Post Marathon Report - don't worry, there's still time to sponsor me, but my justgiving page will only be open until the 25th of May - 4 weeks people!

 

Ok, so on Sunday the 25th of April 2010, I participated in the 30th London Marathon and despite all the talk about all the training I’d been doing in the run up to yesterday’s big day, I hadn’t done anywhere near the recommended mileage they say you need to do before hand. But in for a penny, in for a pound, I wasn’t going to let that stop me! All the training plans say you should reach at least 18 miles before the big day and being 100% honest now, I only achieved 11 miles... once (but it did also say not to overdo it before the big day, which I obviously took a bit too literally – haha )

I stayed in London Saturday night, which was really good, as I was only a minutes’ walk from the start. My mate Garlic and I rocked up to the start on a cold, overcast, drizzly Sunday morning (nothing like the weather man predicted, which was the sun and the hottest London Marathon EVER?). Anyway, I said my goodbye’s to Garlic and soldiered into the runners enclosure and began my warm ups (as lame as they were). It seemed everyone around me were professionals, doing all sorts of weird and wonderful warms ups – so I stopped doing mine and headed for cover from the rain under a tree.

I got onto the road and stood standing side by side with other running hopefuls - waiting for the start whistle – the nerves had come back and hit hard at this point! As I stood talking to a guy beside me I found out he was from Welwyn Garden City of all places (small world hey!). Anyway he didn’t help with my nerves telling me of all the training he’d done prior to this point... I took a deep breath and thought ‘please just let me finish today – please’

The blower went and we were off!! I slowed my breathing right down and thought to myself here we go (and also what the hell was I doing, seriously, what was I doing!). I tried not to get caught up in the initial wave of excitement and held back as much as I could. People were passing me left right and centre but I stuck to my guns and ‘started slooow’ (start slow and finish strong )

Things started reasonably well and I found my rhythm pretty quick. It was cool I was staying calm. Then disaster stuck, and I don’t mean that lightly. Since I began running I’ve experienced problems with my left knee. And just before the 2 miles marker it went and boy did it hurt. I yelled out as it felt like a needle had been jabbed into the side of my left knee. I had to hop on my right leg for 3 or 4 strides as the pain was just too much to put any weight on it at all. However I slowed done my pace even further and gradually began putting more and more weight onto it until 100m’s down the road I was back up to my race pace, praying it didn’t go again...

At just before the 6 mile mark I ran past my friends flat which I had stayed at the night before. I saw Matt hanging out the window and I jumped up and down and shouted as loud as I could – Matt saw me and I think reluctantly acknowledged me with a wave – haha!

From that point on I really found my stride, even stopping just before Tower Bridge for a swig of beer from a kind spectator!!

I crossed the bridge and reached the half way point still feeling good. My times were good too, despite everything I was on for a sub 5hrs finish... but would I last?

I kept running and meet my mum and step dad at the 17 mile point. After a quick stop for a hug and a few jelly babies I was off again.

I eventually hit the wall at the 18 mile. My legs were like jelly and I began to fade. This was bad as this happened around the Canary Wharf area and I got cold in the shadows of all the tower blocks – not good.

I slowed to a jog and a walk up until the 22nd mile when I really hit a wall, I had nothing left at all at this point and resigned myself to walking the last 4 and a bit miles, I also thought to myself ‘perhaps I should have done a bit more training’ – hey hoo, too late for that, Man-Up and get on boy! Strength and honour as Doug would say!!

It’s hard to explain how much the crowd gives you when you have nothing left and just want to walk. Hearing complete strangers shout out ‘come on John, you can do it’ was absolutely amazing. I found a second wind from I don’t know where and got back into a slow jog... my sub 5hrs finish was disappearing at this point and my new target was 5hrs 30mins – would I make it that?

I was exhausted, my legs were gone, my back was giving up on me and I’d just been taken over by a big green dinosaur, but I was not going to quit. I rounded the second from last bend and was running past the houses of parliament, people were cheering and shouting only one mile to go. I had nothing left. I kept checking my watch, I could make the finish line in under 5hrs 30mins, I just needed to dig deep... as I thought this, one of the Wombles of Wimbledon overtook me – I’d hit my low point.

As I rounded the last corner I saw Buckingham Palace and had a sudden surged of adrenaline from gods knows where and thought, I’m not having a big green dinosaur or a Womble beat me and gunned it!! My legs were bursting, my lungs on fire but as I entered the home straight I wasn’t jogging I was RUNNING – FLAT OUT!! I sprinted past Mr Dinosaur and was aiming for the Womble. I over took both before the finish line, but had left it too late to reel in the Ginger Bread man (which was a women!). She crossed the line just ahead of me, beaten by a girl again, hey hoo, I’d finished – thank GOD!

As I crossed the line I was given my medal and had my finishers photo taken, picked up my goodie pack and had a sit down – I was a spent force. Then I made a huge mistake, I drank ALL of the bottle of water in my goodie pack... EPIC FAIL!

As I exited the runner’s enclosure I felt really ill. I had to sit down and started being violently sick. A doctor walked past and made sure I was alright, which I obviously wasn’t. He helped me find Gary, Tommy & Ria and left me in their capable hands?!? And when I say that, what I mean is, they went through all my goodies sharing my crackers and munching on my jelly snakes – haha! Thanks guys...

We eventually got to the boat where the charity I was running for had congregated and they got me in a well deserved beer – oh dear!! ONE SIP and I was hanging over the edge of the boat. I got back onto the main land and was no better. Apparently what I had done was take on TOO MUCH fluids whilst running and had over hydrated myself. For the next two hours or so I was extremely ill until the St. John’s Ambulance took me to Starbuck for a cup of Tea (with four or five sugars) and a kitkat after which I felt much better and got on the train to come home... Marathon DONE!!

I may not have won the Marathon or got round in under 5hrs 30mins, my official time was 5hrs 31mins and 35secs, which if you know me, will know that 1min 35secs annoys the hell out of me, but hey hoo I didn’t come last. I think the last runner came in 8hrs 19mins – officially I finished 31,419th out of 36,522nd that finished, so not brilliant, but then again it does reflect the amount of training I put in I guess (or lack of it!!). I’m doing ok this morning, both knees are a bit stiff but other than that my legs and back are good and I feel fine. I went to my physio this afternoon and she said I was in great shape for someone that just ran a Marathon, no blister, 10 toe nails, no cramp etc, but will I do it again, umm I’m not too sure. I think with a bit more training I could definitely get round in under 5hrs, but we’ll see, right now the answer’s a big fat NO!

I’d just like to thank two people that did help me a lot in the run up to the Marathon and which without their help I would have been in even worse shape than I was. Both Douglas Bailey and Darren Whitaker both helped me train and got me lazy backside out running when I could have easily have been chilling in my bunk – so a big thank you to the pair of you!! We’ll go out for a lap of honour when I’m back in the Middle East in a week or so!

And finally a big thank you to everyone that sponsored me. So far I’ve raised well over £3,500 and with people saying they’ll double their donations if I finish, I expect the final sum to be close to £4,000 – so well done you guys...

Regards

John