Where to start? My thoughts of the day are so scrambled it's difficult to put in to words the most satisfying, emotional, difficult, rewarding, unbelievable, knackering, awe-inspiring day.
The day started early with a 6am alarm call. After forcing some porridge and water down I headed down to Charing Cross to meet Sarah, one of the other runners running for Iain Rennie Hospice at Home. We had only met at the photo shoot for the local paper a couple of weeks earlier but having both been suffering from injuries and realised we were both very nervous about the day, had arrange to meet and start the race together.
The nerves truly kicked in on the train journey to Greenwich Park and by the time we saw the start line, I think we were both in a bit of a state. A last minute toilet dash meant I heard the start gun go off whilst holding my breath in a porta-loo. Typical!! As we joined the back of the starting line it was absolutely amazing to see the swarms of people all about to start this ridiculous challenge. We crossed the start line 26 minutes after the start of the race and headed off amongst the other 36,998 other runners.
The first 5 miles were pretty smooth at a nice steady pace but by 7 miles I was really struggling and even uttered the words 'I don't think I can do this'!! I was gutted to be feeling like that by 7 miles but it was so much warmer than I'd thought and with the crowds making the heat even more intense I was finding it really difficult. Thankfully I spotted Liz and Lana in the crowd at 11 miles and with them shaking their pimped up banner it was a massive boost.
At 12 miles Sarah and I split as I was worried about slowing her down and by half way I was absolutely melting and beginning to realise the enormity of the challenge. Around 14 miles I heard a massive 'Alice Oiseau' shout and knew that had to be for me (my old name in French class at school!!) and turned round to see Lou and Steve - again perfectly placed to give me the encouragement to carry on.
By 16 miles I knew I was behind my pace target but was really enjoying it and at 18 miles got to run past the Iain Rennie cheering squad and then have a sweaty hug with Mum, who had a whole bag of goodies for me! Running round Canary Wharf was one of my favourite parts - the atmosphere and crowds were amazing and there were some brilliant bands playing that really lifted the mood. Running past the office door at 19 miles was slightly odd but another spotting of Liz, Lou and Steve and a big group hug sent me on my way for the last 7 miles.
I hit my 'wall' at about 21.5 miles. The knees and ankles had starting hurting at 14 miles and I'd taken painkillers at 20 miles but I was running on empty by 21.5. I had my last carbohydrate gel and then spotted Lucy and Roland in the crowd at 22 miles. Knowing I (only!) had 4 miles left felt like a huge achievement and that's when I really believed I'd make it.
The last few miles are a bit of a blur and the only thing that got me to the end were the crowds and their encouragement. Every single person who cheered me on made the next few steps possible. My cheering squad were in fine voice at 25 and as I started running by St. James Park and then up on to The Mall, emotion completely overtook me. Crossing the line is simply one of my greatest achievements.
The day itself was incredible and I can honestly say that the only way I got through the day was from the endless encouragement from friends, family, strangers, runners and anyone and everyone else. It really is inspiring and humbling to hear people’s stories about why they are doing the race and see their individual struggles and triumphs. The best thing about the day has to be the kindness of people. On a normal day most Londoners normally don't even look at each other, let alone talk to each other, which seems so strange when you've spent the day having your name chanted, shouted and sung by hundreds of people you've never met, and never will.
I really do believe that the last 5 months have been life-changing. To think that I've gone from the girl who became very proficient at forging Mum and Dad's signatures to get out of P.E for 5 years to having completed a marathon - I'm not sure I'll ever be quite the same. I've even brought 'Women’s Running' magazine over 'Glamour' recently for a train journey - times have definitely changed!!
There will be plenty who think I should have gone quicker than my 5hours 41 minutes, but all I'd say now, is I genuinely don't care and you give it a go, and then I'll listen!!
The confidence that achieving this goal has given me is immeasurable and I have really learned that exercise can be a good thing. I’ve even had to talk myself out of going for a run tonight!
So basically, at the end of this rambling, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone for your endless encouragement and titbits of marathon wisdom. A special thanks to my family friends who came to cheer me on and finally to everyone who donated their hard earned cash. Today, my total is £3,247.12 which is absolutely incredible. More than double what I was hoping for so I am absolutely over the moon. It will make a huge difference and makes it worth every bit of the blood, sweat and tears (quite literally!!).
What can I say, it's been emotional!!
xxx
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