 000 people is astronomical.
Speaker 1:And I've only got it in it once, 30 years ago, when I first started running marathons. But I don't mind as such, because I really love dublin marathon, which is the end of the year. So instead of that this year I'm running Abingdon Marathon, which is where I got my PB all those 30 years ago. So you know I'm not, I'm not banking on that, but if I get under three and a half hours, my PB there was three hours, 18. And that was when I was a youngster, but three and a half hours would be good. So I'm hoping a youngster but three and a half hours would be good, so hoping for that.
Speaker 1:But I really need to get some longer runs in a more consistent stretch of training in because my training has been so ad hoc. You know I run a few days here and now do the odd 15 miler I need to get up to doing regularly at 13, 15 milers and some 20 milers. You know I always say we only need to do 118 or 20 miler before a marathon. But I'd like to get into consistency if I haven't done. You know a handful say we only need to do 118 or 20 miler before a marathon. But I'd like to get into consistency if you haven't done, you know a handful of 20 milers just to give me the stamina and maybe do some sprint work as well.
Speaker 1:Listen to my previous episodes. You know I've done a lot of hill work up jared's cross hill, which is in some ways you'd like um, interval work or sprint work. It really strengthens your legs and it does improve your speed, certainly when you're running uphill, because when you get on the flats it, you know, that's where your speed come from. Your legs just loosen up. But, um, you know, in the past I've done interval training to the park near where I live and um, and I've run around there before, done sprints, and I did something similar to that the other day, which is on one of my episodes which I I told you about, where I think I did like six laps around it. But I need to do more of that to build up the speed, which is probably why I did my fastest 5k and fastest park run the other day, because I've done that. Those six, you know, laps around the park at sprinting pace. That's what you need to do. I need to build up my speed.
Speaker 1:So when I go out on the, the 18, 20 milers, my speed just is naturally there's all like subconsciously there, you know you. Just you do need essentially the long run to run a marathon but at the same time, if you're just training at the same pace all the time, you're not going to get any improvement in your marathon running or in your speed work. Your whole round performance isn't going to improve because basically what happens is your body just gets used to that pace and it doesn't get. You know it can't. Then if you go into a race situation, if you're always training at a slower pace but you never push on forward at a race pace, and when you get into racing you try and do that race pace, it's going to feel uncomfortable. So you need to. Really, you know you, you need to sweat in peace, as they say. So when it comes to war, you're more comfortable with it and that's what I need to do, but at the moment I just need to.
Speaker 1:Um, I haven't fallen out in love, let's put it this way. I haven't fallen out of love with running. I've just, subconsciously, my body's just very drained at the moment. I think it's just a combination of things, as I say, with with the work, and you know just little things as well, and you know, as I say, if you can always improve the one percent of things, you know these small gains will help and I just, it's just little things that are holding me back at the moment, um, just like the work situation, home situation and just other little things that are building up and causing this blockage. And I just need to get back the uh, the confidence and the strength within my body because, also, I know a lot of it is doing mindset somebody, sometimes your body will react to how you're feeling, um, and you can always control your feeling. So you know I've got to, you know, be more positive in my feelings and maybe my strength will come back in my body. But just feeling a little bit laster at the moment. And it's good that I can do these episodes because obviously it's very cathartic for me to obviously explain to you guys how I'm feeling at the moment.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, and it's not all you know. It's, you know, it's not always through sun-tinted rose glasses, as they say. I think that's the saying, it's, that's it. It's not all through rose-tinted glasses. Life's not like that, as you know, and certainly running's not like that. Now, how passionate you are about running which which I am passionate and have been for over 30 years you know you always, especially over that time, you're going to get your ups and downs and just at the moment it's just one of those times.
Speaker 1:I'm not had a consistent, you know, as I say, a consistent length of training. Now, my winter training wasn't brilliant. Um, I couldn't do my normal work in half marathon at the beginning of the year. I've had the odd half marathon, the red and half, and a few trail runs, a few 10ks, um, but there's just something not quite there for me at the moment, um, and I just can't put my finger on it. So, um, yeah, I don't know what else to say. It's, it's, it's a difficult one, um, I'm hoping the race tomorrow it's only, I say it's only 10k, but it's 10k tomorrow. It's a fun race. Hopefully bring that the fun back into my running and certainly the break I have um next week. Um, hopefully that will recharge my batteries and put everything back into perspective, because you know, all is not lost. Um, I've, you know, got some positive had the fastest uh 5k I've done this year. Fastest park run I've done this year already.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, touch wood, I'm not actually injured at the moment. Touch wood, the g out staying away, touch wood. I'm not injured as such. You know, this is this is more of my mind, that I'm not. You know the way I'm feeling. I think, okay, I'm feeling drained, tired, but you know, maybe that's a mind thing as well, um, but you know, tiredness isn't a permanent thing. You know, if I'm I'm tired at the moment it's because of the amount of work I'm doing, all the other stresses and that, but it's not a permanent thing and I can change that. It's not like having an injury which is far more serious. So I've got a lot to be grateful for and I know I can turn this around.
Speaker 1:So being 55 minutes tomorrow, whether I have drink on a night or not is a is another thing. But, um, you know, a good race tomorrow, certainly being 55 minutes, um, and meeting familiar faces tomorrow, having a fun time. Fingers crossed the weather will be kind to us then. You know I should be, I should be back on track and I'm still hopeful for the other races in the year. I'm still hopeful. I can beat three and a half hours at the marathon. You know it's um. It's not until the end of october that's still quite a long time away and I've got two of my favorite half marathons, real tough half marathons that will really give me some some hard, hard experience for for for the marathon coming up. So, yeah, so there's a lot to be hopeful about Um, and I don't want to end this episode on a downcast of a note um, because a lot to be looked to be. You know, get my teeth in. There's a lot to look forward to and you know I'm certainly more hopeful of being 55 minutes than I am of England beating Switzerland tonight. But at the same time, when I next speak to you, hopefully England will have beaten Switzerland and England will be in the semifinals of the European Championships and I'll have beaten 55 minutes and beat the boat tomorrow. So that's what I'm hoping for. So fingers crossed on all of that.
Speaker 1:As I say, this is very much an off the cuff episode. Just my ramblings on how I'm feeling at the moment and how I'm feeling about the race tomorrow and on my next episode. I'll give you a far more detailed report of how the race went. You'll hear all about it and hopefully I'll be bringing you some good news. And obviously I'll tell you about my break as well as how the race went, how I'm feeling, and hopefully I'll be feeling a little bit bit more positive and a bit more upbeat and, you know, hopefully that will come across in my uh, my next, my next episode, which will be next week. So, um, yeah, we'll see how it goes tomorrow, so I look forward to seeing you then. Until then, I shall sign off for now and I'll see you on the next episode of 30 Years of Running Marathons. Thank you.
