So it was the morning of the marathon and I had barely slept, nerves had kept me awake, my phone going off woke me up and then the cat decided to use my suitcase as a litter tray... things had not gone well, and to top it off I had woken up with a slight cold! I was so nervous I had been to the toilet 4 times!
Me and my sister awaited our lift from Peyman who ended up turning up a little late, the nerves were increasing! Then on the way there Peyman missed the turning for parking and we ended up the wrong side of the route with all roads closed. Peyman wanted to head back round but the marathon start time was looming so we parked up where we could and headed down to Preston Park.
The field was full of the hustle and bustle of runners, huge queues for the toilets as peoples nerves increased. We dropped off our bag, joined a toilet queue and had a light stretch while we waited. We managed to get in the toilet just on time and had a few minutes to get to our start corrals. My sister, Jade, and Peyman were in the corral before me (estimated finish time 4 to 4 and a half hours), so they disappeared off while I joined my corral (4 and a half to 5 hours).
Suddenly there was a cheer as the race started, but we hadn't started moving yet! There were so many people running it would take a while for my corral to start moving. We heard another cheer and the elite runners came whizzing past us, so much for a marathon these guys were sprinting! Incredible! As we eventually started moving I gave a cheer as I passed under the start line.... we were off!!! It felt awkward to start with as there was so many people in such a compressed space, the pace seemed really slow and I found myself dodging round and overtaking people. The first 10 miles were a breeze, I felt really relaxed once I got going. At a few points the route came back on itself and I passed Jade and Peyman, shrieking at each other as we passed.
At 11 miles I started to slow so decided to have a short break and walked for a minute to give my legs a rest. Then I was off again. My mum and her partner Clive had told us they would be at around the half way mark to cheer us on so I kept my eyes peeled as I approached it. I suddenly spotted my mum waving a sign in the air 'Go Karra' and cheering me on, but then I spotted Clive, he'd jumped the railing and was bent down on the floor massaging Jade's ankles. She was leaning on the barrier, red faced with tears on her cheeks. I ran over and put my arms round them all and my mum urged me to carry on so I continued on my way.
As mile 15 approached I really started struggling, my lower back was extremely painful and my hips and knees were screaming at me, I had to stop. From there I was in real pain, and up to mile 20 I had to walk around 50%. Both my dad and my best mate, Kim, and her partner, Craig, were there cheering me on to keep my spirits up though and I soldiered on! The atmosphere was brilliant, people handing out sweets and water, cheering names to make sure everyone remained strong. My mum gave me a call and told me Jade was still running, and was half a mile behind me, phew I was so relieved.
Shortly after mile 21 I called Jade to see how close behind she was, she was still only half a mile away so she said she would try and catch me up. I had a quick toilet break (all those energy gels and water points!) and kept a slow steady pace so she could catch me up. Her friends Joy and Joanne had joined her and were running a couple of miles to keep her going and Joanne appeared next to me explaining Jade was just a few meters away. I turned round and spotted her waving madly so stopped and waited.
We were together now and we were finishing this together! We soldiered on, the Brighton pier now in view and edging closer, we were going to do this!! I now felt great, my spirits were lifted and the pain seemed to melt away. Jade was in agony though, explaining the pain was as if her ankles were popping out! Ouch! As we reached the pier the cheers intensified, my mum and Clive were there egging us on as well as Kim and Craig, so close now!
As the finish line came into view I felt like I was floating towards it, me and Jade grabbed hands and a huge smile spread across our faces. Raising our hands in the air we crossed the line... wooooohoooo! A time of 5.07 for me and 5.10 for Jade! I immediately wanted to collapse with both the feeling of relief and all the pain pulsing through my body! We grabbed our medals and proudly placed them around our necks.
Me and my sister awaited our lift from Peyman who ended up turning up a little late, the nerves were increasing! Then on the way there Peyman missed the turning for parking and we ended up the wrong side of the route with all roads closed. Peyman wanted to head back round but the marathon start time was looming so we parked up where we could and headed down to Preston Park.
Here we go
The field was full of the hustle and bustle of runners, huge queues for the toilets as peoples nerves increased. We dropped off our bag, joined a toilet queue and had a light stretch while we waited. We managed to get in the toilet just on time and had a few minutes to get to our start corrals. My sister, Jade, and Peyman were in the corral before me (estimated finish time 4 to 4 and a half hours), so they disappeared off while I joined my corral (4 and a half to 5 hours).
Suddenly there was a cheer as the race started, but we hadn't started moving yet! There were so many people running it would take a while for my corral to start moving. We heard another cheer and the elite runners came whizzing past us, so much for a marathon these guys were sprinting! Incredible! As we eventually started moving I gave a cheer as I passed under the start line.... we were off!!! It felt awkward to start with as there was so many people in such a compressed space, the pace seemed really slow and I found myself dodging round and overtaking people. The first 10 miles were a breeze, I felt really relaxed once I got going. At a few points the route came back on itself and I passed Jade and Peyman, shrieking at each other as we passed.
Running well
At 11 miles I started to slow so decided to have a short break and walked for a minute to give my legs a rest. Then I was off again. My mum and her partner Clive had told us they would be at around the half way mark to cheer us on so I kept my eyes peeled as I approached it. I suddenly spotted my mum waving a sign in the air 'Go Karra' and cheering me on, but then I spotted Clive, he'd jumped the railing and was bent down on the floor massaging Jade's ankles. She was leaning on the barrier, red faced with tears on her cheeks. I ran over and put my arms round them all and my mum urged me to carry on so I continued on my way.
As mile 15 approached I really started struggling, my lower back was extremely painful and my hips and knees were screaming at me, I had to stop. From there I was in real pain, and up to mile 20 I had to walk around 50%. Both my dad and my best mate, Kim, and her partner, Craig, were there cheering me on to keep my spirits up though and I soldiered on! The atmosphere was brilliant, people handing out sweets and water, cheering names to make sure everyone remained strong. My mum gave me a call and told me Jade was still running, and was half a mile behind me, phew I was so relieved.
The pain at mile 19
We were together now and we were finishing this together! We soldiered on, the Brighton pier now in view and edging closer, we were going to do this!! I now felt great, my spirits were lifted and the pain seemed to melt away. Jade was in agony though, explaining the pain was as if her ankles were popping out! Ouch! As we reached the pier the cheers intensified, my mum and Clive were there egging us on as well as Kim and Craig, so close now!
Here we come finish line!
As the finish line came into view I felt like I was floating towards it, me and Jade grabbed hands and a huge smile spread across our faces. Raising our hands in the air we crossed the line... wooooohoooo! A time of 5.07 for me and 5.10 for Jade! I immediately wanted to collapse with both the feeling of relief and all the pain pulsing through my body! We grabbed our medals and proudly placed them around our necks.
Amazing achievement
I have never felt pain like it, the next day I couldn't stand up straight with such sever back pain, burning calves, achy knees and very stiff hips. I shuffled around like the Hunchback of Notre-Dame! It may have been painful but it was so worth it. I have managed to raise over £1000 for an incredible charity, Care for the Wild International in their Last Chance for Elephants campaign. You can still donate here if you want to offer your support. The pain I endured will help save these amazing animals, and although it felt good it is not something I want to repeat! A new challenge is definitely on the horizon though, and the task next year is to complete the 'Tough Mudder', a half marathon obstacle course.... who wants to join me??!
