Madrid marathon. Second part.

[El Gordo]

Wow, that's a great report Antonio. Very well done on completing your marathon after such a long break.

I really enjoyed the detailed description. It's the small things that make the difference, like leaving the yoghurt for the homeless guy.

A couple of things that struck me: I wonder if it was wise to get the all-night bus on the Friday? The reason I say this is that I recall Hal Higdon saying that because it's hard to get a good night's sleep the night before the race (through nerves and/or having to get up early), it's pretty essential to get proper sleep the night before that one. Maybe this deprived you of some important rest?

Another thing that sounded unusual preparation was the Cava the day before. I know the wine well - it's popular in the UK. I wouldn't trust myself to have only one glass though, so I'd have to wait till after the race.

I'm so pleased that you made it. I hope you're not feeling disappointed with your time. From what you say, the course is a difficult one, and the thought of doing a marathon (or any running at all) in 34 degrees is not pleasant.

As you say, it gives you plenty to aim at when you do your next one. And you beat me anyway. The last marathon I did was 5:15.

I hope you are spending this week stuffing your face with cakes of all descriptions, and having a few celebratory beers. The best thing after a marathon is just to do nothing for a week, then perhaps have a very gentle couple of runs the following week to loosen up again. After that you can ease yourself back in.

One thing I always find after big races is that you have to repair yourself emotionally too. It's a lot of mental strain as well as physical, and you have to expect to have slightly wild thoughts for a while, like imagining that Deportivo can win the Champions League.

So, you think you might do another marathon in the autumn? Where are you thinking of? I haven't decided yet what to do later in the year. I need to get Copenhagen out of the way. If I'm still alive I'll have to make some tough decisions. I'd love to do the Dublin marathon sometime, and we keep saying we must visit Poland, and the Warsaw marathon is in September.

I can just see you now, having emptied your goody bag. Sitting there in the Almeria sunshine, wearing your 2 teeshirts, your sunglasses and your, er, raincoat, in front of a mountain of cakes, emptying a half-litre glass of Cava down your throat. Grinning broadly.

You deserve it, Antonio. Once again, very well done. We've really enjoyed reading your training reports, and I hope you'll continue to describe your next steps.

Cheers!

Andy