London Marathon 2017

I did it! I completed the London Marathon 2017!

Last Sunday was definitely one of the most memorable days of my entire life. It will be hard to explain all the emotions I felt in this blog post but I will do my best.

I woke up at 6am, slathered myself in sun cream and Body Glide and got dressed (I  was aiming to avoid chafing and sunburn as much as possible). I then had my traditional pre-long run breakfast of porridge, banana and peanut butter, whilst mum put my mind at ease.

I left the house at 7am and made my way to the tube, where my travel was free all day with my marathon number. As soon as I got on the tube I started chatting to other runners. I met a lovely woman from Suffolk who was running for Meningitis research, which as a meningitis survivor meant a lot to me (I told her this).

There was a mass exodus from the DLR at Greenwich station as everyone made their way up the hill to the start areas (not a short walk considering how far we had to run later that day). I got to the Red start line area and made my way over to where The Stroke Association crew had arranged to meet. It was so lovely meeting lots of the people I had been talking to on Facebook over the past months, there was such a great buzz and everyone was excited.

I had an energy bar, smeared on some more foot glide to be safe and put my bag away before joining the long queues for the portaloos (I have never seen so many toilets in my life). Miraculously I managed to get some phone signal and get in touch with Leah (my BMC team mate) and met up with her, her sister Kim and fellow BMCer Claire. We had a chat and got a selfie before making our way to the pens. The pens were so busy, but I found some Stoke Association runners and we kept each other company until the start.

It took about 20 minutes to get over the actual start line, the atmosphere was electric! Once we started I settled into a comfortable running pace, it was slower than my planned marathon pace, however it was so hard to break through the crowd at all and I didn’t want to waste any energy weaving. My knee hurt a little bit, but I decided to try and ignore it as it usually feels better after a mile or two.

The crowds were absolutely incredible right from the start, there were lots of families out and I got lots of high fives from excited children cheering on the runners. The first very famous London landmark you pass is the Cutty Sark, at around mile 7. I was so happy to see my friends Sarah and Mike at this point, I was feeling good but seeing them in the crowd cheering gave me such a mental boost. The crowd are amazing the whole way round, they cheer your name, hand out sweets, hold up both motivational and hilarious signs, however there is nothing better than seeing people you know in the crowd. The next great moment was Tower Bridge, you turn the corner after mile 12 and there it is, I felt a huge rush crossing it. The Stoke Association had their first cheer point around here as well, which was brilliant to run by.

I had completed half the marathon in a little over two hours, not too shabby, however my feet were starting to hurt (I could feel blisters forming) and my legs were getting tired. I got to mile 14 where I saw my partner Tom and my Mum: Tom had made a great sign for me. It stopped and gave them both a hug, told them my feet were killing me and dashed off again, however from the pictures they took at that point I looked pretty happy.

Along the route I saw so many runners in fancy dress, I have heard that it can be demoralising seeing someone in a full fancy dress costume passing you, however I was just full of admiration for these runners. Some of the fancy dress I saw on route included: a man dressed as Jesus with a cross (just in a loincloth and barefoot), two Pink Lady apples, a witch, two rhinos, a dinosaur, four people in a monarch plane, lots of Spidermen, Supermen and Captain Americas, a Princess Leia, a helicopter, a gorilla, a Scooby-doo and many more.

At around mile 18 I started to struggle, the Isle of Dogs is not the most inspiring place to run and I could feel my legs starting to tire, seeing The Stoke Association cheer squad was a huge boost. However not only were my legs on fire, I also needed a wee. I decided than rather run the final 8 miles with a full bladder, I would just use one of the toilets on route. This took about 8 minutes with queuing time included (but it was definitely worth it).

From this point on I was really struggling (I had never run further than 19 miles in training), so I adopted a run/walk strategy. Although it was frustrating, I thought best to get round in one piece and not hit the wall than finish never wanting to run again. I took a short walk break every mile and this really helped as it used different leg muscles for those walking periods. No matter how much you want to keep walking, the crowd keep calling out your name, encouraging you to run again. I saw a few Stroke Association runners struggling on route and we helped boost each others morale. Luckily I didn’t hit the dreaded “wall” as my fuelling strategy had worked well. I used chia gels, energy blocks and energy beans to fuel myself around. I used the little and often approach, keeping my blood sugar and glycogen stores topped-up throughout.

Seeing my friends Fearon, Andrew and Jess at mile 24 was an wonderful boost, I didn’t know they were going to be there and it was just what I needed for the last stretch.

Running along Embankment was amazing, however it seemed to take forever to get to Westmister (you can see Big Ben for ages). At Mile 25 I met another Stroke Association runner, Wendy. She was an absolute life-saver. We pushed each other to run the entire last mile and a bit and kept each other company, when I wanted to walk she wouldn’t let me and when she was struggling I tried to distract her by talking about her kids and what we were going to do after the race. It was so wonderful to share those last miles with her and I will never forget how she helped me.

