No there yet, but on the way…

Today was the first marathon after diagnosis that my IBS is back. Since visit to doctor and meds I felt much better. Mental effect or reality? I don’t know but it was working for the training sessions… So, today was ‘exam’. Felt good but still had to visit pit stop 25 km… Wasn’t happy with that but need to say that still was able to pull off 3:30 without much effort (that was good)…

Marathon in Oylgate (or Oilgate) have run for the first time. Knew it was called ‘hugging tree marathon’. Why? On the route there are 5 trees which are ‘dressed’ in scarfs and tradition is saying that on each lap you should hug one tree. Most of the runners did that at least once. Going up and down on the route and have time to hug the tree is something really nice. But I wanted to test myself, wanted to check if the IBS is ‘sleeping’… On the way, but still not there yet. Think that it will take me couple of weeks to be ok. Great news…

Anyway, what I have learned today is not to trust Vincent Guthrie 😉 When he is saying that route is fairly flat it won’t be. GPX is showing just 170 m incline but running these loops felt different. And it wasn’t just my opinion, most of the runners have confirmed that it was really challenging route. Especially when it is very windy and on the incline parts of the route wind is blowing straight into your face (and why, oh why, is not helping you when you are running different parts). 5 loops of over 8 km, ups and downs, wind in the face – usual day. I think during run I have tought too much about IBS, should got more relaxed. Maybe would allow me to run faster without stopping… Don’t know but will check that in Lilliput in next two weeks.

Pictures by my Wife, called today couple of times as ‘a best supporter ever’ (hope that she won’t lose her voice tomorrow).