Well that’s because I’ve been whoring myself out to Triathlete’s World for the last few weeks. Check out the TW Relay Team articles here and read about me failing to hit my training targets (on a much better website).

Photo by Kevin McGarry

Two words sum up the Virgin London Marathon 2011. Hot and heaving!

This year was the first that I’d set off from the blue pen. As I understand it, the ‘masses’ and charity runners start from the red pen. Good for age and some celebs start from the green pen, and the elite runners and ballot entrants start from the blue.

After a pre-race pep talk from the Runner’s World crew (no weaving, hit your mile times, no listening to music and enjoy it), myself and the other pacers set off for our pens. I was 11-minute/miling and starting from the very last group (pen 9). Everyone seemed to be very nervous. I imagine that because the blue start holds the ballot runners, most haven’t run London before. So I was bombarded with questions and even asked to fix a broken GPS watch. Like I was some sort of running guru! I was feeling quite cocky, until someone tried to throw their scrunched-up bin liner over the fence and hit me in the side of the head. A few chuckles. Nerves gone. You’re welcome.

Because of the fewer numbers, the blue runners get over the start line much quicker than the red. So we were over the line in about 5 minutes and on our way. To make it as easy as possible to spot the pacers, there were four of each category. Two in the blue and two in the red. My pacing partner (who I called Ben for the entire day, until I found out later that his name was Rich) was a metronome. We kept each other in check nicely and we were incredibly accurate over the first 3 to 4 miles. As I’ve mentioned before, running at the pace the watch says doesn’t always work. While the watches are accurate, you can’t always follow the blue line on the course and you end up running extra distance (apparently I ran 0.4 miles extra on the day). So you just have to judge it and try your best to hit the mile markers bang on your split times.

After a while, when the three starts merged, we began to get separated. London is always busy, but today it seemed overly so. And by the time we had hit mile 5 I’d been held up so much in the crowd that I was 40 seconds down! Now when this happens, you can’t simply speed up and make that 40 seconds back over the next mile. You have to gradually grind them back over the course of the next few miles. Otherwise you risk losing people who can’t maintain a quicker pace. So I ran the next mile in, what I thought was, a slightly quicker pace, only to find that I was another 10 seconds off pace! By now I’d caught back up with Ben (Rich), who was looking just as confused. Was one of the mile markers out by a bit? We couldn’t figure it out.

We decided to just maintain the same pace for another mile, doing our best to avoid being held up in the crowds and keeping the banter going with our followers (who were now starting to drop off). When we hit mile 7 we were back on track and stayed that way, running together, for some time. I found the 11-minute/mile pace to be extremely comfortable to keep.

At mile 9 I needed a wee. Badly. Now a true pacer, someone who was committed to the cause, someone like this, would have just wet themself and carried on. But I’d planned for this eventuality and had my pit stop in mind. I’d noticed a slim-looking chap who’d been running with me from the start. His name was Stuart and he looked in good shape. Stuart took on the pacing reins for a minute and grabbed my lollipop, while I sprinted ahead and relieved myself. This seemed to take an absolute age and by the time I was done, the pack was a couple of hundred metres ahead. Unfortunately, I’d managed to run around the barrier and was now at the volunteer end of a drink station, dodging people handing out water bottles. One of whom I ran straight into and almost knocked over.

Photo by Kevin McGarry

Pit stop over and back to the business at hand. When we hit the halfway point I was sure to remind our group to enjoy the Tower Bridge section. The pack was much smaller now, down to around 10 or so, but those I noticed had eyes on stalks and were loving the commotion. The sun was out in force and the crowds were truly amazing (as they are every year).

That was about the last bit of conversation I had with my pace group. As the sun continued to shine, more and more runners started to suffer. Because we were towards the back of the field, we were constantly blocked by people walking. Walkers are supposed to move to the side of the road to allow those still running a way through. But at mile 16 it was so bad that I’d dropped nearly a full minute off pace. To make up the time I was forced to weave through the crowds. This made it difficult for some to follow me, but I’d hoped that doing this would at least mean that we didn’t lose anymore time and that when the road widened, we’d have room to eke those seconds back.

