Race Blog: 26.2 miles of unforgettable memories

Let's start at the end... On the the morning of Mon 28th April. I still wasn't breathing properly & couldn't take a deep breath in, so I decided to see the doctor. Turns out I had put strain on my chest & had inflammation in my lungs (irritated by my bronchitis 2 weeks previous). My doctor ended up giving me antibiotics & steroids.

A little background for you... My Aunty, who entered me into the race, dropped out a couple of months before DDay, so I was well & truly in this by myself.

All week previous, every single time that my mind went to the marathon, I had a nasty case of the runs & sweaty palms. I was petrified. You see, I didn't even practise with a half. I've always been a bit of a "what's the worst that can happen?" type of a girl. (FYI That motto doesn't work when it comes to marathon running)

However on the morning of Sunday 27th April 2015, I woke calm & nerve free with no adverse stomach conditions (didn't need my "just in case" Imodium after all). Had a beetroot juice & porridge & off I went. Proudly yielding my red bag at anyone who glanced in my direction. No one glanced in my direction. I arrived at London Bridge Station & it was packed with fellow runners... Us marathoners might be good on our feet but we're not good at listening. The poor station guards were yelling at people to "MOVE ALONG THE PLATFORM" which I & a total of 3 others did. When the train arrived we had a completely empty carriage to ourselves & others further down the platform couldn't get on. *smug face*

I met a Amy on the train when I asked if she had any lip balm. I may have packed & re-packed my bag 12 times but I still forgot bloomin lip balm. We made nervous chatter, exchanged training stories & bonded. On our arrival to Greenwich we headed into Bellushi's pub for a wee because it'd "surely be better than using the portaloos" & we ended up queuing for FORTYFIVE minutes. By the time we got out, the race had started. I was late for the start of my first marathon.

My new friend Amy told me that she was hoping to finish in 4.10, originally I had just wanted to get round the course without dying & not bother about the time but my competitive nature got the better of me & I quietly wanted to do it in 4 something. It could be 4.59... As long as it had a 4 at the beginning, I'd be happy. So I silently thought I'd stick with Amy & maybe get a faster time. In my practise runs I hadn't needed to stop for a rest & I was running 9min50ish miles - so I thought I had a 4.30/4.45 in the bag.

When we eventually crossed the start line at around 10.35 (the gun went at 10.10) it was like Euston Station with the tourists queueing for train tickets at Christmas. What a nightmare... I should have remained in the flow of the crowds & kept my cool but I desperately wanted to find my own pace so was weaving in & out & running on the pavement. The only way I can describe It was like Oxford Circus at Christmas. For anyone who's lived in London, you know to either a) avoid it altogether b) go down the back routes or c) walk in the road at your peril (buses are easier to avoid than selfie taking tourists) I didn't have that option so I was already silently swearing "why the hell would you wanna do this more than once?" whilst running along the pavement, trying to avoid small children - but I was running 8min something splits!!!!! What a wally. Suffice to say I lost Amy within 500m, my girl was weaving, and weaving like a pro! I couldn't keep up. "See you on Facebook Amy!"

Fortunately for you, I can't remember every mile. So I'll do my race highlights...

Cutty Sark was magical, despite the fact that we lived in London for 10years, I never had made a visit... At this point I was flying like the wind. At mile 8.5 I saw an old friend who I knew would be supporting around that point. She YELLED out my name & I ran over to hug her & burst into tears. I was so, so thrilled to see her. Mile 13 (one of the reasons I remember mile 13 is because from here on in, I rewarded myself with 2 Percy Pigs per mile. I didn't train with energy gels, so these were my little sugary boosts) was Tower Bridge, again a spectacular moment! The acoustics on the bridge mean that the crowd seem to be extra loud & the architecture & view on the bridge is enough to take your breath away. Ironic! because that's exactly what happened. Around mile 14, I suddenly couldn't breath deeply. I needed to double over & cough... It felt like asthma? (Eastender style duf dufs) No, it can't be - I haven't had an asthma attack in over 20years. I just need to slow down & pull myself together, surely? Alas no, my breathing didn't improve it was shallow & raspy & with every breath I needed to cough.

