Mission Complete

I can't believe it, but I actually did it. Yesterday, I ran The London Marathon, and I have the blisters to prove it (and of course a lovely t-shirt and shiny medal!).

I keep having to let that sink in... It was yesterday that I ran a marathon. It feels incredibly surreal at the moment and if it wasn't for the aches and pains, I might not believe you if you told me that I had done it!

Having travelled down to London on Friday, we collected our numbers on Saturday and made sure we had everything we needed, before continuing with some last minute 'carb loading'. By this I mean we ate a lot of food, in particular, my favourite - sweet potato! This was followed by a very early night to make sure both Mother Dearest and I were well rested for the day to come.

Sunday was an early start - 6am to make sure that we were kitted out and ready to go. I taped up my knee, pinned my number to my shirt and off we went. Everywhere we went, there were runners. Even in the early hours, people were making their way to the different start lines, nobody wanting to be late and miss their chance.

The Fiance accompanied Mother Dearest and I to our starting area, but unfortunately he had to leave us at the gate as it was officially a 'Runners Only' zone. We said our goodbyes and Mother Dearest and I went in search of the toilets - very important pre-race! We were comforted by the number of toilets there were, which meant no queue... for now!

After a few laps of the area we decided to check in our kit bags at the baggage lorries and head over to our zones which would be opening soon. All the volunteers were having such a great time, singing and dancing despite the early and frankly, quite chilly morning - I couldn't help but take a quick video of them.

This was my first mistake.

For whatever reason, taking this video sapped my phone of its battery and it turned itself off and then, to my frustration, stubbornly refused to turn back on. The thought of running with a dead phone and completely redundant headphones frustrated me, so Mother Dearest and I called on the Fiance to come back and collect them from me. Even though this was annoying at the time, I am quite glad that the universe took the decision out of my hands and forced me to run without my headphones, allowing me to really be in the moment throughout the whole marathon.

It also meant that I was able to see the Fiance again and he was able to take this snap of me!

Once we were walked round to the start, the atmosphere was truly electric. I saw the Fiance once more before passing over the start line and in that moment, I was ready.

I set off through Greenwich and I was loving it. The first 13 miles felt great. My pace was good (if a little quick), but I felt comfortable and was able to enjoy it. The crowds were fantastic and hearing people shouting my name and encouraging me through the streets was all the boost I needed to keep putting one foot in front of the other. My head was up, I was looking for all the landmarks everyone always talked about and I actually saw them... well.. most of them..

Look at how much fun I'm having here! 

At mile 19, I hit 'The Wall'. This was something new to me. I had always avoided considering 'The Wall' - that wouldn't happen to ME surely!? Well I can assure you, it did. And it hurt. A lot. From that point on, my pace slowed and it really was a struggle to just keep on going. The pain in my legs was all too real and it was a battle both physically and mentally. But with the support of the crowd and their incredible signs, I was able to push on and make it through.

Turning the corner onto The Mall was particularly moving. I had pictured it many times in my training, but I was actually doing it! And there was music blaring out and I remember thinking to myself "I like this song! This will be my marathon song!" And of course, I now can't remember what it was! I'm sure when I hear it again, I will know!

Here is my official photo!

Crossing the line was a feeling of sheer relief and elation, mixed in with a bit of disbelief. A medal was put round my neck and I was hugged and congratulated by strangers. I got an official photo and stumbled off towards my good bag and the baggage lorries. All of which seemed to be so far away.. Or maybe it was just because my legs were no longer working properly!










Looking back on my marathon experience, I have definite mixed emotions. I now understand why people run London with GoPros and cameras as I know that in the second half of my race, I missed so much. I would love to be able to revisit my marathon and do it all again without the pain, so I could truly enjoy it from start to finish.


As I am still in pain, I am inclined to say it might be my only 26.2 mile run that I do...

But I'll never say never.