Hello fellow TRRACies i did my recovery run at parkrun this morning... my time reflects how much recovering i had to do!
my BA flight was delayed by two hours, i missed the pasta party, Up early the next morning i set off by coach at 0530 for the town of marathon having had only 3 hours restless sleep and hungry.. the atmosphere and organization by the greek athletic federation was top drawer... and i set off at a "i must finish this" pace... 2 hours at 20km and everything was going to plan and comfortable...then the hill and the heat bit... at 25km after taking a gel washed down with blue lucozade! everything went visually white and my legs went wobbly! i sat on the kerb to straighten my vision and my cotton wool filled head... the red jump suited medics quickly responded but i pushed on to 27km a medic said "electrolyte?" i said yes please... but i think he over done the salt content.. at 28km i cried enough.... and crossed the armco to the other carriageway where a battered police riot bus was picking up the sick lame and lazy...for the sad ride home to Athens... only 3 more kilometers and the brow of the hill was there....it was all down hill after that... it was very hard picking up your bag from the white marble rebuilt Olympic stadium as runners finished to fantastic support and bravo, bravo, ringing in your ears... my head was hanging lower than my shoulder blades... as i dragged my sorry butt back to the hotel.... i felt a fraud as Athenians called out well done and bravo...(wearing my TRRAC shirt,) kindness to foreigners is part of the Greek culture i have grown to love, i spent the next 3days in bed recovering and i still had a cotton wool filled head a week after...the wheels certainly fell off! but today's park-run was uplifting and reminds me why i run... i have unfinished business in Greece and i have a small mountain to climb....! next year i will be there.....
Rick Ryder...link to video
http://www.trekandrun.com/eventreports/athensclassicmarathon/review.html