The sun was starting to affect me. At every drink station I had to take on water and was pouring the remnants of bottles over my head and legs. That 11-minute/mile pace now suddenly felt much quicker than it had and I was starting to get demoralised with the sudden changes in pace when dodging those walking. After Canary Wharf, all my chat had dissipated. I had to focus incredibly hard on not stopping, reminding myself that people were relying on me to get round. And when a chap started to chat to me at mile 21, I was really struggling to keep up a conversation. It was much harder than I’d anticipated.

But, as in my previous two races, the miles ticked by one by one and all of a sudden it was nearly the end. I’d managed to get back up to pace (the road is much wider during the later stages) and was looking like I’d come in on time. Then, as I sandwiched myself between two stragglers, my left wrist clipped the shoulder of a passing runner and hit the stop button on my watch! I still had two miles to go and couldn’t figure out how to get the damn thing started again. So the last two miles of pacing the London Marathon 2011 were completely guessed. I just tried to maintain the rhythm I’d had on the previous 24.

My target time for 11-minute/miles was 4 hours and 48 minutes.
I came in at 4:47:26. 34 seconds quick!

I’d finished the race with almost no-one I’d started with, although I had picked up a few along the way and brought them home. The heat had certainly played its part. I saw plenty of people being hauled away on stretchers and I later found out that 4 of the pacers were forced to pull out (one of which was taken out by the sudden change in direction of another runner!). But I think my first marathon as a pacer has gone well and I found it to be an incredibly rewarding experience. Some people were truly grateful and came and thanked me personally once we’d crossed the finish line. Some said I was incredibly selfless, running 26 miles for no personal goal, only to help others reach theirs. But I disagree. Just to be part of this amazing event is a privilege that I’ll never take for granted. True, during the race I certainly feel different (I want nothing more than to stop and during the last 6 miles I always seem to question my motives for running). But as soon as it’s over I almost (almost) want to run it again.

I have a guaranteed ballot place coming up, either in 2012 or 2013, in which I’m determined to run sub 4 hours. But for now I’m basking in the glory of a successful pacing achievement (and putting my souvenir of the day to good use!).

SJAL. x

My new TV remote

Image by Julian Mason via Flickr

It’s that time of year again. The Virgin London Marathon media guide is out! Each year the people at London Marathon release the fact pack for media organisations across the world to fuel up on the details of the event before race day. I imagine that it’s a great resource for the commentators, who have to fill hours of air time chatting once the elite runners have finished.

I did a little round-up in 2009, and again in 2010. So to save you from sifting through 244 pages of PR spiel, here’s a selection of 2011 Virgin London Marathon facts that I think are worthy of a mention.

Enjoy.

SJAL x

Notable celebrities and their predicted times:

• Dwight Yorke (Premiership footballer) – 3:00:00
• Nell McAndrew (Model/TV Presenter) – 3:09:00
• Tony Audenshaw (Bob Hope from Emmerdale) – 3:10:00
• Will Young (Singer) – 3:30:00
• Michel Roux (TV Chef) – 3:35:00
• Iwan Thomas (400m champion) – 3:40:00
• Gary Speed (Welsh Footballer) – 3:50:00
• Agyness Dean (Model/Actress) – 4:00:00
• Matthew Pinsent (Olympic rowing gold medalist) – 4:00:00
• Ricky Wilson (Lead singer from The Kaiser Chiefs) – 4:00:00
• Cheryl Baker (Bucks Fizz) – 4:30:00
• Irwin Sparks (Lead singer from The Hoosiers) – 4:30:00
• Charlie Brooks (Janine Butcher from Eastenders) – 4:45:00
• Stella English (2011 Apprentice winner) – 5:00:00
• Chris Chittell (Eric Pollard from Emmerdale) – 5:10:00
• Calum Best (George Best’s son) – 5:30:00
• Joe Pasquale (Comedian) – 5:30:00
• Jonathan Pearce (Football commentator) – 5:30:00
• Katie (Jordan) Price – 5:45:00 – PULLED OUT (again!)
• Giles Peterson (BBC Radio 1 DJ) – tbc
• Gail Porter (Model/TV Presenter) – tbc
• Tom Smith (Lead singer from Editors) – tbc

