Marathon 36: Back on Familiar Waters in Berkshire

Week 36 took us to Berkshire — a hop across the river from where we were last week in Buckinghamshire. And as it turned out, the river was going to be a pretty prominent feature of the day.

We started in Henley, which is a particularly special place for me. A couple of years ago, it was the culmination of my rowing journey, so I’ve spent a lot of time here — although, until this week, I’d only really explored around 2,000 metres of it.

This time, we were going considerably further.

From Henley, we followed the river along the famous race course, around the bend and onwards towards Maidenhead, before turning back west and eventually heading back into Henley.

It was a beautiful route. There was plenty of pretty countryside, woodland paths, a couple of hills and a short stretch through the middle of Maidenhead, but for the most part it was just a really enjoyable place to run.

And the weather was, for me, a pleasant surprise.

While most people were experiencing a fairly miserable August Bank Holiday weekend, with rain pretty much from start to finish, I actually loved it. After weeks and weeks of running in 20-plus-degree temperatures and bright sunshine, having a cool, wet day was exactly what I needed.

We started the morning with some filming and interviews for ITV News, which was a brilliant way to kick things off. There'll be more on that across our social channels, but it was great to see the challenge getting some more attention.

Then it was time to run.

This week was slightly different because, rather than one person taking on the full marathon alongside me, we had a relay team.

Lauren had originally hoped to run the whole thing, but sadly some post-pregnancy physical complications meant that wasn't possible. Instead, she did an amazing job of pulling together a team and making sure she could still be part of the day.

So a huge shout-out to Lauren, Robin, Catherine, George, Ben and Alex, who made up the relay team - not forgetting a starring cameo from Kay, Lauren's mum, who joined us along the way.

A massive thank you too to my pals Cameron and Andrew, who between them ran the full distance with me, and a particularly special shout-out to Millie Hack, who has been incredibly generous with her support throughout this challenge and joined us for the final 15 or 16 miles.

The pace varied as we moved from runner to runner, with everyone taking on their section in their own way and at their own pace. But that was part of what made the day so enjoyable.

It just seemed to float by.

There were also three or four dogs along the way, which I think is a new record for the challenge. Two Rogers, no less.

By this stage of the year, though, I’m definitely starting to feel the physical effects of running a marathon every week.

The knees are getting a little unhappy. The feet are occasionally unhappy too, although thankfully nowhere near as unhappy as they were earlier in the year.

At one point, just past halfway, the knees were protesting enough that some fairly strong painkillers were required to get things moving again.

What I didn't realise was that the painkillers contained caffeine.

Which meant that, somewhere around 20 miles into a marathon, I suddenly found myself absolutely bouncing off the walls.

It was actually quite a useful state to be in at that point in the race — but definitely something to remember for next time.

The second half of the route was mostly climbing, but we saved the best bit until last.

The final mile and a half or so was a wonderful downhill run back into Henley. At that point, we basically let the brakes off and enjoyed the feeling of heading downhill towards the finish.

And, crucially, we made it back to the pub in time for lunch.

A perfect ending.

A huge thank you to the whole Berkshire crew. The day was incredibly well organised, everyone was brilliant company and the relay format made for a really different — and really enjoyable — marathon.

And the fundraising was fantastic too, with around £2,000 raised by Team Berkshire.

So well done to Lauren and team Berksire!

36 marathons down. Three to go.