Working on the theory that having waited so long to run a marathon I may find it really wasn’t the distance for me and this could well be a one off I decided early on that this should be the deluxe marathon experience. So with granny (thanks again mum!) recruited to the Oughton marathon team four child free days in London beckoned. Everything was planned and booked months in advance, injuries were thankfully shaken off and on Friday 24th April we headed to Bristol Parkway to start my the final phase of my marathon journey.
One aspect that had taken me quite by surprise was the amount of interest the London marathon raises amongst non-running friends and colleagues and as we headed towards London I received a number of good luck emails (oh the joys of the Blackberry). I guess for many the London marathon is the only time they see mass participation running or maybe it is the fact that many watch thinking I could do that whilst perhaps knowing that they never will or maybe it’s the F1 phenomena watching in the hope that there will be a spectacular crash! Whichever it may be the amount of support I had received from all quarters was fantastic. It helped spur me on during the long training runs (which I loved by the way!) and I hoped would spur me on during the race itself.
Race Day minus 2: Miles walked - 100’s!
Safely booked into our unfeasibly warm hotel we headed off to the Marathon Expo to collect my number, or as Em prefers to view it shopping. All the way I remind Em that I mustn’t do too much walking over the next couple of days – needing to preserve my energy for the big day. It was at the Excel Centre that the enormity (for me) of the weekend started to really sink in. As a running couple we often have to make certain sacrifices, miss certain races or training events for child care or other practical reasons and as Em is by far the better runner I have often deferred to her schedule or races. So it was almost natural when she got in the queue for registration only to suddenly realize that it was me who had the form. This was the first moment when I felt slightly overwhelmed.
If you have never been the Marathon Expo is primarily to collect your running number, chip and multiple goody bags but it is also a massive retail opportunity for all things running. The hall is full of every possible running item, accessory or accoutrement that you can imagine – and I’m pretty sure we looked at, examined, and touched pretty much every single item, stopping only to partake of the Pasta Party meal (pre-booked of course). The Expo is also the place to meet up with your charity if you are running for one. Whilst I got my place through the ballot I decided to use it to raise a little money for Asthma UK – so I had my now slightly nervous looking picture taken and placed on a wall with lots of other slightly nervous looking people. After many hours on my feet we called it a day, well actually the event closed and they chucked us out!
Race Day Minus 1: Pasta eaten – not enough!
Saturday started warm and sunny, just like Friday had been. The promised weekend rain was beginning to look a little unlikely. Not much walking for me thanks I said as we headed off to Greenwich to meet relatives. Having got up early to make the most of our free continental breakfast we arrived way too early for them and so took a walk around Greenwich market and then on to the park. Slightly overwhelmed moment number two came seeing the mobile signs notifying motorists that the park would be closed the following day. Anyway we wandered through the park, went to see where time was invented, then on to a tea shop backing onto the massed ranks of marathon portable loo’s, lots of rest there then. A quick chat we aforementioned relatives and then we were off again heading for White City to go and see the (not so) mighty Queens Park Rangers in their last home game of the season. We go as often as we can although not as often as I would like. This was a dour pointless game. Neither team had anything to play for. Highlights were a streaker who forgot to take her clothes off (does that make her just an er?) and trying to work out why the majority of the Plymouth Argyll fans were dressed as women. Having said that, Em was very happy when the players did an end of season lap of honour and she got a close up photograph of Akos Buzsaky. Loved by male fans for his skill and talent, loved by Em for other reasons too!
Post match we headed (mainly walking!) to Charing Cross station where we went to the paradise that is the Guoman Hotel for the Asthma UK pasta party. The lasagna they served was out of this world I ate as much as I dare whilst we chatted with other suitably nervous looking runners and made a promise to high five a lady who tomorrow would be on Tower Bridge dressed as a lime!
Now you would have thought this was a good point to head back and rest but no, being so close to the end of the race we went to take a look. The Mall was closed off and the all night team were in the process of erecting all the barriers. Overwhelmed moment number three. Back at the hotel and filling out the back of my running number (I couldn’t find the box that said tick here if you’d rather do it next year) I was thankful that my feet didn’t ache quite as much as they had done the night before – even so we had packed in the walking miles I just hoped it wouldn’t have too much of a negative impact.
Race Day minus 0: Oh c%#^!
The alarm went off at 6am already the sun was out the sky in Hammersmith cloudless perfect Marathon spectating weather! The early buffet breakfast introduced us to the other foolhardy souls planning to run 26.2 miles in the light drizzle that had been forecast and so must surely soon arrive. I looked on nervously as one group of runners left the hotel just as I was sitting down to as much as I could stomach. Why were they leaving so early? What did they know about the travel from here that I didn’t? Soon we were heading out too with other runners looking at me asking themselves the same questions.
I had, of course, meticulously worked out the route between Hammersmith and Blackheath Station where the blue start begins from. The train was full but efficient and soon we were wandering up through the narrow streets towards the start. Each time we saw a familiar London marathon site, the hot air balloons overhead, the green and yellow ballooned arches, or just the volume of runners I kept hearing, in my head, the BBC marathon theme tune – this really was it – cue overwhelmed moment number four.