World Records

• Tallest costume: 23.1 ft
• Fastest marathon dressed as a vegetable: 3:09:21
• Most linked runners: 34
• Fastest marathon in a fireman’s uniform: 4:45:16
• Fastest cartoon character costume (Fred Flintstone): 3:07:34

Statistics

Number of people who applied to run 2011: 125,000 (down 40,000 on last year. I wonder why?)
Runners with birthdays on race day: 182
Oldest runner: 86
Finisher’s medals: 37,500
Goody bag items: 600,000 (I work that out at 16 items each!)
Lorries transporting kit from start to finish: 40 (under police escort)
Portable toilets: 1,250
Barriers in metres: 28,000 metres
Barrier tape: 100 kilometres(!)
Number of volunteers: 6,000 (awesome effort)
Petroleum jelly: 100 lbs
Baby oil: 200 bottles
Water stations: 23 – one every mile from 3 miles
Lucozade Sport Carbo Gels: 60,000 at miles 14 and 21
Pubs on the course: 81
Rubbish bags filled after the race: 3,450

… and my favourite…

Runner’s blogs: 7,200 (about 20% of runners write a blog!)

Have any other London Marathon facts you want to share? If so, leave a comment below!

My home for the last 4 months - The Mall

I’m a pretty comfortable distance runner. When I start a long run or race, I know that I’ll be able to finish. But finishing in a reasonable time has always been a struggle for me. I’ve yet to hit a sub-4 marathon. Yes, I do struggle with nutrition, but I think that my drop in pace toward the tail end of a long race is largely down to the lack of one simple element in my training; hard work!

I’ll follow a training plan as far as mileage is concerned. And I’ll maybe occasionally do a hill session. But when I’m on my own, I’ll rarely do the actual fartlek or repetitive speed training that’s asked of me. So if there’s one thing I’ve done differently during my Virgin London Marathon 2011 training this year, it’s to incorporate a lot more speed sessions.

High intensity, speed training is the hardest part of training for a marathon (for me) by far. Running up and down a straight piece of road, or around a running track doesn’t hold much appeal at all. So in order for me to start training in this way I had to enlist the help of my work colleagues and join them on their Tuesday sprints session up and down the Mall at Buckingham Palace.

On my first go, a lunch-time session of 4 x 1200m with 2 minute rest periods, I did what anyone would do. I tried to keep up with everyone else. By the 3rd rep I was nearly 400 metres behind, with a face as white as a sheet and feeling as though I was going to throw up. It was really hard. My colleagues were encouraging, but many of them were in hard training (one of which can run a sub 3-hour marathon) and their pace was demoralising.

I stuck with it each week and reaped the benefits of having an experienced marathon runner on hand to develop the different sessions. These consisted of long, sustained sessions (like 5 x 1600m), or shorter, faster paced sessions (like 5 x 400m + 800m). Without the group element, there’s no way in hell that I’d have added these speed sessions to my training. My competitive edge had emerged.

Because the intervals vary so much, it’s sometimes difficult to see any improvement week on week. I was feeling stronger during my long runs on the weekend and could run at an improved pace for longer. But a real test of improvement came in the form of a weekly 5K handicap race against the people at VLM that I mentioned in my last post. This is the most fun I’ve had in running since my cross-country days as a kid. If you’re not aware of the handicap format, it’s when a group of runners with mixed-abilities set off at varying intervals, with the aim that everyone finishes at roughly the same time.

Sub 20 minutes baby!

This race is addictive and extremely competitive. Journalists move meetings with PRs so they can attend and not miss out on the Golden Shoe (awarded to the person who attends the most races in a year). I even heard one chap ‘joke’ about taking his holiday somewhere in Surrey, rather than abroad, so he could come back and run during his break! It’s immensely entertaining, and since I started in January (with a time of 23:34) I’ve run a PB 7 times, and my current best 5K time stands at 19:56 (which I’m very chuffed with)!

