Post Snowdon Life

The few days after the marathon I was suffering from very bad delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). I am not used to this as my leg muscles are usually quite fresh after even my long training runs. I am used to this type of muscle soreness after more explosive bouts of exercise such as football or tennis. Just goes to show what those last six miles of a marathon do to the legs. Needless to say, I was hobbling around the house like something out of Dawn Of The Dead and I was even reduced to coming down the stairs on my arse on Sunday afternoon. How do zombies go up and down stairs?!

I suffered quite a bit on the Sunday night. My body’s thermostat was seriously on the blink and I sweated a huge amount. It felt like someone had thrown a bucket of water over me in my sleep. This was quite strange as I didn’t sweat too much during the marathon but my body was more than making up for it that night. After a sleepless night and with legs that didn’t work I was off to work for three days straight. Fun times.

By Wednesday the soreness had subsided and against my better judgement I went out for a little run. I had decided earlier in the week that I wouldn’t do any running at all but I succumbed to the urge and off I went. Just a little one and a half miles at a very slow pace. It’s nice to run without the pressures of a looming marathon. A weight has certainly been lifted from my shoulders and as a result my knee seems to be behaving itself for the time being.

When the immediate marathon preparation was in shambles and it looked like I wouldn’t be making the start line I rather hurriedly signed up for a couple more races. This was largely a rebellious move to ensure that I wouldn’t lose motivation and have my training grind to a halt. It is odd what we do in those darker moments and I suppose everyone copes in slightly different ways. I wanted to make sure that the injury would not stop me moving forward. My goal race is a half marathon at the beginning of January and a preparation 10k in the middle of December. This creates a slightly busier end to the running year than I had anticipated. It also means that I need to create a balance between training for these races and not overtraining in the aftermath of the marathon. I am really looking forward to letting rip on my first 10k though. At last a race where I can rely on my aerobic fitness instead of worrying that my legs might fall off in the last few miles.

I ran eight miles last week and intend to do 15 this week, 25 the next and then up to a maximum of about 35 for a few weeks before the half. I have sorted out my training schedule and will try and follow it in a more disciplined manner than I did before the marathon. I am also keen to do strength work on my legs to try and stop any knee problems recurring. I need to lose a further stone in weight to become a bit more biomechanically efficient. As ever, this means cutting out the sugary treats and concentrating on more veggies. This might be a little tricky over the festive season but we shall see.

I decided to spare no expense and buy my proper marathon photos in which I seem to be pulling a series of desperate and largely inexcusable faces. I either look exhausted, demented or both but 26.2 miles is a pretty good excuse so to hell with it.

I can't remember where this was but I look pretty knackered so I am going to have a wild guess that I am running up a hill. Those other two look pretty fresh though.

In the rain, sprinting like a maniac and looking like I'm pretty happy with the end in sight.

That's the finish line! Right there! Wierd celebrations on the finishing straight. I might try and look a bit more sane in future marathons. That is, if that's an option.