Marathon 17: Miles & Myles (and a PB!)

This weekend took us to Nottinghamshire with Myles and it turned into a brilliant day all round. I tend to leave the route planning to the local runner, so I'd just heard murmurings of 'hilly', which I'd put to the back of my mind... 

We started at Attenborough at the (beautiful) cricket club, and set off at a pretty punchy pace. One of those starts that feels slightly ambitious… but somehow we held it for most of the run. The early miles along the canal paths were ideal for finding a rhythm, then the later off-road sections made things a bit more challenging underfoot.

We rolled from Attenborough to Wollaton Park, through Beeston, on to Kimberley, and eventually out towards the finish at Newstead Abbey. A solid route.

Myles kept us going with his “literary miles”, reading a poem per mile from Lord Byron and D.H. Lawrence. He made it to mile 19, then the poems (and energy) started to fade slightly..! But such a great touch. 

Huge credit to Harriet's dad, Dave, on the bike - a two-wheeled snack machine - keeping us fuelled and on course throughout. We were also joined on two wheels by Matt at mile 10, with his son Rupert, 6, who managed a very impressive 5 miles alongside us! Myles' pal James, and his two boys Arthur, 6, and Jack, 4, ran the last mile with us too. A massive effort from the juniors - marathon men in the making.

With a niggling hip issue for Myles, he let me push ahead for the last stretch, which got me my PB of 3:56! Absolutely chuffed with that. 

Physically feeling in a good place, Achilles was settled, and Garmin even callled it “productive” for once. Finished the day back at Harriet & Myles' with some elite lasagne, garlic bread, and salad.

Big thanks to Harriet's parents, Dave and Alison, Myles' dad Baz, Chloe and Tom, Matt, Arthur & Jack, Matt & Rupert, Harriet, Amy and all the kids, for the amazing support on the day. The miles are made so much easier when you have a support crew like Saturday. 

Now on to the London Marathon next weekend, ready to tick off number 18!