Sunday 7th March dawned with blue skies and sunshine…….not the weather we expected, so a welcome boost to spirits. As i sat in bed checking the music on my ipod shuffle, drinking a couple of strong coffees i tried to imagine the morning ahead of me. What to wear?….would i need 2 layers or not?……what would the route be like?……would i run out of energy, or get injured?………when would i hit ´the wall`?
The worst part was trying to pin the race bib on my vest…….with slightly shaky hands.
No breakfast for us!!!!!!!, so we got in a taxi, and arrived at Plaça España around 7.45am………to a scene of mass humanity on the move…….competitors, spectators, stewards, organizers, in fact it seemed the whole of Spain, and his donkey, were there preparing for the 8.30am start. After a quick toilet break, and a ´good luck` hug with Steve, i made my way into the enclosure with the rest of the competitors in my predicted time group, about 3500 in total. With over 12000 runners registered, we were segregated into groups based on our predicted finishing time, so Steve was in the group behind me. I´d decided not to bother with layers of clothes, and gone with my normal vest and shorts combo, but i was getting goose bumps now……..cold or nerves??
Waiting in anticipation for the starting gun, i gazed around me and took in the scenes. The fountains were on full power, with cascades of water glistening in the pale early morning sun, Monserrat Caballe and Freddie Mercury were blasting Barçelona out over the speakers……i could feel the hairs on the back of my neck bristling with a mix of excitement, adrenelin, nerves and pure awe, at being part of such a massive event!!
Once the starting pistol fired, i quickly took the first of my energy gels ( which promptly stuck to the roof of my mouth and remained there until i got my first bottle of water @ 5km ) it took me 7 minutes to reach the point where the race actually began…..and then i was only shuffling along, until we reached the wider boulevards, and i was able to find a bit of space. However, pretty soon i settled into a sort of rhythm, and began to enjoy the experience. The initial stages took us North of the city into the affluent suburbs. We reached the Nou Camp stadium, home of FC Barçelona, after around 7km, and skirted the whole arena, before heading back into the City. It was hilarious to watch fans of Real Madrid, and some Italian AC Milan fans amongst the competitors taking the oppurtunity to have a toilet stop by relieving themselves up against the walls of the ground shouting rude chants about Barça.
The next phase of the race was through the Eixample area, and onto the Via Cortes de Catalan, and Avda Diagonal. On these wide streets, i began to pick up pace, as I´d realised that the first 10km, had taken me 57 mins – too slow to get me under the 4 hour target time. Feeling good now, i reached the half way point (22.1km) in 1 hr 56 mins, and seemed to be cruising, enjoying views of landmark buldings such as Gaudi´s La Pedrera and the instantly recognisable Sagrada Familia cathedral. After getting through 24 km…..i had a little panic attack, as this was the longest distance i´d managed in training, so i was in no mans land now!! I´d decided not to use my IPOD up to this point, as i´d just been enjoying the experience of group running, but now was the time for a bit of uplifting music, so on went the headphones, and it was then i realised that the machine had been switched on since i´d checked it @ 6.30am that morning…….the battery was well and truly flat!!, meaning i had to run another 20km with useless headphones round my neck…………stupid idiot!! No music to give me a lift, so i took my 3rd energy gel to give me a burst of speed. The next blow came as i turned into a long boulevard leading up to the iconic Gherkin shaped building, known locally in Catalan, as the ´dildo`or ´vibrator`. We´d just passed the 25km point, and as i looked to my left, i saw a sea of runners heading towards me on the opposite side of the carriageway, just about to pass under the 30km arch. This was a psychological low point……..a long run up one side of the road ensued, followed by the same distance back again, in a boring part of the city, with no music or scenery to keep me occupied!! It was a real struggle……..only enlivened by a group of 50 people taking part in a Spin class in the central reservation area……pumping music, and sweaty people took my mind of things for a minute…….what would i rather be doing right now, running a marathon or taking a spin class?…….mmmm tough one!!
Then, around 30km disaster struck. I´d started to get a feeling of tightness in my legs, both in my quads and calves, but this suddenly developed int full blown cramp in both calves, particularly my right one. Damn!!………i stopped and tried to stretch, and began running again……no good, back it came, in spasms of pain, forcing me to stop and stretch again. I´d had my 4th energy gel earlier, so only had the super strength one left, and i was saving that for ´the wall`, whenever that might come. And that was the pattern for the next few kilometres…..run, stop, stretch,walk, run……..!! By this time we were running along the beachfront back into the City Centre……but we were on the main Avenida well away from the sea….nothing to see but ranks of apartments, and Hotels. The crowds were pretty spartan here too, although there support was invaluable. Seeing my name bib, numerous people were shouting encouragement to me……………¨Animo Andy……venga, venga!!¨………part of me wanted to say ¨F**K OFF….leave me alone…!!!¨. but i did appreciate their thoughts, lol!! I kept in my mind that it was less than 10km to go……..and tried to imagine i was running from home in Altea, to Coco Loco in Albir and back….easy!!
At 35km, just by the Arc de Triomphe…….a friendly face – Sara, urging me on……..right, time to get the final burst of energy. Out came the Fou de jouer gel……..which i washed down with a bottle of Powerade….would it be enough to get me home?….I was in agony by this point, and had even been to one of the First Aid tents to get some help……in the form of some heat cream, which was next to useless. I hadn´t ever thought of giving up, but i was getting frustrated with my aching legs, and just wanted it to be over……….i was gritting my teeth, and thinking of sponsorship money, and all the hard training i´d put in over the previous money……….¨come on…..keep going….you can do it!!¨ We were right in the heart of the Barrio Gotic, and Ramblas now…..the crowds were close……more shouts of ¨ Animo Andrew………mas fuerte!!¨. I was running again by now…….through the pain barrier, with the help of the super-gel, and some strong painkillers Jerry had given me for emergencies. Passing through the 40km point, i saw Simon & Jerry, which gave me a final lift…pushing me onwards into Plaça Espana, towards the finishing line.
I ran under the clock with a time of 4hrs 18 mins showing………with mixed emotions…elation at finishing, and disappointment at not breaking the 4hr barrier. I was in a bit of a daze, but the organisation machine takes over………as it leads you through to a team of stewards who remove the chip from your shoe, and then takes you to a further team who put the medal around your neck. Then on to a refreshment area for energy drinks, dried fruit and nuts, and fresh fruit……..and a stretching area. I walked around in a vain attemtpt to ease my calves, and chatted a little with other finishers, and began to appreciate my acheivement. Many others had pulled up with cramp, so i wasn´t alone……..it was just a pity i couldn´t beat my previous best of 4hrs 13 mins in 1982.
I was getting cold now, so headed for the wardrobe area to collect my bag, and change into warm clothes……and as i walked out of the hall…….a message came through on my mobile phone…. from the Marato Barçelona organizers……..confirming my finishing time @ 4 hrs 11 mins…….of course…..i remembered now……..it took me 7 minutes to reach the starting point, and the chip in the shoe had recorded it……..whoopee!!……a whole 2 minutes faster than 28 years before, when i was a mere 22 years old. Not bad for an old ´Duffer`……………..suddenly life was ……..SSSWWEEEETTT!!!!
