If at first you don't succeed...

If you don't succeed the first time try, try again!

Well in my case it was "if you don't succeed the first or second time try, try again!!

Yes my first two marathons ended in disaster. I had been running well over the shorter distances and everything suggested that there was a good marathon in me so when my coach suggested I look to dipping my toe into the world of running 26 miles, I thought "how hard can it be? I can run a decent 10k & half marathon, it is only a bit further at a slightly slower pace, what can go wrong?”

Well it did go wrong. Twice. Once in New York, which was the well documented, man v plastic cup with the plastic cup winning hands down, followed by my next adventure into the world of marathon running - the Berlin marathon. Training been going well, I had mastered the plastic cup, so I was standing on the start line, with my coach’s echoing words of wisdom, " Respect the distance, but don't be scared of it, after all its only a long run with a number on."

Standing on the start line, nerves a-jangling, like a coiled spring - training had been going well, my races coming into the race had gone well - it was my time! Or so I thought. The plan was to work my way into the race and use the first few miles to get into a nice pace, (my settling in period).

I can only say that the occasion got the better of me. As we hit the first mile and I found myself in the lead pack, a little voice in my head said slow down, back off, but another voice said, actually I feel comfortable at this pace and being in lead pace will help keep me focused! As they say the rest is history!!

I got to about 10 miles and as all marathon runners should know, you should feel easy at this point (cruising) not even halfway and I was working far to hard! Bu,t I had set out my shop window and there was no turning back> Plough on and hope that its just a bad patch which you will get through I thought. But, this won’t work in a marathon, when the wheels come off in a marathon that's it. I think I put a brave face on it but soon after half way I dropped of the leading group, only to be caught up by the next group and then a few moments later I found myself dropping off this group and so the pattern continued until I decided that yet again 26 miles had got the better of me!

Walking back to the hotel, I had my coach’s words echoing in my head: "Respect the distance."

Running is like anything it is a learning curve and sometimes you have to get things wrong to get things right!