Finished!
I have now decided to run the New York Marathon in November 2005. To follow my progress and other things I will be writing about please go to http://livealittle.squarespace.com/
Half an hour after the finish. Knackered, but happy.
I have now decided to run the New York Marathon in November 2005. To follow my progress and other things I will be writing about please go to http://livealittle.squarespace.com/
… is more difficult than finishing it.
Once you have reached D-day you will be ready to go and nothing and nobody is going to stop you. Making the decision to run the marathon, sticking to it and staying injury free is actually the hard part. But, I persevered and ultimately I reached April 17 2005 with my running number, in Greenwich Park, ready for the start.
I could give you the whole run down of how I prepared, where I stayed and what I dreamt of the night before. But I won’t. I can tell you that I was very relaxed and wasn’t nervous at all. The last two weeks I reached the point of realisation there is nothing more I could do about it. Show up, one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles and finish. That was my strategy.
I was dressed as per the weather forecast. Long sleeved shirt under my Barnardo’s vest, gloves and hat. Before the start I was already hot and got rid off the gloves and hat. It was a glorious day and, like many others, I positioned myself on a plastic bag in the sun. I was so relaxed that despite the noise and the thousands of people around me I fell asleep for a couple of minutes.
Unfortunately I didn’t manage to meet up with Clare, Caroline or Rob because the mobile network was rather overloaded. We couldn’t get hold of each other so I was out there ‘on my own’.
In the starting pen it became real. I was running the London Marathon. I had completed the months of preparation, pain and determination and was now waiting for the final whistle. O well, just stick to the strategy. One foot after another…
The first miles I run on automatic pilot. The crowd didn’t allow you to run any faster or slower than you did and I was sucked in by the group. Just as well really because it meant that the first 4 miles were dead steady, exactly the same pace. By mile 5 is was melting and decided to get rid off my shirt. There was no other way to do it than just take everything off and put the top shirt on as only shirt. Because there were no supporters just runners at that part of the road, I don’t think anyone noticed or cared that I stood there in my bra alone.
One of my plans was to take a jelly babe at every mile, even if I didn’t need one. From mile 1 I stuck to that plan, munching away at these sweet little but useful monsters. I also used every water and Lucozade station, taking in 3 or 4 sips and getting rid of it again. This plan fell foul when they run out of water at 3 stations but because I was properly hydrated it didn’t affect me too much.
It may have been great for the supporters and I’m sure it looked nice on the television but it was far too warm to run. I’m not used to these temperatures and there was no way of escaping the relentless sun. Luckily the light didn’t bother me because I was wearing my sunglasses but I understood from others that they had headaches because of the bright light.
I can’t remember where exactly but I bumped into another blogger EvilPixie. She had the name Pixie on her shirt and I recognised her from one of the pictures. We chatted for a while and then went our separate ways. Later on the same happened with Maureen, MarathonMum. Her name was on the back and as I passed her I looked in her face if I recognised her. She then recognised me so we started talking. We stayed together for about a mile and then carried on with our own race.
Husband Wim managed to cheer me on at two different locations. Despite the deafening noise I could hear his shouts over everything else and it was great to see his supporting face. I now know that he was grateful that he saw me still running by mile 17.
At mile 16/17 I realised I wasn’t going to make the 5 hours so I gave myself a new goal. ‘Keep running, no walking until the 4 hours’. Once I managed that I convinced myself that 4.15 is not that much more than 4 hours. Later on the same applied for 4.15 and 4.30. By 4.30 I had only 4 or so more miles to go so I just decided to keep running until the end.
That sounds easier than it looks not only because I was getting really tired. From 15 mile onwards more and more people, certainly at the back 10 thousand runners where I was, walked instead of run. I spent a lot of time just trying to get past people, having to run around groups of talking walkers, manoeuvring myself between people, having to speed up, slow down and speed up again. The only good thing about that was that it got extra cheers from the supporters and the last couple of miles the ongoing ‘nearly there Laura, go on Laura, you can do it Laura’ really made all the difference.
During the race not once did I ‘hit the wall’ or suffer from any aches or pains. At my previous long runs I suffered from back pain and all sorts of other aches probably from sloppy running. Because I really wanted to enjoy the atmosphere and experience all that was happening around me, I run much straighter than I would normally do once I’m tired. All that I ended up with were two massive blisters on the top of my toes and under my nail. Unfortunately I lost my nail when I burst the blister but that is a small price to pay.
At mile 25 I became tearful. Not only was I about to finish the marathon, I actually done it without stopping. I had done it! (well almost but I wasn’t going to give up at that stage). The last stretch was amazing and I even managed to ‘sprint’. Crossing that line, receiving that medal, what a fantastic feeling.
What made this whole experience so magnificent were the fantastic supporters, the many mad and wonderful runners in their wacky costumes, the inspiring people who were really struggling but run for charity or in the memory of loved ones. The camaraderie amongst the runners, the electric atmosphere, amazing, incredible. It was the most unforgettable experience and one I would love to repeat.
