So here we are again. Another four months of training done and this time tomorrow it’ll all be over.

I’ve just been for a walk around Blackheath and the atmosphere is absolutely electric. The blue, red and green starting pens are up, temporary fencing has been erected everywhere and there are lot of very nervous-looking faces carrying big red Virgin bags, walking with their eyes on stalks.

Tomorrow, 36,000 people will converge on my back garden, pee all over it and then run off! Over the course of the next few hours everyone of these people will then throw litter at least six times, most will urinate in public some more and some will even undress themselves in front of the Queen at Buckingham Palace!

Only during one Sunday of the year can you do all this and a) not get arrested and b) be given a medal for it! The London Marathon is, without a doubt, one hell of a momentous occasion. One that I am proud to be a part of for the second year running.

So before you put your body through a 26 mile slog (and my web traffic grinds to a halt again) let me first wish you the best of luck for the race. You’ve trained for months to get yourself into this position and just to be able to complete the 26 miles is a feat that even Pheidippides himself (the first ever marathon runner) couldn’t do without collapsing and dying!

If you are running for charity, then take a moment in the morning to remember why you are doing it. You’ll need that motivation at mile 20 when all you want to do is walk. If you feel like walking or even dropping out, before you do try to think about how you’ll feel after the race. It might take 20 minutes for you to start feeling better once you stop, but once that 20 minutes is gone you’ll have the rest of your life to redo that decision in your head.

This will only be the second time I’ve run a marathon. But I don’t half regret walking for that 30 seconds at mile 18 last year. So if you see me walking at any point tomorrow make sure you give me a good boot up the jacksy!

Please come and say hello if you spot this fluorescent green monstrosity. I’ll be all the way back in red pen 8 out of 9  this year.

Good luck and see you after!

SJAL x