My London Marathon Journey

Where do I start?

Many people know that I swore I would never run a marathon, let alone a road marathon. Well that was until April 2023. I was so inspired by a friend running for a charity helping her mum as she battled cancer and also by Moth Winn, who walked last year’s marathon to raise awareness of corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) as he raised funds for the PSP Association.

A day after last year’s race, I applied for a ballot place in this year’s race. At the same time, I also applied for charity place with the PSP Association. While I didn’t get in on the ballot, I received an email from Challenge Events Manager Sarah Day offering me a place.  The excitement, coupled with a large dose of terror, became part of my daily life from 25^th May 2023 until 21^st April 2024.

Training plans

Having got my place, I knew very early on that I couldn’t simply train by running a bit further every day as I had done the last time I ran any distance – what’s more I’m 10 years older than I am now. Pip suggested that I use her brilliant Canadian trainer Alli Tai as she would set out a plan that would enable to train for a longer than average timescale for a marathon, but also a slightly more gentle one to help prevent injury. I also set to on finding a local physio as I knew I wasn’t overly strong or fit and had lots of niggles that I thought might hinder my fitness journey.

Between May and September, I started to run a little more to try and get a base line fitness before training in earnest at the end of the summer. Persuaded by a friend, I also signed up to a HIIT class, something I’d always shied away from in the past, but it really made an enormous difference to my core strength, even if at times, I felt so crippled afterwards I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back for another muscle murdering session.

Learning to run

Come 1^st September, my formal training with Alli started with both an aerobic and an anaerobic fitness test – OMG, I wanted to give up before I started! She also encouraged me to run with a chest heart rate monitor. I hadn’t really understood the difference in the preciseness of heart rate monitoring between my Fitbit wrist stats, soon to be replaced by a Garmin, and a chest strap. Believe me it’s huge and I probably won’t run without a chest strap again.

A month into my ‘proper’ marathon training and the wheels fell off the bus a bit with a hamstring injury. It sort of crept up on me and while I tried to ignore it, Pip happened to be home and was thoroughly unimpressed. While I hadn’t torn my hamstring, it wasn’t right and I was immediately put on a minimal exercise regime. What I hadn’t realised at the time was that as Pip also trains with Alli, the pair did quite a bit of discussing me without me involved! Luckily, three weeks on I was more or less mended and back on track, slowly building up my running and weight training regime.

As autumn turned to winter, the training cranked up, and the weather deteriorated massively. I reckon had I been training on my own, I would have withdrawn from training altogether. That said, December is always a busy exercise month as I sign up to Tinathon each year which means exercising every day or pay a fine to charity, so the incentive to keep active is sits with me throughout the month.

The countdown begins

At the new year dawned, so did the realisation that I needed to keep the fitness levels up as well as crack on with my fundraising for PSPA. I’d set my original target at £2000, a little above the £1950 requested by PSPA. I didn’t think it would be easy initially, but started to put my Just Giving page on social media with a bit of background on what mum had gone through once diagnosed with CBD. Almost without exception no one knew what CBD was, even if they had know mum was ill, and none knew how much good the PSPA does either in terms of its research or support for those living with CBD or PSP.

I had no idea just how well social media would work for me and within a matter weeks, I’d pretty much hit my initial target. So I decided to up it to £2500 and set up an online lucky numbers game to boost donations. I was so pleased that I sold all the numbers, raising a further £150 in the process. I went on to up it again to £3000 and less than a week after the marathon, the total is sitting at £4200 - truly amazing.

To see how well the training was going, I entered the Southampton half marathon in the middle of February. It was not a race I will ever do again – 11.5 circuits of Southampton Common, was so boring, but to be fair, it was successful as I finished in my target time of two hours. With two months to go, Alli started to crank up the training regime introducing longer runs and more interval training. It was quite a daunting prospect as I assessed what I had coming up.

Throughout all of this, I was part of a brilliant PSPA WhatsApp group where we could all share are training highs and lows. There were plenty of them and it was so lovely to be able to support each other as there were some great seasoned marathon runners alongside those of us who’d never attempted one.

I felt very honoured to be invited to the PSPA’s 30^th birthday launch party at the end of March. It was a great evening and so lovely to meet some fellow runners and the PSPA team in person.

The final few training weeks

And then it was Easter and the countdown to the start line was really on. The fear of injury or illness in the three weeks up to marathon day was all consuming. Apart from the training itself which was going well, everything else was somewhat of a blur as ‘maranoia’ took hold and I felt I had so many unanswered questions, which weren’t actually questions, just thoughts I couldn’t control!

My final ‘long run’ was 22 miles and I was so glad that Pip was able to run 14 miles of it with me. It made a huge difference mentally to have a running buddy with me (I’m not sure she felt quite the same way about it!) In the grand scheme of things, it went well, and I finished in 3.5 hrs, so knew a marathon distance was doable in my estimated time of 4.5 hrs.

From there I went into taper mode – no idea was that was when I first heard it – and it was tough. Shorter runs, less runs, less hiit, not excessive exercise, prioritising carbs and protein over fibre, no wine, and ultimately no tea either as I tried to hydrate my body ahead of the big day. Sleeping became even more of an issue than ever, with many wakeful hours spent over analysing what might happen, might not happen, what I might forget, would I find the start, would I get there on time … and on and on!

