Race report from yesterday…..Marathon #8 (Stirling)

First the all-important numbers.

Time – 2.57.54 (15 ½ minutes taken off PB)

Position – 52nd out of just under 4300 finishers (8th in M35-39 age group)

In terms of the course, very challenging but absolutely stunning. Well worth all that climbing to get the chance to take in truly breathtaking scenery from some excellent vantage points. Loved every single minute of it and without exaggerating ran the full race with a huge smile on my face. Still can’t quite get my head round the result, and think it will take a while before it fully sinks in – 5 months of meticulous preparation to give myself at least a chance of breaking the 3 hour mark came together perfectly and the luck that deserted me in Berlin 8 months ago fell kindly for me in every possible way. The feeling going into the last lap of the city centre knowing I had a decent amount left in the tank and only had to avoid incident to achieve my ‘holy grail’ was amazing. A day made all the more special by the fact I done it on home soil, and on my wee maws birthday. As always huge thanks to my wee support team Jacqueline. I can’t stress enough how much I see this as our achievement. The job she done yesterday, and in the lead up cannot be overstated. From putting up with the incessant training talk and providing constant support and words of encouragement through to getting up at 4 a.m yesterday to help me deal with the pre race nerves and making sure I had someone waiting for me at the finish line. This would not have been possible without her, and the moment of celebration we shared at the end is something I’ll never forget. Love you more than anything my wee princess. Special mention for my wee training partner Niamh for the company pretty much every Wednesday since January. She’ll run quicker than I did yesterday over the marathon distance when her time comes. Mark my words. Also the added bonus of running a qualification time for some of the other majors. London possibly next on the cards. Cheers to everyone else for the messages of support.