At my 2nd attempt, I got a good for age time for London Marathon in 2011. I didn’t intend to waste the place, so decided to have a very focussed training plan to try to get me in the best shape possible for the race.
The training had largely gone to plan, with a few disruptions due to food poisoning and burst pipes. I don’t taper well but I reduced my mileage with two weeks to go and in the last week only covered about 60k. The day before the Marathon I do a moderate effort park run 5k in 17:47, have pizza for lunch and fish and chips for dinner. Two cans of fosters and I’m out like a light and get a good 7 hours sleep (I think sleep is more important than abstaining from Alcohol).
I catch the 6:24 train and make my connection at London Bridge to an earlier train, so actually get to the start just after 8:00 AM. I have a chat to some fellow runners and soak up the atmosphere. Starting at the fast good for age area, you are surrounded by people who have all done a sub 3:15 marathon. I had no real idea of what time I could achieve in the heat that was forecasted, but I decided to set out with a colleague who was trying to go sub 2:45.
We are right at the front of the red start and within a few hundred metres I’m running at what I felt was the right pace. The red start is the slower of the two and you go up and down a big hill before you join the blue start. The red start was actually 30 seconds later than the blue, so although the chip timing was right we were at a disadvantage if we were racing against anyone on the blue start.
The first 5k’s go without issue and the pace feels comfortable. I read that you know if your going too fast because it should feel easy at 5 miles. It did feel easy at 5 miles we push on. By 15k I get some sensations in my thighs which indicate that they might not like to carry on at this speed. I wish my colleague good luck and he takes off (we joke later that I was his pacer to 15k..). I actually manage to keep sight of him for the next few km’s and think that I could pick up the pace to get back with him, but decide not to. Looking back this was a good decision.
I get to tower bridge and enjoy the crowds that have started to build. I think this is probably the highlight of my run.
I go through halfway in 1:21:56 and then head out towards the docklands, this is where I start to feel fatigued. This wasn’t muscle fatigue, it was just general can’t be bothered to run anymore fatigue. I’m still holding a good pace at about 4:00 minute k’s to 25k. As we navigate the docklands there are a few hills and underpasses, I notice some one did a Paula Radcliffe at the first underpass, I hope they felt better afterwards. I’m still feeling tired but still holding a good pace as I get to 30k (averaged 4:09 km’s for the previous 5k). It was around 28k that I got overtaken by the 2:45 pacer, which confirmed that any dream I had of a sub 2:45 run is out of the window.
Its been getting hotter and hotter and not a cloud in the sky from about 20k. From the beginning I have been taking a water at each station, taking a sip and chucking the rest of the bottle over me.
I go through 20 miles in about 2 hours 7 minutes, this is some 4 minutes faster than the 20 miler I did in March. I take encouragement from that but I realise I’m not in great shape and I’m not going to be sprinting down the mall. My main concern now is that I hold a good enough pace to beat my previous Marathon best (2 hours 59). I’m generally holding my position now, but see some real carnage. About every quarter of a mile I see someone being attended to at the side of the course and I’m overtaking a few walkers every minute. The people that are really struggling are not beginners, they are good enough to do a half marathon in well under 1 hour 25 minutes so must be seasoned runners. Temperatures are probably around 18-20 degrees, which if it was a September Marathon might seem normal. However most of us have been training in temperatures well below 10 degrees and we are not acclimatised. The course record was broken today, but by a runner who regularly trains in 20 degree heat in his home country and who by the nature of their speed was finished as it started getting hot.
After 20 miles I go into my own zone, I pull my hat down and focus all my energies on holding the blue line (the shortest distance around the course) and maintaining my pace. My pace from 30 to 35k is 4:17km, this is still on 3 hour marathon pace plus I have the time “banked” from my faster first 2/3rds. I take one gel at 20 miles and another at 24 miles.
I’m in autopilot now along the Embankment trying to hold my pace as best I can. I get some relief from the heat when we under the tunnel near Blackfriars, only to be met by the hill taking us up from the tunnel. This is not a steep hill, but feels like one today. My pace from 35k to 40k is 4:27 km, this is now eating into my “banked” time for a 3 hour marathon.
The crowd are very encouraging, especially when the charity areas see one of their runners. Anyone who pulls up walking is screamed at to “run, run, run”, I’m glad that I am not being shouted at and can carry on in my own little world. I’ve only had cramp once, but I will never forget the feeling. Unfortunately no amount of encouragement from spectators can make cramp go, so I feel sorry for the walkers because they are probably in a lot of discomfort and are being screamed at too.
I reach Westminster and another runner collapses in front of me and the paramedics run over to help him. I get a welcome cheer from a former colleague as I head towards the mall. The markers count down from 800m and I can’t wait to finish, I’ve really had enough of running now.
I eventually cross the line and my Garmin says I ran it in 2:51:28. This is more than 7 minutes faster than I have ever ran before at my third Marathon attempt. I have a picture taken and collect my medal.
All the good for age bags are on one truck, so we are all scrambling for our bags whilst the other 35 trucks have no one at them!. I meet up with my colleague and congratulate him on his sub 2:45 marathon. Say hi to a few other people and then decide to head home. I get to horseguards and feel faint, so need to sit down for 10 minutes in the shade and I raid the goodie bag.
I end up catching the tube at Westminster, which I assumed incorrectly would take me to kings cross. A few agonising (too many steps) changes of tubes gets me to Kings Cross. One minute until my train departs, I try to run but fail - I wait for the next train.
Spend the rest of the day relaxing and watching the race highlights - job done!
