Manchester Marathon
It’s been a long day, walking around Manchester and killing time doesn’t do my poor old back much good and I’m hurting right now.
Today of course was the day of the Manchester Marathon that started more or less at the home of Manchester United, Old Trafford.
Hell no, I’m not running it… I struggle to run 5k, but my run crazed wife @bingbabe did this time even though she has an injured knee and really shouldn’t be doing so.
This is as well as the London marathon in 3 weeks as some of you already know.
We were later arriving and I thought it was the wrong day with the conspicuous lack of cars on the road. Considering there are 20,000 runners that was a little strange but not unwelcome.
Approaching Old Trafford she simply couldn’t wait for me and waltzed on ahead. Good that I am used to this then isn’t it?
I thought these things were supposed to be used AFTER the run, not before?
Having met up with @mender1 and his fiancée who happens to be one of @bingbabe’s best friends it was a pose and then off to the start.
They both needed to empty their bladders but this queue was enormous and waiting was just not an option.
Today, indecent exposure is actually legal and so the communal toilets for blokes are here. There were several cops around and they didn’t appear to give a crap about any of this.
The ‘deluxe’ ones are here, for the ladies and the shy blokes who don’t want to pull out their meat for all to see. Having used the deluxe ones, they were all set to go.
Getting an action shot and hoping you are in the right place at the right time is tough when the crowds are enormous but I did manage one, even with my iPhone which is hardly the best.
Next was a walk around the Lowry shopping centre, a breakfast where @mender1 got cold eggs, had a right old moan at the staff and we got to eat free.
Great, you might think, but I left my backpack in the restaurant only to notice 20 minutes later. I rushed back and they were kind enough to have stashed it for me, and not nicked @bingbabe's debit cards to abuse and buy blow up dolls for the male staff.
I had to return the favour and gave the manager £20. My breakfast was actually very good, so I couldn’t fault him. If it has been @mender1’s backpack it would probably be burning in the back yard with the chef doing a war dance around it.
FOUR hours later a worn out and knackered @bingbabe passed the 26.2 miles marker and finished in 3.59.02. Quite an achievement I would say as it is her first one.
While waiting I looked at some of the runners finishing. The emotions were very mixed, some looked like they had finished a walk, some were in lots of pain and others were in tears. The photographs reveal some of this.
One of the prizes for finishers was a pint of beer! Is this really a great idea for the dehydrated runner?
She's probably going to suffer tonight and was helped with a mixture of Naproxen and that evil drug Tramadol.
I guess it has its uses but @mender1 told me a nightmare story of being hooked on this once and suffering cold turkey for a week on the floor in the fetal position.
She’s going to use it again for the next marathon but after that it’s an emergency only pain killer.
I’ll leave you with a photograph of what can happen to your toes while enduring a marathon. It’s not pretty and she’s not running for a few days now.
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
Ooft - thanks for the close-up of the toes! (not) Two of my toenails went purple after I did a half marathon in 2007. Never again...
But 3.59.02 - that is an incredible time! @bingbabe is an athlete! When I used to run 10Ks I used to be ecstatic if I managed a time under 60 mins, but when doing longer distances you generally get longer times, which is why my half marathon time 12 years ago was 2 hours 20 mins. @bingbabe is fast! Well done to her!
Make sure she gets a physio to check out her knee though. I used to find that getting leg massages seemed to help improve my running times, and that might help her knee injury too. It could also be exacerbated by badly-fitting shoes. We have a great running shop in Glasgow that has in-house podiatrists to advise you on the right type of running shoes, so I know how important it is to have them properly fitted. Also strengthening and stretching exercises might help. There's loads of info for targeting various body areas on YouTube. I found some for my weak left ankle, which I do every day.
Thanks, I'll let her know as I have long since given up getting her on here even to comment.
I was going to say none of the runners look that happy. I know after I eat a big piece of cake, I usually have a huge smile on my face and I am totally happy. None of them look like that, so that just proves to me that it is far better to eat a piece of cake than to run a marathon...
That is one way to look at it. Personally anything that sweet, while seeming like a good idea makes me feel bad after I have eaten it. Its a physical thing, not a psychological one too.
My thoughts exactly. I looked at those photos and asked myself ... Do these people look like they're having fun?
No. No they don't. Not even a little. Save some of that cake for me. I'm right behind you.
The Manchester and London and of course the NYC marathon were ones I hoped to do back in my younger days when I did marathons sadly by the time I got to visit all three I was well past my marathon days, but I can say from the ones I did not waiting to use the porta Loos is common in about every one I did :)
that was a great time for her first marathon she should be proud
I am not sure if beer is a good idea after a marathon, but it was something I always did lOL and often more than one
Ah, its the first one I have attended and somewhat tickled me.
She will be reading this, I'll poke here... thanks.
Well many did use the port loos at the ones I did, but some didnt even have porta loos so there was no real option other than not being shy and going where you could LOL
Haha, thanks for the morning chuckle! :D Your posts are always fun.
Congrats to your wife! She did an amazing job! Her poor feet, that just made me wince...
By the way, thanks for bringing me into the @Tenkminnows group! I officially made minnow, so that is awesome! :D
Congrats on being a Minnow :) Keep going and STEEM on!
Quite the cool coincidence about the two being good friends and all.
I know standing on cement all day will kill anyone's back. Tell her congrats on finishing it and hope she heals soon!
Well goon on you for getting involved @slobberchops I've never been much of a runner. I have tried and it is work for me. I'm more of a walker/rambler. I sort of think of it as the Tortoise approach to exercise...it takes me awhile to get to the finish line, but I enjoy the journey none the less ;)
Thoze toes are minging.. and one or two less toe nails in a couple of days.
3.59 is the way to do it! @bingbabe must be happy with that, it's a great time!
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Congratulations to @blingbabe . I always wanted to do one and I would certainly have a pint to celebrate after it! 😀😀
Thanks, I will tell her :)
Again ... WTMI!!
And who could blame him?
My god! @bingbabe's right foot has turned into a hand!! That's just put me ever attempting a marathon ;)
Great stuff and bravo to the pair of them for finishing. I had to laugh at the pic of all the blokes taking advantage of being able to pee standing up. Great coverage of the day @slobberchops really enjoyable read :)
You wont catch me ever being anywhere near a marathon, her feet are in bad shape with all this running.
The blokes.. yes, I couldnt quite believe what I was seeing. This was the car park of the KFC, which was closed. I could see them trying the door.. looking around and then being sheep seeing the other dudes pissing haha!