I’m in to taper week now, feeling in the shape of my life and ready as I’ll ever be for the marathon in a week’s time. And it’s all thanks to speed work. I can’t recommend it enough. If you fancy it, my only advice is to take it slow in the beginning. It’s very easy to pick up an injury by over doing it in the early stages. I managed to pick up achilles tendonitis (a painful creaking in the heel) and had to rest solidly for nearly 2 weeks. Luckily it subsided after a lot of icing, but I could very easily have ruined this year’s marathon. There’s some good advice here.

I’ve now taken on two speed sessions a week, including drills up and down the Mall at Buckingham Palace and a 5K handicap race against the people at the Virgin London Marathon. As a result I’ve knocked a full 4-minutes off my 5K PB time and can run (for at least 3 hours) at an 8:30 min/mile pace. This is a massive improvement on last year. It’s ball-busting work, but well worth the effort and I’m very lucky to have access to this little running club!

You might ask why I’m training so hard, when I’ll only have to run at an 11-minute-mile pace at the London Marathon this year.

Partly, it’s for confidence. A lot of people rely on the Runner’s World pace team and I certainly don’t want to let people down by not being prepared come race day. But mainly, it’s because of the three half-marathons that I’ve paced at this year already! And I’ve been pacing at 9 and 10-minute-miles.

It’s been a hell of a lot of fun. I’ve run Watford, Dorney Lake and the Silverstone Half-Marathon this year and I’ve nailed the finish time at each event. It’s a funny old game and as close the world of celebrity that I’ll probably ever get. If you miss a mile time (which I did on my very first mile at Watford), there’s a lot of whispering and moaning. It’s also surprisingly difficult at times. Obviously, GPS watches are pretty accurate (RW are sponsored by Timex this year), but weaving around the road adds 10 seconds here or there and the pacers’ aim is to hit each mile-marker dead on. So we have to judge it and run slightly slower than the watch says to.

While it’s a very rewarding experience, helping people achieve a personal best, it’s also very lonely. Almost all the pacers finish the race alone, having been left at the last mile by runners eager to beat their times! Boo hoo, poor me.

There’s a little over a month to go until London now and the excitement and nerves are starting to kick in again. I can’t wait to help a few bods reach the finish line in under 5 hours and I’m already brushing up on my knowledge of local London landmarks for an SJAL-style tour of the city! I’m going to bore you all so hard that you’ll have to crack 5 hours just to get away from me!

Peace out,

SJAL x

Firstly, an apology.

Secondly, some congratulations. After some rigorous training with Coach Jog A Lot, Lady Jog A Lot completed the Royal Parks Half-Marathon (her first) in under 2 and a half hours. I was there to cheer her on (trekking around London and spotting her an impressive 6 times) and was very proud and impressed with how well she did. Hopefully she’ll be up for writing a review of the day soon, as it was a great event as a spectator.

Thirdly, some exciting news. As some of you may know, I was sadly denied a ballot place for the 2011 Virgin London Marathon (again). As I entered for the first time three years ago, I’ll be entitled to a guaranteed place in a couple of years (a scheme which the VLM team have now phased out), where I can hopefully finally crack sub-4. But this week I found out that I’ll be running in 2011 as a Runner’s World Pacer!

Now this is a very proud moment for me. Although I ran quite well as a school kid, cigarettes and alcohol through my teens meant that I didn’t get back into running properly until about 4 years ago. In that time I’ve run a fair few races, improving on my PBs (almost) every time and can run a marathon well under 4:30. Runner’s World wouldn’t put me in a pace group unless they didn’t think that I’d be completely comfortable completing London well under an allotted time. So in 2011 I’ll be pacing the 11-minute mile group.

I’m so pleased to be part of this event once again. I will be training my arse off over the next few months, making damn sure that I am in the best shape I’ve ever been. I’ll also be up and down the country at some of Britain’s great half-marathon events before April, so I hope to see some of you there. But it’s an honour and a privilege to know that I can hopefully help some people meet their targets come race day and it’s a role that I’ll be taking very seriously.

If you’d like to know more about the 2011 Runner’s World Pace Team, there’s a Q+A page here, where you can find out where the team will be over the next 4 months.

