I was really excited about doing the Loch Ness Marathon, because I was born in Inverness and have a soft spot for the area.  So, I was very disappointed to pick up a niggle in my calf the Sunday before the race and had doubts about even being able to run.  However, after following good advice from Derek, I felt that I had nothing to lose by starting the race.

We arrived in Inverness late afternoon and I registered and picked up my race number.  We bumped into Michael and John McL and had a good chat.  We then made our way to the hotel.  The kids were really excited and after a Pizza Hut tea we settled down and had a good nights sleep.

We were up early the next morning and made our way to the stadium.  A convoy of coaches took all the runners out to what seemed like the middle of nowhere.  It was a beautiful Highland morning: frosty, clear and no wind.  Perfect for running.  I met up with John K, John McL and Michael and the chit-chat eased the nerves.  We all gathered at the start and a pipe band played and then we were off.

It was a lovely route, mainly single track road, so very quiet apart from the “slap, slap” of feet.  Every so often we would run through a village and the crowds were out cheering us along.  I had a few twinges in my calf so took things quite tentatively, but I was keen to give it a go and was aiming for sub 4 hours.  After about 10 miles, three cyclists came towards us and one of them shouted “well done girls, you’re looking good”.  I turned to the girl beside me and said, “she must have seen some sights further ahead!”.  We had our laughs but as the miles went on it was definitely heads down and get on with it.  I passed the half-marathon point at 1 hour 57 so I knew that a sub 4 hour time was still on. 

Then came the big, bad hill.  John McL had warned me about this hill at 17 miles (thanks, John).  I dug deep and kept on running.  I got a wee burst of energy from somewhere and started to up the pace a bit.  At 21 miles it started to get really tough and it was a case of keeping focussed and moving.  I ran the last few miles with a guy called Fred from Bearsden and we just kept each other going.  We crossed the River Ness and just before 26 miles I saw Calum, Ewan and Jennifer which was brilliant.  Then round the corner and into the stadium and as I approached the finish I got a mention on the PA system, so I raised my arms triumphantly as if I’d just won an Olympic medal!

My finishing time was 4 hours 6 minutes, a p.b. by a whole 6 minutes, so I was really delighted.  After collecting my medal, I got my legs massaged and then devoured a baked potato and chilli, then we headed off down the road to Glasgow.  That night I received a text message from the race organisers saying that I’d finished in 746^th position overall and 59^th in the F35 category.

I was on a complete high for the week following the marathon, and despite being unable to walk up and down stairs easily  and without pain, I had pretty much fully recovered by the end of the week.

Well done to John, John and Michael and I’m glad that I met up with you guys.  I’ll definitely be back in October next year and I’ll definitely break that 4 hour barrier!