Suddenly I was being passed by people dressed up as rhinos & soldiers carrying weighted rucksacks on their backs. I was struggling. "Why the hell would you wanna do this more than once?"At the point where the road splits & you have the 13milers on one side & the 22milers on the other (around Limehouse/Shadwell station) - that, right there was one of my worst moments. The elite athletes are on the opposite side of the road, looking incredibly fresh, fit & so fast & yet they were 9 miles ahead of me. How is that even possible? At this point, I decided to power walk for a few minutes & then continue to trot. This continued until mile 18 when this pair of snazzy tights scooted right passed me. I recognise those tights & that vest, that must be Elizabeth. (Elizabeth is a fellow member of a running group on Facebook. We had never met, but thanks to many exchanged photographs, I knew exactly what she would be wearing on race day) I yell SEVERAL times but she is in the zone & rightly so!!! So I get back into my running & catch her up. We chatted & ran together for about 3/4 of a mile & little does she know that she lifted my spirits & made me believe that I could still complete this mother! ALAS, I felt as though I was slowing her down so I gulped & told her to go ahead... *silent, internal sob* I wanted to run alongside you Elizabeth for the rest of the way, but my body wouldn't let me. I've carried twins, had morning sickness for 4 months & ended up in hospital with pre-eclampsia damn it! Body - Why are you failing me now?

(Little aside) The crowd MAKE the VLM experience completely unforgettable, especially if like me, you've been training alone. If you have your name on your running top then they call out your name. People tell you that you're doing "brilliantly" (even though I really wasn't). I remember somewhere between miles 18-23 I was walking & a man leant over the railings & shouted "come on Hope, you need to start running again, just put one foot in front of the other & GO" and do you know what? I did!!! Some incredible folks come out of their homes with boxes of jelly babies, Haribo & slices of orange. Someone even gave me some banana cake. (At one point I did have to reign in the eating because I started to feel sick. But if you offer me food, how can you expect me to not eat it?)

I definitely didn't love Docklands area, it was boring & there were hardly any spectators. No one was yelling at me to get going, no one was offering sweets. "Why the hell would you wanna do this more than once?"

Mile 22! In my training runs, I had reached 21 miles (you are advised never to train to the full 26.2miles) so I told my family & friends to be at mile 22. A point that I could mentally look forward to, instead of dreading the unknown. Knowing that my F&F were somewhere nearby gave me enough strength & breath to start running again, so I positioned myself on the right hand side ready to spot them. I suddenly saw a family who we've know for years & are our biggest cheerleaders in all things, I pushed my way over, hugged them & burst into tears!! As I ran away I realised that my hubby wasn't with them, as previously arranged. Something must've happened, he must've died in a car crash on the way down from Brum, he was definitely lying under a train in Harrow (I possess a slight propensity to go to the worst case scenario)... I stopped to walk & get my phone off my arm to rifle through my text messages & then "HOPE, BABE over here"

There he was, with more, beautiful friends. A literal sight for sore eyes. I cried, they cried, the people around them cried. They told me to go... So I went. One foot in front of the other, only 4 miles to go. Surely I could do this??

Off I go again, only to be overtaken by a two man camel. It's at moments like this that you need to have a serious word with yourself. I determined to myself that whateever it took, however much it hurt, I HAVE to run/shuffle the rest of the way. The Houses of Parliament... The Mall... London really is stunning. THEN I saw that glorious 800m to the finish marker. I wanted to cry (not in a joyful way) 800m may as well have been mile 13 to me at that moment. I just managed to lift my feet off the ground enough to chase down every marker on that Mall. Right now, this moment, THIS is when my months of training come in, of getting up at 5/530am - that type of determination is what sees you through to the finish line. That was it. I'd done it. No crying, no elation, no rush of emotion, just a quiet dawning that at the age of 35, a mother of 3- I HAD SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED the 2015 Virgin London Marathon. (VLM have my finish time at 5.09.14. My Strava app has me finishing at 4.50.14... Who knows? fact is, I finished!)

And so in conclusion, I return to my ever reccuring question: "Why the hell would you wanna do this more than once?"

Want to know what I realised as the medal was ceremoniously placed over my head?...

I'D ALREADY DECIDED TO DO IT ALL AGAIN.

#mararthon #running #fitness #VLM2015