Yesterday was the Virgin London Marathon 2013, my first attempt at the marathon distance after I started my running career this time last year.
I had accepted a place at the London Marathon in November from the Jigsaw Trust, the local charity we support at Informed Choice.
The Jigsaw CABAS® School is an independent day school for children and young people with an autism spectrum disorder. It was a pleasure to be representing them at such an iconic event.
With only four months to train and a particularly cold British winter, it’s been a real slog getting to the starting line in top shape to take on the marathon distance.
Before I started training for the marathon, the furthest I had run was a half marathon. As part of my marathon training schedule I ran around 20 miles three times, including a local 21 mile race a month ago which was my final long run.
Yesterday in London was perfect weather for the marathon. After the tragic events in Boston last week, the atmosphere around the start line was incredibly charged, with a poignant 30 second silence in memory of the victims at the start.
And then we were off.
Everyone tells you not to set off to quickly, as 26.2 miles is a very long way and the challenge doesn’t really start until 20 miles.
Of course I set off too quickly, at 15-20 seconds a kilometre faster than my target pace. I went through 10k in 50:04, 20km in 1:41:14 and the half marathon in 1:46:41, slightly quicker than the half marathon I ran last October.
It got tougher after that. Despite the incredible crowd support, running around the Docklands and along The Highway was such hard work, with my pace gradually slowing and legs getting progressively heavier.
I was nearly in tears running along Victoria Embankment, seeing other runners being reduced to a walk or dropping to the ground, receiving medical attention by the side of the road.
A banner hanging from a bridge a couple of miles from the finish urged us to ‘run if you can, walk if you must, but finish for Boston’. Combined with support from the crowds, this banner helped me keep pushing hard to make the turn at Westminster and head along Birdcage Walk before entering The Mall for the finish line.
I crossed the line in 3 hours 39 minutes and 15 seconds, slightly ahead of my target time. Sir Richard Branson was waiting the other side of the finish line to congratulate runners so, after a firm handshake from the legend himself, I hobbled up The Mall to find my bag and make my way home.
Thank you to everyone for their support over the past four months as I prepared for this marathon. We managed to raise £1,350 for Jigsaw and my Just Giving page is still accepting donations.
I’m a little sore this morning, although can walk much better than I had expected. Dehydration and a total lack of appetite after the run yesterday means I lost 5lbs in a day!
As the memory of the pain fades away, I’m already starting to think about my next marathon which is the Greensand Marathon in October. Once my sore legs recover, I will be starting an even more intensive training programme to get ready for that race, which has been described as one of the toughest trail marathons in England.
I might also enter the Virgin London Marathon 2014 when the public ballot opens next Monday morning.