But for those of you who got your places, those months of training will soon be kicking off (if they haven’t already) and I don’t think I’d have survived my four months on the road if I hadn’t had my trusty headphones and an mp3 player. So for the last few months I’ve been scouring my PR phone book to try and find a decent set that are well-priced, comfortable, suitable for runners and (most importantly) sound good.

I’ve checked out eight sets of headphones in total. Eight because there’s only so much a lone-blogger can do. Eight because it looks nice in the grid below. But mainly, eight because that’s all I could get my hands on.

Enjoy reading, and if any of you can recommend any decent sets then please leave a comment. Click on the links below to get going.

Peace out.

SJAL

“Same again?”
“Actually, I’ll have a Jack Daniels and Diet Coke please.”

Jack isn’t the type of bloke that will ridicule me for my girly drink choice, but he does question it. So when I explain that my New Year’s resolution is to quit beer until I’ve crossed the finish line at the London Marathon, he is supportive. And then he orders himself and the guys a hefty round of beers, and I immediately regret my decision.

Cut to April 26th. I’ve just finished the marathon and I’m in a bar on Long Acre. Funnily enough, Jack is the one who is buying me my first pint. That’s it on the right. I get as far down as the dotted line and can’t drink anymore. Admittedly, it’s not the best choice of recovery drink, but after four months without beer I thought I’d have no trouble finishing a pint.

The simple fact was that I hadn’t missed beer all that much.

So what were my reasons for quitting? Truthfully, they were purely narcissistic. I was 25 and had a beer belly. And when the rest of your body is skinny, with no real definition, that belly is all the more obvious. So much so that I was uncomfortable wearing t-shirts and had mastered the art of sucking-in (a practice that required Zen-like concentration to maintain for more than an hour).

I think most people are aware that alcohol is fattening. But I’m not sure that everyone is aware as to the extent. A standard pint of bitter contains around 180 calories. According to an article in Men’s Health, you’d have to exercise for the equivalent of a 14-minute run to burn off those calories! Ergo, to burn off a boozy Friday night (coupled with a sneaky kebab), you’d have to run a half-marathon!

This, coupled with the fact that alcohol calories are completely useless, containing no nutrients at all (alcohol is actually a toxin), means that every single one of those calories is stored as fat. That’s roughly two thirds of the calories in every pint. Plus the rate at which these calories can be consumed is increased as they are in liquid form (especially when playing drinking games).

But how does drinking beer affect me as a runner?

Well, as alcohol is a diuretic, it depletes the electrolytes in your system. Electrolytes (like potassium and calcium) help with the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction. Without them runners are more susceptible to cramping and muscle spasm. We lose enough of these electrolytes through sweating alone when we run, hence the invention of sports drinks, so a hangover is seriously going to hinder performance. Another unpleasant side-effect of diuretics is dehydration.

There are, however, some advantages of beer consumption. A recent article in Triathlete’s World says that beer is a source of silicon, which helps to build bones and prevent osteoporosis (pale ales contains the most). Professor Manuel Garzon, of Granada University claims that beer after sport can be good for the body; the carb content of beer can help replace lost calories.

Here are the facts. In the four months without beer…

1. I had lost a stone and a half in weight.
2. My training significantly improved.
3. I knocked 25 minutes off last year’s marathon time.
4. My belly was noticeably flatter.

The truth is that it wasn’t that difficult to stop drinking beer. I just needed to break the habit. I still went out and socialised, still attended parties, still had the occasional tipple after work.  But, while drinking less fattening drinks like whisky, wine and vodka, I was distinctly more coherent, I remembered much more the next day and my running suffered much less as a result. I will confess that I did drink a pint and a half at one point during my abstinence. But this was a sincere accident; I simply forgot (routine got the better of me after a weekly game of football and I was half-way through my second before I realised what I was doing!).

I am now drinking beer again. I all-to-easily slipped back into my old drinking habits a month after the marathon. My belly is starting to return, I am noticeably more lary when drunk and remember almost nothing of the previous night when I wake up the following day. So bad is my memory loss that I actually (sometimes gingerly) have to ask my girlfriend if I embarrassed myself the night before. My running has also suffered. Admittedly, I have been running much less. But I feel twice as sluggish, heavy and sometimes uncomfortable.

