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How Fifer Caroline went from dog walker to marathon runner in five months

Caroline completed the marathon with just months of training.
Caroline completed the marathon with just months of training.

When Caroline Brownlie from Glenrothes signed up for the Edinburgh marathon – it was a mistake!

She’d been interested in finding out more about raising money for a charity close to her heart.

But before she knew it she’d booked her place.

Despite having just five months to train and only ever having run a few miles, she completed the full distance.

She tells us about:

  • The challenges she overcame ahead of the race
  • The training she did in preparation
  • How her mindset changed because of her achievement
Caroline Brownlie completed the marathon.

Caroline, 39, a dog walker, admits her partner Peter, 40, was “always the one into his fitness” with running and cycling.

After Peter was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) she was inspired to raise money for, and awareness of, the MS Society.

“I went on the website just to have a look and price up doing the marathon,” Caroline explains.

Dog walker from Fife Caroline signed up to the marathon by mistake!

“I clicked to say I’d like to do it for charity. Then all of a sudden a message came through saying ‘congratulations you’ve booked your place’!

“I thought, ‘I didn’t mean to book it, but it’s done now.'”

From dog walking to marathon miles

Because Caroline booked her place in January and the marathon takes place in Edinburgh at the end of May, she had to start training right away.

She explains: “Three or four miles was about my limit.

“People were saying to me ‘maybe you should do the half first’ but I said ‘no, I’m doing the full; it’s all or nothing’.

Marathon training had to start right away.

“My mother-in-law had run marathons previously, so she printed off her old training plans for me.”

Caroline completed three or four shorter runs each week and one longer run where she added extra miles to build up her distance.

Training challenges

But her training was anything but straightforward.

First she banged her head whilst working and ended up with concussion.

Then she hurt her back during a long run, in total losing a month’s training time.

But she decided if she could complete a 20-mile run, she would still go ahead with the marathon.

“I ran from the top end of Glenrothes where I live to Kirkcaldy and back.

Bankhead Roundabout in Glenrothes.

“In fact I went a little too far because I got back to Bankhead roundabout outside Glenrothes, I’d already done 20 miles.

“I knew if I ran home I’d hit the full marathon distance.

“And at that point I was supposed to be tapering the distances backwards.

“So I had to call a pal to come and collect me!”

‘I hit this brick wall’

On the day Caroline felt fine until the 18-mile mark.

“That’s when I kind of hit this brick wall.

“There’s a bit where you go round, like a roundabout, and you come back on the same road you just went down.

“Seeing everybody coming back and I’m heading down and thinking ‘I just want to be on that side’.

Caroline was going well on the day until the 18 mile mark.

“But then I saw the 20-mile mark and I thought ‘right, all you’ve got left is six miles’ and I seemed to get a second wind.

“It was like I just put my foot down on the accelerator and went for it.

Finishing line

“Before I knew it I’d hit the 24-mile mark and thought, two miles to go, here we go. And then, where on earth is this finish line?

“Then I turned the corner and saw it and then that was it.”

Caroline ran the marathon to raise money for MS Society.

Caroline completed the distance in a time of 5 hours 16 minutes and 32 seconds.

The mum-of-two has smashed her £200 fundraising target, raising closer to £1000.

So emotional

“I started off saying I could never do it and I couldn’t run.

“But I’ve proved to myself I can do it, I’ve just done a marathon!

“It was so emotional I couldn’t speak to anyone after it.

Caroline at the finish of the Edinburgh marathon.

“I think it took a good two days before I could talk about it, without crying.

“I was proud of myself because I trained for something and then I did it.

“It was overwhelming.”

  • For more information about training for a marathon and training plans – from beginner’s to expert level – click here.

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