Return to Rutland Water

In November 2010, Mr Notajogger and I ran the first Rutland Water Marathon organised by Fat Feet. It was a beautiful autumn morning and views of the reservoir from its banks were stunning. We should know, we got to see them all on the way around, including the ones from the Hambleton Peninsula twice in a row.

Yesterday we returned to the scene of our marathon triumph (and tribulations) and covered almost half the course, in reverse. Mr N asked if that meant we would be running backwards. Then he asked again in case I hadn’t heard his great joke.

We started on the dreaded Peninsula. It’s always harder to run around than you expect, even once rather than twice; the hills may be short but they are very sharp. Conversation was sparse in the first four miles. Mr N didn’t enjoy his marathon as much as I did and I suspect the memories our run was evoking were none too pleasant. I, on the other hand, was irritatingly perky. I had such a good race that day – my training had gone well, our pace was sensible and the weather was great – I couldn’t believe my luck. Mr N had no such luck. His training had been plagued by niggling injuries and colds, then he was forced to run with Miss Hospital Corners, telling him to drink more, eat more, keep going.

Running the first half of the race in reverse offered a bit of catharsis, I hope. We moved from painful hills and memories, through long sections neither of us could remember, to the open stretch across the Dam to the starting/finish line. At 1o miles we were both tired, but our pace was quickening as the end point of Normanton Church was in our sights from 3 miles away. If only the same could have been said for it on the day of the marathon. Obscured by the constant ‘undulations’ of the shoreline path, my inner mantra of “this must be the last hill” came back to me as we coasted along to the finish on Sunday.

Maybe this year they should run the whole marathon in reverse. And no, I do not mean everyone should run backwards. Other than Mr N. He should definitely do that.