On that note, I’m probably entitled to a free place, trip and stay for the New York Marathon in November this year. Watch this space!
and on my way to London.
Also packed my one and only signature scent which I have been wearing for 15 years now. Stood by me at many good times. Weddings (twice actually), birth of children (so they would always recognise their mummy), exams and everything else. I have to wear it tomorrow albeit very very light. Don’t want to scare the other runners.
I’ll report back on Monday with my time.
Cramped in a London commuter train it was easy to spot the male runners on their way to the marathon conference. Slightly too skinny, weathered faces and carrying bottles of water. Some women gave it away by carrying a runners magazine but very few were actually dressed head to toe in running gear. We female folk are just to vain for that.
Once at the centre it was clear that the London Marathon attracts all sorts. Yes, there were many skinny men and women but I have seen every size, shape and age, all equally excited about what was about to happen in three days. There was a definite buzz, we all passed the point of no return. When I was handed my number and timing chip I couldn’t help being slightly emotional. O help, what had I let myself in to?
On one of the stands I entered a draw for a nifty bodyfat/hydration meter. It looks like scales but once you stand on it with your bare feet (with painted nails I remind you) it measures something that calculates your percentage of body fat and water in your body. There are ‘perfect for normal people’-readings and ‘perfect for marathon runners’-readings. I am neither.
According to this gadget I am clinically obese. They couldn’t believe the reading so did it again but there it was: seriously obese. Now admittedly I am not skinny but curved and round where, if I may say so, women should be curved and round. No matter how many marathons I will run, I doubt whether I will ever become skinny. But OBESE? And for the readers who have never seen me, trust me, I’m not in denial.
Got my Barnardo’s vest with my name on it. I hope to hear lots of ‘Go Laura, Go!!’. All in all, I’m ready to go. Got my gear, jelly beans, blister plasters, Immodium, Nurofen, drinks, raisins and drive. Bring it on!
Not everyone agrees with that though. Ten reasons not to attempt the London Marathon
Today is going to be real exciting as I will be picking up my running number, final instructions and my Barnardo’s running vest. All runners have to go to some mega conference centre in East London which also has the largest running exhibition in the UK. We can listen to last-minute tips on nutrition, training (not), try on shoes and all of that.
I’m going with Claire so we can both act like silly excited school girls. It is all happening!
Yesterday I had a gentle gym session on the bike and treadmill followed by 20 minutes of stretching. My body feels heavy and lazy but apparently that is normal with all the tapering. I feel like I’ve gained a stone in a week!
My other preparation was more of the mental kind and is surely something you won’t find in the running manuals. I painted my toe nails red and tried to make my feet look pretty. Well, one can try.
We all have doubts when we start a venture like this. Some overcome the doubts and go on to do whatever it is they set themselves.
My doubts didn’t involve my running. Not that I consider myself a good runner (rather the opposite I would say) but I was, and still am, quietly confident that I have the determination to finish it off.
My doubts were about the fundraising. To get a place in the most popular marathon in the world I had to secure a Golden Bond place. Luckily I got one via a charity I truly support and belief in. Of course that also meant I had to raise funds for them.
Being several months down the line I can honestly truly say that I’m overwhelmed by the reactions from people. Even people I haven’t spoken to in years, customers (suppliers I could understand…), guys in the pub that I only speak to for 1 minute once every 3 weeks, friends of friends, other school/rugby parents, members of a same board I sit on but don’t speak to from one month to the next, people I only met once at a seminar….
Amazing, fantastic, inspirational.
I know I will raise more money as I cross the line. But already, thanks to many of you we have been able to turn ‘Miles Into Smiles’. You don’t know how much that means to me. Thanks!
This time next week it will be all over. Someone asked me today what I will do with my gained time. ‘Catching up with all the things that I postponed in the last couple of months’ I said, because it has been time and energy consuming.
My emotions are all over the place. Not sure whether to be glad that it’s almost over or anxious that it’s almost there. There is nothing I can do about it now and it will all come down on my strength on the day, physically and mentally. The moment I cross the line will be momentous; the ‘do the marathon’ has been on my list for over 20 years now and I can finally tick it off. I won’t think about my next challenge yet, I just want to enjoy the finalisation of this one. Note that I don’t even allow myself a DNF. ‘Did Not Finish’ is not an option on Sunday.
Today’s run was lovely. I ran with Claire and Caroline in the woods for a steady 35 minutes. Some nasty hills but otherwise easy pace. I ran with my sunglasses for the first time because the sun was out in full glare. They didn’t give me any problems so I can use them next week if need be. If the weather is going to be anything like this I’m in trouble though because it is too warm! I’m not used to running at 13 degrees with sunshine. I want overcast, slight drizzle and around 8 degrees. Not nice for the supporters I know but they have the easy job anyway.
No, not me yet and I doubt whether I will.
My brothers run the Rotterdam Marathon today in 3.55 and 4.12. The latter one apparently after his legs had given up at 20 miles.. I give my left arm to run that time with my legs still working.
Well done I&S, trots op jullie!!
