Angela Ross Innes, Reykjavik Marathon
Just a quick note to let you know how I got on today.
Iceland is a beatiful country, and the marathon does a wonderful circuit of Reykjavik and immediate surrounds. The whole little peninsula really. Mostly flat along the course, there are just a few minor inclines: crossing bridges over motorways and such. Support within the city is amazing, with all the residents out cheering and playing music, instruments, or even just their kitchen pots! Really an experience I'll remember for the rest of my life!
l even managed to post a better time than l expected, considering my complete lack of any distance training up till now. I started near the very back, hoping to make cut-off. 6 hours. 5H30 would be nice. l felt good from the start, movement quite effortless. But I kept my pace in check as I've learnt the hard way what happens when you start too fast! Easy going until 19km when the half marathoners pealed off towards their finish, and the nutters (I mean marathoners) turned for the scenic part of our route, outside of the city centre. I was still feeling strong and good, but could feel my legs stiffening just a little. I found l could still maintain my pace with little effort, and so I did. From then on l was playing the marker game. Trying to spot each km marker and calculating remaining distance. So I reached 30km before long. 32: 10 to go. Single digits and I found myself passing people every few hundred meters. 6 to go: definitely making a sub-5H00! 5km, now I'm sore and tired but I am still able to maintain my average pace. 4 and I'm working hard, but I can do under 4h40 far the first time in nearly 4 years! Tears of joy! 3km:2miles. 40 marker and it's an effort not to sprint for the finish! 41 - now I can pick it up. I see the last corner and speed up some more: definitely under 4h35. Finish line is in sight at last and I'm going as fast as my legs will allow. 42km and the clock is almost right above me! 42.2km in 4h33:50!!!
This was my second-best marathon time to date (best in November 2010, Cape Town, South Africa, just 1 minute faster). I'm ecstatic as l was aiming for 5h30, and I finished nearly a full hour quicker!! Lots of hard work. No walk breaks (rare for me on a marathon). And that unbeatable feeling at the end when you've so completely surprised yourself and crushed your goal!
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/571714425
I can recommend this race to anyone looking for a scenic Marathon. first - timers and seasoned runners alike. It is well- organised, friendly, clean, scenic, not too difficult a course.