So here it is, my big announcement. I have decided to stop drinking beer.

The health reasons are obvious. I’m diabetic, so I really shouldn’t be drinking the level of beer I do anyway. But how long will it be before the piss-taking from my beer-swilling buddies stops? How long before I crack under the (peer) pressure? Will my switch to wine or spirits make me less of a man? Is beer consumption directly related to testosterone levels?

Bottums up!

The Bupa London 10,000 is now in it’s third year and seems to grow each time I run it. I’ve run all three races and can say without hesitation that this is one of the finest running races in the UK. This morning 13,000 people descended on Buckingham Palace to run alongside the likes of Mo Farah, Chris Thomson, Micah Kogo and half the cast of Emmerdale. With the weather overcast and a cool breeze in places, a personal best was definitely on the cards for a lot of people.

Last year I’d managed a not-too-shabby time of 49:33; a PB for me. Part of the reason for this was because of the small groups that are released over the start line in waves. The race is organised by the same people that run the London Marathon, so they are used to handling large numbers of runners. Last year I was given a very clear line to the finish, with little congestion and ran a very comfortable race. The organisers kept my time on record and had deemed that this year I was eligible to set off in the second wave (of which I was able to get right to the front).

The 10k covers most of Central London, starting from Westminster (right past Big Ben), running along the Embankment (with views of the London Eye and Tower Bridge), through the City (past The Gherkin and St Paul’s Cathedral) before finishing back at Westminster (past Trafalgar Square and down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace). It’s a tourist’s dream! In one hour you’ll see most of London’s best bits and you don’t even have to get on the tube! Click here for a map of the course.

There are two water stations and two showers stations, which was helpful as parts of the City were a little humid. The spectator support is lacking slightly as the race is simply not as well known as something like the London Marathon. But along the Embankment there was plenty to keep me going, along with at least 5 bands playing along the route (including the incredible Taiko Drummers from the London Marathon).

Incredibly, Britain’s Mo Farah set a British road record today, running an incredible time of 27:44 after sprinting away from Micah Kogo (5 seconds behind) and another Brit was on the podium as Chris Thomson came in third. The almost perfect conditions certainly played their part as I was able to run a 47:15, knocking two full minutes off my personal best (admittedly having hardly trained and sporting a mild hangover).

Still, so many runners did the old trick of starting off too quickly! Being at the front of my group, I was passed by a heck of a lot of people in the early stages today, only to overtake many of them again a mile before the finish (with a smug grin on my face if I’m honest). Pacing is so important (see point 5 of this post).

So what’s in the goodie bag?

• Asics Race T-shirt (good quality)
• Race medal (good quality)
• 1 bottle of Lucozade Lite
• Sachet of Jointace Gel
• Ricola Sugar Free Herb Drops
• Nature Valley Granola Bar
• 1 bottle of Nestle Pure Life water
• Canderel Sweetner

Like this? See 5 tips for running a 10k race.

The Preparation
After all of that whining in the week leading up to the race, my cold was all but a sniffle by the time Sunday morning came around. To say that I was relaxed was an understatement. I’d been in bed by 9pm every night of that week, eaten pasta 4 nights in a row and hadn’t been on a run in 5 days.

On the morning of the race I stuffed myself with 3 slices of toast, 2 cereal bars, 2 bananas, 1 pack of jelly beans and 1 carbo gel. My old school teacher was running the race on the day; one of the final few who had been given a guaranteed ballot place after applying 5 times unsuccessfully (something that the London Marathon team are phasing out due to increased popularity in the race). His son, a good friend of mine, was on camera duty. He didn’t disappoint.

The Start
The rain came down half an hour before the start of the race, so all of the early birds who had handed their belongings in to the lorries were now all huddled, freezing under the trees of Greenwich Park. I squeezed down another gel and a packet of jelly beans and joined them. So much for the hot weather we’d been promised!

