26.2 miles of pain. Well not all of pain – probably only 9 miles of proper pain if I’m honest but that’s still plenty. So, the day: My alarm went off at 06:00, I was so paranoid I was going to over sleep – especially as I had a dream I woke up at 10 and missed the start! So I made sure I got up straight away. I had a big bowl of porridge for breakfast and took a couple of cereal bars for just before the start. My sister dropped me off (in her PJs I may add) and I was away. I felt rather nervous and really had no idea what I was meant to do! It was completely new to me but the atmosphere was good and soon enough Mum and Dad were there to support me.
I made my way to the start and tried to hide at the back of the “green zone”, as this was the colour I was allocated when I was clearly on some random high and said I could do the marathon in 4.5 hours! I even asked if I could change but the lady just said stay to one side and stick to your pace so not to get pulled along at everyone else’s pace. So I did that, and soon got overtaken by a few thousand people!! haha
The start was great, the atmosphere, the people and support, it was incredibly tempting to go faster but I just knew that wouldn’t work so I stuck to my guns and kept slow and steady – remember the hare and the tortoise, I thought. A small hill at the beginning and a sign saying “Highest point on the course, it’s all downhill from here” of course, I knew this might technically be true – but I also knew of the hills ahead.
The first 5 miles were nice and flat and went pretty quickly then at mile 6, I lost some serious time waiting for the toilet. It was quite frustrating and I must have waited around 20 minutes for the damn thing, I could have done a Radcliffe but figured it was probably best not to…we soon decided the only reason men were faster than women was because they didn’t have to wait so long for the loo! After this unscheduled stop, I found it quite hard to get back into my rhythm and so many people passed me that I was now right at the back with Spongebob.
Anyhow I powered on and made it to mile 10 feeling OK but I was ready for the Powerade offered, it was rather hot by now and I was sweating like a pregnant nun and therefore was truly grateful for the energy boost. My only issue now was getting a stitch from running and drinking simultaneously, so I walked for a bit while I was drinking and then run again once the stitch had gone (apparently the real term for a stitch is exercise related transient abdominal pain (ETAP), well you learn something new everyday!). The ETAP did come back with vengeance later on but we’ll come to that.
I was now approaching the half way point and starting to feel quite achy – the hills take their toll on your joints whether you’re going up or down. Also bear in mind I was also approaching the same mileage as my longest training run and I knew it was going to be tough doing the same again but again there was a lot of support here, and I saw my family and some friends which picked me up till about 15 miles. Then came the tough times. Running up Grand Avenue and Church Street were difficult, and although there was quite a lot of support, it was a bit boring and you could see the other runners coming back which is always a bit demoralising. One thing which did make me chuckle was a group of people with a big sound system waiting for people called Eileen, then they would stick on Dixies Midnight Runners’ C’mon Eileen and get very excited!
At this point, I was struggling – I knew I still had a way to go and the ETAP was back. I also, rather dramatically, thought I was having a heart attack. This was mainly due to the tingling, strange feeling in my arm and the pain in my chest. I started walking again just in case and felt a bit better, but by now I was seriously aching, felt like I had a massive bruise on my back and could feel the blisters forming. The next 6 miles seemed to take forever and I was mainly walking, going round Shoreham power station was really not the most exciting and there was a lack of much-needed support, which everyone seemed to feel. It was then I wished I had ignored the health and safety advice and brought my ipod along, I could have done with something to concentrate on and zone out with.
The next part along the seafront was odd, it should have been good but as we were quite late in the day people were just walking normally along and it didn’t feel so much like we were part of an organised run. I started talking to a girl who had injured her ankle, Emily, trying to keep the spirits up. Once I could see the 25 mile marker, I was running again and knowing there was only just over a mile or so I keep up a good pace, forgetting the pain of the previous miles. I had a few running buddies towards the end, my friend Alex ran along side me for a few hundred metres and then my sister and friends Natalie and Laura run with me right near the finish line. I did tell them not to steal my glory!
And that was that, my final chip time was 06:01:12, place 7076 out of around 7500 I think. I got beaten by the boobs in the picture below, but finished in front of Spongebob and Mr Testicles oh and the 82 year old! I did what I set out to do, I wanted to raise as much money as possible - I don’t have a final tally yet as but I believe it is over £1500 for St Peter and St James Hospice – and I wanted to complete the inaugural Brighton Marathon. Trust me, if I can do it – you can too, as long as you want to of course. It just takes commitment, time and dedication – if you put your mind to it, anything is possible.
On that note, I shall leave you. I need to work out what to do with my website www.carinajenkins.co.uk now, any suggestions – please let me know!!! If you know anyone who is thinking of running a marathon or is training for one, send them here, you never know 7 months of blogging might be of use to someone.
Below are some pictures, so you know I’m not lying 
- Waiting for the start
- Sylvia and her twin sister supporting me
Being chased by boobs