As I turned the corner onto the Mall with Buckingham Palace to my left and I saw the finish line, I began to feel incredibly emotional. In the last few meters I saw my uncle Richard and aunt Hilary, she is the reason I decided to run for The Stoke Association and I called out to them, I was so glad they were there to see me cross that finish line.

My official finish time was 4.53.46 (sub 5 at least). I did want to aim for 4.30 but hey-ho, that’s one to aim for next time 🙂 (and yes, there will be a next time).

The finish line area was amazing, the woman who gave me a medal gave me a huge hug and I really appreciated that. I got a finisher photo, a goody bag and picked up my kit bag before having a stretch. Walking was very sore afterwards but the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and not be able to get back up again.

I made my way round to the meet and greet area where I met up with Tom and Mum, it was so great to see them! We took photos and made our way to The Stroke Association party (another 20 minutes walking through the huge crowds). At the party I got straight in for a massage, I was very lucky to have two massage therapists working on my legs at once. Hilary, Richard and Grandma met us at the party and we had a well deserved bite to eat and a beer before getting some fun shots in the photo booth. It was wonderful to see some of the runners I had seen at the start and on route at the party, they all did so well.

The journey home was pretty tough as my legs were very sore and getting up and down the stairs at the various station was interesting to say the least. However one other amazing thing happened on the last leg of the journey; whilst waiting for the bus at Chadwell Heath station a young woman saw I was wearing my medal and asked me about running the marathon. She asked if I’d recommend it and I couldn’t recommend it enough. She then asked if I was running for charity, so I told her about the Stroke Association. Then her and her boyfriend gave me a five pound donation. Today has really taught me about the kindness of strangers.

I got home and had a cold bath (which was horrible) before having a warm Epsom salt bath (which was lovely), I even enjoyed a beer in the bath. The day ended by enjoying a pizza in front of a film (perfect end to the day).

I can honestly say that April 23rd 2017 was one of the best days of my life; it was physically painful, emotionally draining but also so uplifting. It has restored my faith in human kindness, which can often be difficult to find these days. Knowing I have inspired others is wonderful, my friend Sarah who cheered me on at mile 7 is signing-up with The Dogs Trust to run the 2018 London Marathon, I am so excited for her!

I am still in quite a lot of pain (two days later), the DOMS (delayed, onset, muscle, soreness) are pretty bad. However, I have a sports massage later today, which I hope will help as I am off on tour tomorrow morning.

The positives definitely outweigh the negatives and I plan to run more marathons (at least now I know what to expect). Maybe I can aim for sub 4.30 next time 🙂

Now all I have to do is Run!

With two days to go I am assuming this is going to be my final post until after the marathon (unless I am suddenly inspired to write one tomorrow night – though hopefully I will be chilling out).

Yesterday was a good day. It started with my final physio appointment with Jim at Pure Sports Medicine. Jim said that I looked nervous when I first saw him, which I was, however he quickly put my mind at ease. We did a few exercises to check the strength in my legs and he proceeded to tell me “you are as strong as an Ox”. He gave me some great advice about managing pain and why our body feels certain types of pain whilst he gave my leg a massage, which was really helpful. The prognosis is that I will be fine to run and it is safe to run through some pain (I can also walk/try paracetamol if needs be). I left Pure Sports Medicine with more confidence than when I arrived and began making my way to the ExCel Arena for the marathon expo.

I met Tom at the ExCel, where he had to make a phone call so whilst he did that I had an easy run along the waterfront in front of the arena. It was great running alongside the boats, the 02 arena in the distance and planes from London City taking off right in front of me; I have to remember times like this and how much I love running when I am tired in the later stages of 26.2 miles.

 

Tom and I then entered the Expo where I collected my number, kit bag and timing chip. I couldn’t believe how big the Expo was and how much there was to see/do/buy.

I made my way straight to the Woman’s Running Magazine stand where I saw Liz (editor) and my coach Richard. I had a good chat with Liz who was telling me about some of her previous experiences of running London. Richard and I took the chance for a photo op before heading to a nearby café for a chat.

Richard looked at my number and told me I’m near the back of the pens, which is because I originally put a slower time in my application. However, he said I can use this to my advantage to pace myself (and not to weave), it doesn’t matter if I am slower at the beginning, I can use that time to conserve my energy for the later stages of the course. We discussed my nutrition, my hydration and little details like timings. It has been the most amazing experience having Richard as a coach throughout my marathon journey, I can’t explain how grateful I am to have been chosen to be part of The Big Marathon Challenge.

I was very good at the expo and only bought two things, a medal holder to hang my medals (of which London will take pride of place) and some really tasty protein bars for after the run. I also received a goody bag with more yummy food to try.

So now all I can do is eat some carbs, try to relax, pack what is on my list and have a 15 minute “stretch the legs” run tomorrow.

I can’t believe it is finally here, I have so many emotions that it is hard to put it all into words. I have raised over £2,800 for The Stroke Association and I have learned so much about myself along the way.

It’s going to be hard but it’s going to be wonderful. Bring it on!