My previous VLM time of 4 hours 45 minutes surely had something to do with the starting group I was placed in. I was starting the race from pen 8 (out of 9) so it was a good 15 minutes before I crossed the start line and I immediately had to face a home truth.

Mile 1
There was no way that I was going to be able to stick to the 9-minute-mile pace I’d wanted to (and trained for). The crowds were just too big. I found myself checking my watch every few seconds and watching the little digital man run further and further away from me. 3 minutes in and I was already 40 seconds off pace! What a start.

Mile 2
The rain had now cleared but somehow I was still getting wet. How? Because a priest was blessing the runners with Holy Water from the side of the road!

Mile 3
We merged with the blue and green running groups (yes, I did boo them and shout ‘cheat’ a few times) and the red (optimum) race line appeared on the road. But of course there is no way of sticking to it as the numbers are just too high.

Mile 4
By this time I had scaled a few pavements, weaved my way through some stragglers and found my rhythm, partly thanks to the number of brilliant bands playing from the side of the road. Although I did have ‘Achy Breaky Heart‘ stuck in my head for the next two miles.

Mile 5
“Don’t tell my heart, my achy breaky heart…”. The Taiko Drums underneath the Greenwich flyover were amazing as usual. Check out this video to give you an idea of what it’s like under that bridge. It doesn’t do the volume justice at all. Absolutely awesome and what a motivator.

Unfortunately, straight after this the road merged from two lanes into one and forced everyone to a walking pace.

Mile 6
Into the heart of Greenwich we went and the crowds picked up to 3 people deep. This is quite a busy section for the crowds as this area is walking distance from the start line. Where the path was fenced there was a queue almost half a mile long of people trying to get out to the DLR. Spectators do have a tough time of it on race day, but they never complain because it pales into insignificance with the plight of a marathon runner. I would though! 5 hours on your feet, jostling through Central London and public transport on one of the busiest days of the year? What a nightmare!

Mile 7
Past the first of the TV cameras around the Cutty Sark and out towards Deptford. I’ve run this area of London a heck of a lot during training and there isn’t a lot to see. Luckily I spotted my supporters in the crowd, ready and waiting with the camera.

Mile 8
I spotted my first record breaker of the day. The tallest costume to finish the marathon was won by a giant yellow giraffe! The poor guy wearing it was having to hold the long neck (made from what looked like a piece of ventilation pipe) up with his hands. He must have been absolutely spent by the end of the race.

Mile 9
The former editor of Running Free magazine, Julia Buckley, jogged up behind me at this stage and said hello. Last year she ran a small piece on this blog in the magazine so it was great to finally meet Julia and she looked as fit as a fiddle. What Julia didn’t know was that I had picked mile 9 for a wee break (not a Scottish break but a toilet break) already in my head and after we’d finished chatting I snuck off to the side and watered the plants. Unfortunately I ended up running around the 15k timer, which is why I have no recorded time on my official stats.

Mile 10
I was feeling pretty good. The runners had evened out ever so slightly, my pace was fairly consistent and my pouch of jelly beans was keeping my fuel topped up.

Mile 11
By now we’d passed quite a few pubs and I was starting to feel a bit of resentment towards the beer sippers on the pavement. I’d quit beer for the 4 months prior to the marathon as a new year’s resolution, so that pint at the end of the race was starting to sound good. The sun was now out, making it perfect drinking weather. Just another 15 miles eh?!

Mile 12
Overcast again but pretty humid at the same time. So much so that the chant ‘OGGY OGGY OGGY’ had been switched to ‘MUGGY MUGGY MUGGY’. But, as ever, taking on water was really not a problem. I can’t praise the volunteers enough. On the day nobody goes thirsty as 750,000 bottles of water are handed out. It’s taking on too much water that is a worry. All of the bottles this year came with flip caps, which meant that you could carry them along with you. And with a bottle of water handed out at every mile there is a very serious risk of hyponatremia. I overcame this by showering my self at every available opportunity to try and avoid passing out from the heat (which nearly happened last year)

Mile 13
Over Tower Bridge and half of the marathon done! I’ve run over this bridge about 40 times but nothing really prepares you for it on race day. This is the bit that everyone sees on TV and you can’t help but get caught up in the euphoria. I was feeling surprisingly good and although I’d lost a bit of time in the crowd I’d managed to complete the half-way distance in just over 2 hours.

