Wow – thank you Maiden Newton Runners for giving me the opportunity to do the London Marathon in 2012! Running around in the darkness before BST, it didn’t really hit home what this wonderful day would involve emotionally.
Essentially, I was lucky and thankful to have the
opportunity to run it because I missed the ballet last year (it was done in
dusted by May – so get on-line quick for 2014!)
Charlie Spencer and I were the only two who wanted the club place. So we agreed to help each other, by getting a charity place as well.
On a chilly run to celebrate New Year (well, we are a
running club!) I quizzed the Phil, the club chairman upon what the expectation
was of me; he said ‘none – just turn up at the start line!’ Now this is easier said than done, because
there are another 40,000 or so trying to do this at the same time, on the same
Sunday morning in the same far corner of London! The other bit of advice gained from Lin,
Martin and Dave was ‘get the miles done in training’. Needless to say, this is hard too, but it proved
fundamental in the end.
Although a major task
in the 3 months beforehand, the training enable me to literally enjoy and
remember every mile ran during the race, for the faces and sites seen, and
music and cheers heard, and not the pain endured. I’ll skip the training bit to the fun bit, but
is worth mentioning that we live in a beautiful country. It was joy to explore the paths of Dorset,
Somerset, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Southampton and even Slough (!) during the
training.
Established in 1982, the London Marathon is fantastically
well organised; from publishing advice and tips a month beforehand, organising
an exciting expo in London in the days before race; to markers with clocks at
every mile, and food, drink and Vasoline provided when ever needed, and the
fact that you get your bag handed to you within minutes of finishing!
Getting to the Start is nerve-racking, especially if it is a
new experience, and if you have a track record to cutting it fine to the start
of races! And having a pee beforehand was
a tough test of nerve in itself; 30 minutes in a queue leaving 10 minutes to
throw the bag in the lorry and find the relevant section of the Start before
09.45! It could all go very wrong, and being
surrounded by fellow runners all feeling the same ‘uneasiness’, it was easy to
strike up conversation and hold each other’s bags whilst we warmed up. Filtering into the Start was seamless, and
everyone around me was beaming, probably because like me, they had made it!!
It was not until passing under the first mile banner that
the relief hit me, and I was able to enjoy myself. I’d been keeping this quiet, but I had
sustained a knee strain during the last weeks of training, which hurt when I
walked. In the last 2 weeks of training,
I cycled instead to rest it, and it was only after running a few minutes did
the jarring go. The rest is history!
During the race, the music and party atmosphere was just
sensational; an electric charge beamed out of the top of my head
throughout. The Caribbean sounds of
South London just transported us to the second half of the race, where they say
the race really starts. Then the sights
of London begin; the Shard, Tower Bridge, the City, etc (even the Institution
of Civil Engineers at mile 26 – don’t tell me you missed it?!) And whatever one thinks about bankers, they
had a great party going on in an intimate amphitheatre of Canary Wharf’s steel
and glass, and it was amazing to run though and experience.
It started to get harder after the City, and the quads
started to pull after 17 miles. However,
my pace was steady and I was on track to get my target time. So I remembered all the training I had put
in, focused on my action and dug in.
Now runners were starting to pull up 50 m or so; either walking, stopped by cramp or those that had fallen. This was unnerving, and the mind started to wonder; did I tie up my shoe laces properly?
Another thing that was surreal was the tunnel under one of
the bridges on the Embankment before Big Ben – we descended from the Strand
into darkness, and then silence. Only
the sound of panting runners and pattering of trainers echoed off the walls. These few minutes allowed us to compose
ourselves, check the hair, and practice the victory celebration.... then we
rose up the ramp, the crowd fringing the edges of daylight above, and the sound
returned.
I got over the line in under 3.5 hours (ok, 3.29 so I cut it
fine!) which was my goal. Behind the
scenes at the Finish, it was eerily silent again. Here, we were able to collect our thoughts,
and give mutual congratulatory glances at each other, and even shed a tear! The hum drum soon returns though, when we filed
out from behind the fencing to join friends and family. Here, I met with Dave, Lin, Martin and
Charlie and we shared our stories.
I am very thankful to Maiden Newton Runners for giving me
the place, not least Charlie; and for supporting me on some of the long runs
during training. It was an electric
day, one that I’ll remember forever and comes recommended!
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