A couple of days before race day, Olivia and I headed to London to join the amazing Raynor Winn and the PSPA as Raynor completed the final miles of her and Moth's Thames Path from Putney to Westminister. Sadly Moth wasn't well enough to join us, but it was a lovely few hours in the sunshine, albeit quite emotional as we walked past mum's flat on the north side of the river.

Race day

What a day Sunday 21st April 2024 was, start to finish. A very early alarm call and I nearly hit the ceiling as I was actually deeply asleep! To try and keep things real, I headed out to do the horses and dogs before Richard and I headed to London, setting off as the sun rose. Having dropped the car off with friends and forced them out of bed so I could have my race day breakfast, I headed off to Greenwich. Actually I ended up in Maze Hill as the trainer driver encountered an issue that meant he couldn’t stop at Greenwich Station … Once there, the adrenaline really kicked it, mostly because the queue for the loo was soooo long! I made it through that and went off to drop my kit bag off at the designated lorry. Grabbed a water bottle, set about warming up and it was time to be checked into my ‘holding pen’. What I realised I failed to do, was meat any fellow charity runners or even say hello to Wave 8 starters, something I regret hugely.

The start

And just like that, bang on my allotted start time, I was walking through the part to the official race start. I actually started running at 10.52. 44 My greatest fear was setting off too fast and hitting the proverbial wall too soon, and that ‘panic showed up in the race stats as my heart rate was higher than it’s ever been for the first two miles and I was running downhill! After than things settled down and I found a reasonable rhythm. As the first major land mark, Cutty Sark, came into view , I clocked that 25% of the race was already done, that was a good feeling. The next section break was the same distance away at Tower Bridge and the atmosphere was incredible. I’d already seen (and heard) a couple of friends shouting my name which was a super boost. Then I spotted daughter Olivia at the PSPA charity cheer point, so another boost to go into the hardest part of the race.

Half way

As I turned right off Tower Bridge, all the ‘fast runners’ were heading home and I knew I had 9 or 10 miles to do round Docklands and Canary Wharf where there are fewer crowds and much narrower roads. These miles past in a bit of a blur, but I did catch up with another PSPA runner, Gavin, and we ran together for 20 minutes which made the harder bits much easier. It made me realise that having a running buddy makes running a big race sooo much easier. We lost each other around mile 16 and I was beginning wobble. In spite of listening to my music and the roadside cheering which had returned by the time I got to Canary Wharf, by mile 19 I was having serious doubts as to whether I would get to the end without having to make an emergency pit stop and my speed dropped off a cliff. While negotiating slower runners, runners stopping to grab a Jelly Baby or a gel, I gave myself good talking to and with some more upbeat music coming through my headphone, I metaphorically picked myself up and ran on.

Reaching mile 22 was a big one. I’d never run further than 22 miles in training and felt physically sick at the thought of doing another 4.2 of them, as I knew they were going to seem much longer than those to date. Reaching Tower Bridge again and looking at the slower runners/Jeffers heading off to where I’d just come from did make me smile as some of them already looked as tired as I did, but I was definitely homeward bound. Luckily most of the family and some great friends were waiting for me at mile 24.5, the second PSPA cheer point. Incredibly my fastest split time of the whole race was mile 23 – I definitely didn’t plan any negative splits for the London Marathon! Having seen them, been cheered on loudly and knowing I had less than two miles to do, I dug deep, put horrible stomach cramps to the back of my mind (there was no option as all the saviour loos disappeared at mile 24 – note to self for future). It was also at this point, heading along the Embankment from Temple to Westminster that I passed three pacers with 4.15 on their backs. I had no idea that I remotely in touch with a time I hadn’t dare imagine possible, so passing them made me work my very tired legs a little harder.

The finish

Reaching the finish line at 15.04.21 didn’t mean a lot initially, but when I turned my Garmin off it registered the 26.57 miles I had apparently run as taking 4.11.38 – 20 minutes faster than I ever anticipated possible. My legs completely stopped moving and I froze in complete shock. I’d spent so much time trying to analyse what pace I should do to get home within my target time, badgering Alli to tell me exactly what speed I should run at. She never did give me a pace, but simply said, run with how your body feels and you’ll get to the end in a good time – how right she was!

My training over the last seven months with Pip and her super fantastic Canadian coach more than paid off.

Reflection

Once I could put one foot in front of the other, I was channelled through finish processing lines, collected my medal, had the obligatory photo with an inane grin on my face and forced myself down the line to collect my kit bag. From there I headed to Horse Guards to meet the family. Pip was first up which was lovely as she and her friends hadn’t seen me on the course at all, in spite of their best efforrts to do so. We then headed to Trafalgar Square and met up with my nephew, Tom who had also run for PSPA finishing only seven minutes faster than me, the rest of the family also congregated and we had a quick race review before heading off. First up for me was a quick and much appreciated shower at The Garrick Theatre, then back to the car. We dropped in on our lovely friends again for a cuppa before heading home for a little celebratory bubbly and delicious post race dinner.

Such an incredible race day to be part of, so many good wishes along the way and I’m not even that crippled which is definitely thanks to the help I’ve received.

A huge thank you to so many people for being part of my crazy marathon journey to raise awareness of two horrible illnesses that have touched us and many other. I have absolutely no intention of running another marathon, ever. But I hope I can continue to help the PSP Association going forward.

Photo credit: Sportograf