We hear from the indefatigable Anna Finn, who has gone back to her natural distance range after dabbling in 10ks for the sake of the next generation…
So, yesterday I completed the Charnwood Marathon. It was a cross country event and there were walkers doing it too (they left an hour before the runners). The route wasn’t marked and we just had written instructions to follow, which I found hard as I’m a slow reader at the best of times. They were pretty detailed: “cross the stile, follow the track with a wall on the left, through the brown gate, across to the far right corner of the field…” – it’s quite draining mentally to keep up the concentration to follow that for 26 miles! We also had orienteering-style cards that we had to clip at the checkpoints to show that we’d completed the whole route correctly.
At least the terrain was mainly good, though my ankles feel a bit tender today after going over all the uneven surfaces. There were a gazillion stiles on the course, as well as some tough hills. The weather was all over the place, with wind, sun, wind, hail and wind. It took me just over 5 hours to finish.
I’ve attached a photo of me with my finishers certificate and badge.
… My next update will be mid week after the Paris Marathon, as we’re spending a few days enjoying the city there (it coincides nicely with the schools/colleges holiday).
Allez allez Anna! – Ed