Safely in the Blue start runners enclosure I worked through in my mind my pre-race strategy. This mainly involved getting into the enormous loo queues – preferably twice. Whilst the toilet facilities where excellently organised there was one point where I found I was in a queue which was actually just a circle. Being such a lovely hot day I quickly dispensed with my fleecy top and kit bag and with twenty minutes to go queued for that second time. Amazingly, amongst the thousands of people, I bumped into Moya Church it was really reassuring to see a friendly face. I then got chatting to a lady who two years ago broke her leg during the race on Tower Bridge. From excited and happy to scared in one easy move!
With just a few minutes to spare I made it to the start, entering pen eight somewhere towards the back of the Blue start. At some point the race started although we were fairly oblivious until we started that slow shuffle forwards and then about twelve minutes after the official start crossed the familiar chip mat with its accompanying deafening bleeps. So this was it. The race had started. I was actually running the London Marathon! I was very conscious of sticking to my own plan. It was simple really 10:30-11 minute mile for as long as possible. Then, when my left knee finally got too sore (it would happen eventually) walk for thirty seconds every two miles. Wearing a Garmin made this plan even easier to stick to – hang on a minute I’m 8:30 miling, way too fast! It would have been so easy the first few miles to totally blow any plan but the Garmin really helped in being able to check my progress and this was rather nice more like the Stroud Half in terms of numbers – of course this was still just the Blue start and more than that just my section of the Blue start. At about three to four miles we rounded a corner to be faced with the mass ranks of the Red start – surely we are not all going to fit on that piece of upcoming road, but of course we did.
The first fifteen miles, frankly, shot by. There was so much to take in, look at and generally experience that the time just flew. All the while my legs pounding out the miles at a constant 10:30 minute mile. There were runners in costumes’ of all sorts. Some were spectacular, two men carrying a huge marshmallow man from Ghostbusters, some dressed as Ghostbusters (luckily they didn’t meet up), a man dressed as a tree (he was called Woody – hmmm original!), plenty of superheroes (some with the power of flight – not sure that is allowed in the rules). Others were just downright annoying thirty odd people tied together might have seemed like a great idea but try running around them. At six miles I saw Em for the first time who had met up with Mike Wilcox and Martin Bennett (it always amazes me how in a sea of people we always seem to manage to meet people we know). A couple of miles later was the first asthma cheer station and then at around mile nine Lucy Ellis shouting and waving madly a mile or so after I thought I must have missed seeing her, and then mile fourteen Em again, all of which helped break the race down into little pieces thus, somehow, making the whole more manageable.
The difference between 14 and 21 miles is so clearly visible!
For anyone thinking of running London the best piece of advice I can give is get your name printed on your shirt. It’s just so uplifting to have people cheer you on personally, which brings me to the crowd. One word – awesome! Every single one of the people who made the effort that day deserves a medal for making every runner feel like a star. Overwhelmed moment number five. Of all the people that called out for me or child that high fived my favourite was a little boy who had just decided to copy his siblings by holding out his hand. I was just about to high five him when he pulled his hand slightly away and said ‘Ere I hope you ain’t sweaty mate’. I think he may have been a little disappointed as my sweaty fingers met his high fiving hand. All that said, later in the race, there were points when I wanted to cover my name up and go and hide.
Mile sixteen brought the first expected twinges to my left knee but still I was sticking to my timing plan and it wasn’t for another six miles when things really started to go wrong. I had slowed a little mainly due to the heat but overall was happy with my progress. Then at twenty two and a half one too many people stopped dead in front of me causing me to swerve to avoid them putting much unwanted painful movement on my complaining knee. I decided to walk for thirty seconds to a minute. I had run non-stop for 22.5 miles, already and unexpected achievement. As I walked I had the weirdest sensation as my leg muscles seemed to continue vibrating from the previous near four hours efforts. After this point it became very much a struggle. I had to stop another couple of times. Once to take my inhaler which then made me feel even more nauseous than I already felt. Although taking a ventolin inhaler whilst wearing an Asthma UK charity shirt certainly gets the crown on your side! The marker showing there was just a mile to go raised my spirits again and I dragged myself, by now miling at a rate around 13+ minutes, past the famous London Marathon landmarks and onto the finish.
I crossed the line in a time of 4 hours 52 minutes. The first ten minutes after finishing were horrible I felt sick, dehydrated, sore, old all the real negative things you can think of but then came the realization that I had actually done it and that despite the heat and the pain and the total and utter physical effort that I had absolutely loved it. I had the feeling I had when I did my first half, a totally unexpected feeling of that was brilliant, when’s the next one!
Post race, I staggered to the Institute of Directors where Asthma UK had laid on a reception and where I had probably one of the best cups of tea ever accompanied by a post race massage. I knew I was still struggling a little when they asked if I wanted my quads massaged and I couldn’t remember where my quads were let alone whether they were still intact and needed massaging! The evening passed with my long planned trip to Nando’s and a first beer in months (which sadly I didn’t particularly enjoy. A side effect of my marathon training is that I no longer seem to enjoy alcohol – so be warned if you are planning to take up the marathon challenge!)
So writing this a few weeks on reminds me what a fantastic experience it was. I loved everything about it. From the fact that I have now gone from running three times a week to five times, I love the way it has made me look and feel, to the fantastic support I received from all quarters to the day itself. So would I do a marathon again ? – you betcha, where do I sign!
Possibly the best cup of tea - ever!
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, yes I did high five the lime on Tower Bridge!
