Date: Sunday, October 3, 2021
Distance: 26.2 miles
Listened to: Running podcasts, angry break-up songs and some show tunes…and the cheers of my friends and family
It’s done. It’s only taken me nearly four years to get here, but I have run an official marathon. Never did I believe I would actually get my hands on a London Marathon medal. That was what other people did. Not me. But I have one…a real-life medal!
I ran the distance amid the peaks and troughs near my home. I started off at 6.59am and finished at 1.12pm. The marathon app official timer had me coming in at just under 5 hours, but me and my Garmin watch know these hills and the mile markers intimately, so my time should have been 5hrs 13mins.
I think this is important to state. I have met people or have read books about people who have gone from couch potatoes to incredible athletes who casually go under four, or even three, hours for a marathon. While admirable, this can be quite disheartening for less speedy runners. There is still a lot to be celebrated about a 5+ hour marathon!
It’s a tricky one for me because while I would love to be faster and more resilient in both mind and body, I also want to encourage people who want to aim for the distance at any pace…and that does not have to be a marathon. Without sounding preachy, it’s definitely ok to keep going and get the job done.
The marathon is also more than just the one day. It’s the result of months or even years of training, of making yourself go out when you least want to, for finding extra miles along the way to get the required training distance, for not drinking (in my case) and for constantly washing kit! I actually liked the training and ticking off sessions as I moved through the weeks. Who doesn’t like a list?
The training did scare me at times though. I followed a London Marathon plan with three runs in the week, trying to do the tempo ones when asked to, and a long one at the weekend. I did not miss a single session even if I had no idea how I was going to do some of the long runs and there were a few wretched ones! My best long run was the 20-miler three weeks before marathon day. I gave myself three short walking breaks to take on fuel and get up the steeper hills, but ran the rest. I was super chuffed with myself and it gave me the confidence I needed for October 3.
I did not have the best immediate build-up to the big day with a migraine the night before and a period making an untimely appearance, but I was always going to set off at 7am no matter how I felt physically. With more than £3,000 already collected in sponsorship money, I had to complete it to repay the generosity and faith people had shown in me.
Sponsorship blows me away. I definitely over-used my PR skills to drum up interest, but it was worth it to gain donations from all areas of my life: family (including relatives overseas), local and far-flung close friends, university and college friends, current and ex-colleagues, fellow runners, clients, friends of friends, parents’ friends, exercise class teachers and members, neighbours, John’s patients…all of them such kind and generous souls. One donation came from a friend I have not seen since I was 16 and it was a game-changer in terms of getting me to £4,000 for Dementia UK. It is such a humbling experience seeing the money come in and the messages that accompany them. I tried to write all their names on a single piece of paper, but needed four. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Back to the run. When you set you off on your own, there is a realisation of: “Oh, this is going to take a while!” Maybe on a race start-line, you don’t have these thoughts as you are swept up into the fuss and bother of running with a crowd, but when it’s just you, it can feel a little daunting. I was not on my own for long though.
Friends and family had combined to give me regular support throughout the morning. Kate was my earliest bird at about 1.5 miles and she popped up again at 2.5 and 3.5 with Cath. Along with the king of water and fuel John, Cath was an official tracker so had the onerous task of letting people know where I would be (thanks CathNav!) John appeared at 4.5 and 5.5 with Abs waving like a loon at 6.
And so it continued! Mum and Terry were at mile 9 (along with Marissa who ran a few miles with me), a collective crew, including Lou, at mile 10, three Mahoods at mile 12, Mel and family (who had travelled all the way from London) along Cattery, John, our girls and Derek the dog at the top of Cattery, then Rachel, Kate, Sophie, Mum and Terry at 15 miles, and so on. Suzi and Charlotte found me at 19 miles and Viv also tracked me down around 23 miles, while I also received a constant flow of text messages of support from around the world.
I mean…that is a whole morning of following me around and I have left out lots of cheer points. What absolute legends, especially around 22 when the rain arrived. They are all darlings and I love them to pieces.
The run did not entirely go to plan. I was struggling from mile 15, which was frustrating as I was happy with the 20-miler three weeks before. The wind was a struggle at times and I just did not have the resilience run up as many of the hills.
The other curveball was the official app. I quickly realised that its miles were shorter than the miles me and my Garmin are used to. Paula Radcliffe, Steve Cram and Adele Roberts were all very encouraging when their mile marker announcements interrupted whatever I was listening to, but Steve had me finishing (complete with rousing London Marathon music) at 25 miles by my watch. A quick conflab with my ‘Fast Girls’ friends had confirmed that I was going to go by the watch but it was a bit of a side swipe to be told I had finished when I had not finished. No offence Steve!
The finishing line featured all my cheering crew plus my mother-in-law and step-father-in-law, and friends Tim and Nobs. What a sight to behold! I had to video them so I can remember what they looked and sounded like. It was lush.
The Virtual Virgin Money London Marathon was so much more than just running for a long time. The training, the elevated body confidence, the lovely camaraderie and support, raising the money…and, of course, remembering Dad combined to make it an event and a half! Dad’s the reason I went on this quest. I did not know it would end up as a marathon, but it is a cool result to come out of sad circumstances.
#runningfordad
Running for Dad 