Duchy & 100 Club Challenge Marathons - 7th March
After a very successful 2009, Steve Edwards felt that it was inevitable that something was eventually going to go wrong and slipping over on the icy roads while out training just before Xmas was just that. He didn't know it at the time, but he sustained a hip injury that ultimately cost hit nearly 2 months of very little or no running. With the 500 planned for Connemara, this came as a real blow.
100 Marathon Club Challenge - 3rd January
However, on January 3rd Steve managed to struggle round the 100 club annual marathon at Bromley in 3:26:29 while he still had a degree of fitness left from last year, it wasn't exactly pretty, a bitterly cold day and painful from start to finish, Steve couldn't wait for it to end. In hindsight perhaps not the best thing to have done and may have exacerbated the injury but he's sure we've all been there before now.
Duchy Marathon 7th Marach
Then after many frustrating weeks of resting, retrying and resting again (and driving Teresa mad!), eventually in late February Steve was able to put together 3 weeks of uninterrupted running albeit with more rest days than normal and therefore decided to travel to Cornwall for the Duchy Marathon on March 7th. Confidence is everything in running and Steve needed this to get his head right again, his plan was to stick on 8 minute miling from start to finish, no more, no less and hope for a sub 3:30 to maintain his challenge for 2012.
Duchy isn't the easiest of courses, it's 2 laps with 2 hills on each lap, so not particularly hilly but there is always a cold headwind to contend with for several miles on each lap and this year was no exception. Coming down with a cold the day before didn't help either and the paranoia kicked-in again; he felt 'somebody up there is really testing me!' However, the race went pretty much to plan and Steve crossed the line in 3:28:41 to finish 43rd out of a 200+ field. So no prizes this time, but the satisfaction of just being able to complete another sub-3:30 marathon towards the 2012 goal and have hopefully got himself back on track for the 500th at Connemara. Now just got to keep his fingers crossed that it will be okay from here on in.
Report Highlights
Despite the bad weather and aserious injury, Steve Edwards clocks-up 2 more marathons.
Connemara is still on for Steve's 500th marathon, en route for the 500 sub-3:30 target in 2012.
Other reports may be found on our recent race reports page.