Virgin London Marathon – Fourth Time – Part One

I defy, anyone to write about their 26.2 mile journey in one blog, I’ve never managed it, so here is Part One

Pre Race Day

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the week of a marathon, I am a MESS, constant butterflies (resulting in not constipation) constant marathon thoughts, constant reading up on marathoning, constant making notes and constant list writing. I think this time was worse than ever. However I did read at some point late in the week, that the nerves and anxiety were normal (phew) and were there because it meant so much. Light bulb moment, ting! I decided then and there to try and embrace the nerves, the reason they were occurring was  a positive not a negative.

Other gems I gathered this week

• No high fiving kids, no talking to other runners, no clapping or interacting with the crowd, (guilty as charged on all counts previously) this needed to be sacrificed for me to reach my goal.
• If you have a bad mile, click reset and focus on the next, do not let this define your run.
• Sugar cubes are good energy source (maybe don’t stick them down your sports bra though)
• The human body is an amazing thing, make sure you squeeze every last ounce of energy out to achieve your goals. (This I was messaged two days before the marathon)
• Exude confidence, smile, chin up, shoulders back, chest out.
• Do what you can in the moment, ignore the weather, fatigue, negative thoughts
• Body check every mile, not that it is still there but that it was running relaxed
• We don’t run just with our legs, we run with our hearts and minds also.

Yes I could bore for England on how to run a marathon!

The DRS (delicate runners syndrom, thanks Annie, so apt) ran (!) rampant all week, I fell up the stairs whilst rescuing Madam and her hair from the clutches of the Hoover (don’t ask!) my back was sore, I had a cold, my teeth hurt, the ball of my foot hurt, oh the list was endless. Very delicate!

I went to collect my number on the Friday and had a lovely potter around The Expo with Giselle, spent a bit of money. Here we are

 

Saturday, I sorted my kit, stuff to go, stuff to stay. VLM had reduced the size of the luggage bag, so this meant leaving the suitcase at Waterloo and buying part of said station in the process! Saturday I went to bed cool, calm and collected! (I wish) By half past 11, I had been asleep and was awake again, my heart beating out of my chest. I got up and took some of my herbal calming sweets, I would like to say they worked and I slept like a baby after that, they didn’t and I didn’t!

Once I got to the start however, I was a lot calmer. Quick kit change, flashing my sports bra and finely tuned abs to all of Blackheath, I whipped my base layer off, because the sun came out, it was cold, but I knew once within the office buildings it would be warmer. This was so the right decision for me.

Then before I knew it we were off……………..