Mile 14
Down the Highway towards Canary Wharf and the leaders of the pack are already coming back in the opposite direction; not exactly a morale booster. But the spectators are now borderline farcical as they all cram around the roadside to get a good view.

Mile 15
Tiredness is starting to creep in and it doesn’t help that this is the longest and most boring road ever, with no real landmarks to take in, other than Canary Wharf staying exactly the same size in the distance. Someone cooks a barbecue right next to us and laces the entire stretch of road in smoke. Just what the doctor ordered.

Mile 16
As you enter the Isle of Dogs you travel under a tunnel and out of view of the spectators for the first time in the race. This is where you’ll find a lot of runners sneaking in a quick walk or a sit down now that the crowds can’t judge you. I actually caught another Lymphoma Association runner on the phone!

Mile 17
A psychological milestone. It was at this point last year that I had needed to walk, after feeling quite sick and light-headed. Not this year baby! And to top it off the crowds were better than ever. People are quick to comment on the lack of crowds around this area (Island Gardens), but I was bloody impressed.

Mile 18
Deep in the heart of Canary Wharf now and my mile times were starting to drop off slightly. This could have been due to the stadium-esque crowd levels distracting me from the race. It was truly ridiculous. I felt quite self conscious at one point as a clearing gave the spectators full view of my running vest and ripples of ‘Come on Sir Jog A Lot‘ went through the crowd.

Mile 19
I managed to sneak my way on to the BBC here. As brief as my moment of fame was, a ton of friends got in touch to say they’d seen me! I also clocked a work colleague dancing with her samba school. She cheered me on like I was a celebrity, which was awesome (cheers Karla!).

Mile 20
OK. So this is starting to get hard. The sun was out in force now. I was sick to death of my jelly beans and couldn’t stomach another carbo gel. Why was I starting to hit the wall when I’d fuelled up so well? The turn left on to the home straight was bugger all of a relief. That’s still another 6-mile slog.

Mile 21
Is that cramp? I actually hear myself say “Oh no!” out loud as my right calf starts to twinge with the first signs of cramp and I run with my toe pointed upwards as far as I can get it to try and stretch it out.

Mile 22
I’m still running. Every inch of my body wants to walk and I find myself cursing my own stupid, bloody blog post that stated that if anyone sees me walking they can kick me up the Khyber. Part of me really questions why I’m doing this. I feel terrible for thinking it, but is this really worth the pain? My only consolation, however harsh, is that there are still some runners going in the other direction and haven’t yet passed the halfway point. 4 more miles.

Mile 23
Without noticing it, my mile times level out a bit. I run at the pace I feel comfortable with and when I feel the need to walk I just turn it down a bit. It’s really hard now. I’m soaked through as with every mile I grab a bottle of water and cover myself with it.

Mile 24
I’m not smiling anymore. Not even when Liz Yelling hands me a bottle of Lucozade. What are you smiling at Liz? You’re not running are you? But even as I enter the tunnel before the Embankment, out of the eyes of the crowd and the wave of heat hits me, I don’t walk.

Mile 25
Big Ben symbolises the finish in the distance, but it looks so… far… away. But the crowds are just insane and the level of cheers turns to a roar. Who gives a monkeys about the landmarks in the distance when you have a crowd this energetic there to scream you on to the finish? It’s easy to think that the spectators don’t really understand the anguish you’re going through. But boy do they appreciate what you are doing and the standard of support is literally jaw dropping.

Mile 26
Spotting two friends here is just the kicker I need to get me down the Mall (which now resembles the travelator from Gladiators; a never-ending red treadmill). As I finally turn the corner and spot the finish line I can’t help but smile. This was much harder than last year and I don’t have anything left for a sprint finish. But once I’m across that line there’s nothing like it. It’s like having a water balloon of relief, joy, pain, dizziness and accomplishment smashed over your head.

LonDONE!

Time: 4:21:21 (25 minutes off last year)

The Aftermath
This video sums it all up.

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