The Final Countdown

Well it has been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted and now there are just four days to go until the London Marathon. There seems to be reminders everywhere of what’s awaiting me on Sunday, I saw this poster on my commute this morning at Moorgate station.

I have been doing what I can to get over my injury for Sunday and generally it’s been going well. I had permission to do a few runs last week (some in glorious weather) and I had no trouble with my knee except a a bit of a twinge this past Monday, following a 6.5 mile run the day before. I rested on Monday and did a shortish interval session on Tuesday, which went OK. It doesn’t hurt to run, which I have to be grateful for and have to use to my advantage on Sunday. Jim the physio has been great and explained that it’s natural to have a bit of pain after a run as my tendon is still healing, however for the past week when it has hurt it has been a dull twinge and nothing extremely sore. So I am going to try and take advantage of the fact that it is not sore to run to try and keep running throughout the course on Sunday if possible (just at a steady pace).

I’m now doing my final prep for Sunday, buying waterproof sun cream (even though it looks like it It will be overcast, which is good), buying a jumper to wear at the start that I can throw away, finalising my outfit, reading through the official magazine etc. I had a sports massage last weekend and have a final physio appointment before going to the expo to pick up my kit bag tomorrow. My most important preparation was done a few hours ago, Stroke Association themed nails to match my running top.

I’m going from moments of great excitement to moment of utter fear. However today I saw a picture of the 2017 medal and I want that around my neck on Sunday afternoon. So I will get over that finish line, even if I have to crawl over it. Many people who have run marathons before have told me how amazing a day it is, even though it is so physically demanding. I am going to keep running to a minimum these next few days, eat well, carb load and try to keep positive.

I have also started to think of ways to help myself mentally around the course, I have read many articles discussing the benefits of a personal mantra, mine will be “you are strong, you can do this!” (positive rather than negative). I am going to think about why I am running, to raise money for an amazing organisation. I am also going to have a list of 6 people who inspire me in my head to think about for the last 6 miles of the course. However, I think the main motivation that will get me over that finish line is the thought of a huge pizza that evening 😀

The emotions when I cross that finish line are going to be so amazing and I just need to visualise that every step of the way (and pizza, not forgetting the pizza).

Injury Strikes

It is April 2nd, 3 weeks exactly until the London Marathon and I am injured. Last Sunday I had my longest run to date; 3 hours with 75 minutes at marathon pace. Everything started off so well; it was a gorgeous sunny day, I had a decent night’s sleep, had fuelled properly and felt strong. I was having a great time until 13 miles in, when I made the stupid decision to over stride to beat the traffic lights at a busy road. As soon as I landed on my extended right leg I knew it was a mistake, it hurt. However I decided to ignore it, kept running and the pain subsided after a minute or two. I went on to run another 6 miles and arrived home with a feeling of accomplishment. It wasn’t until later that evening that the pain came back. The back of my right knee was aching and I had sharp pains when I moved. With it being so close to marathon day I started to panic, I texted our coach Richard who advised me to ice and rest it all day on Monday and attempt an easy run/walk on Tuesday. I did as I was advised and on Tuesday did a 5 mile easy run, I noticed that it was more comfortable to run than walk.

However on Wednesday morning the pain was still there and I started to feel very low. The other Big Marathon Challenge team members have been great, I got in touch with them via our Facebook group and they all had words of support and wisdom for me. They recommended that I see a physio ASAP and with Richard’s help I arranged an appointment with Jim Zouch at Pure Sport’s Medicine on Thursday. According to Jim I have an injury in my semimembranosus tendon, which (although quite unusual) is not as serious as ligament or cartilage damage.

So what now? I am resting, I am icing and I have some cross training and conditioning work set for me by Jim. I will go back for a second physio appointment on Tuesday and hopefully have a scan to check it is nothing more serious. My knee is feeling a lot better today, which is encouraging,. I have also been informed by my aunt, who is a rheumatologist and for whom I am running the marathon to raise money for The Stroke Association that as the pain is at the back of my knee it is less likely to be anything too serious and that tendons are good at healing themselves.

This injury has made me reflect on how much running has become a part of my life and what it means to me in general. The thought of not being able to run fills me with dread, not just because I am missing out on some big training runs before my taper is meant to start but also what it means for me emotionally. When I started running I was struggling with my mental health, I was depressed, battling with my weight and feeling a somewhat lack of purpose in my life. Running has given me so much: a way to boost my mood without antidepressants, a way for me to process my thoughts and anxieties. Running has taught me to respect my body, feed it well because I want to look after it instead of using food to punish myself. Running has made me realise how much stronger I am than I give myself credit for, how I can set my mind to something and work towards achieving it, not for money, not for career progression, just because I want to do something for myself.

I am really missing running; I am scared now that my dream is in jeopardy and all this work may have been for nothing. However I still have 3 weeks and I am trying to keep positive and see this as just a blip in my journey (I guess it makes for a more interesting story at least). Fingers crossed I will be on that start line on April 23rd.