Rock 'n' Roll

Rock 'n' Roll Liverpool marathon
3:47:39

Given the amount of quality training I've managed I'm pretty happy with that time and performance. It was certainly better than last time.

I think they designed the first 10k especially for me. The route -if you know Liverpool- went up through Everton Valley and down Walton Lane before going through the Dixie Dean Gates and around the entirety of the Old Lady and then back out past Dixie again (I may have been the only one to give him a pat for luck on the way through). Then we looped around Stanley Park with yet more views of Goodison before skirting close -too close for my liking- to the corner of Anfield and then back down into town.

The rest of the route took in some of the parks, including a big loop around Sefton Park and a trek up Penny Lane (where I'm sure they were playing Penny Lane on a constant loop) before hitting the waterfront for the last 3.5 miles into a headwind.

My intention was to try and stick to a sensible pace but that went out of the window as usual and I took the first 10 miles or so a bit too quick. I was pretty pleased to keep going though as my old friend calf cramps decided to say hello at around mile 21. I stopped briefly a couple of times to stretch it out and then managed to dig in and keep myself going to the end (apart from a quick kiss from Louisa with half a mile to go) even into that headwind.
All in all a really enjoyable marathon -relatively speaking.

We had coffee & cake in the Albert Dock and Owen had a play with my medal. He certainly seemed more impressed than with the last medal he got his hands on.