So I know Marathon day was a very very long day ago! Well two weeks and 1 day ago and it’s a little sad (on my part) I'm writing my blog post now!
But even two weeks on and the 26 miles in the past, all the #VLM tweets in tweet history! The day still remains in my head like it was yesterday! Words cannot describe how amazing the day was,one of the most memorable days of my life to date! My first ever Marathon, who would of thought it! (Not me!)
I completed the 26 miles in 4hr 22 and feeling absolutely fine! No stopping, no giving up and no struggling! That positive mental attitude talk actually works (obviously with all the training.)
The build up to the day was a little rocky! I fell ill with a stomach bug the week of the Marathon, and 4 days before I was struggling to get out of bed let alone think about running the London Marathon! But I survived and recovered... Thank you to @Jonhinio, @pinkcycling and @XFmgirl for your tweets at the time :)
The day began early, 4.30am as I got up to get ready and be on the Dashers coach at 6.30am! It was great going up with the club, tips and advice and talks about random things to keep our minds off the gruelling journey ahead! I did however get extremely nervous and worried about all the gels and prep everyone else seemed to be doing! I only had my cliff shot blocks, no gels and no porridge etc. Breakfast had been eaten before catching the coach! Would I be okay?
I was starting with the red masses and pen 7. The two hours before the start I spent with my aunt’s friend, who was also running it, trying to keep her calm. She was having some serious nerves issues! This kept my mind of my Marathon run! A few trips to the loo, cup of coffee and a nibble of my cliff cereal bar! And we were off packing our bags and taking off the extra layers! It was a warm day but I still wore my bin liner (just because my friend took the time to cut a head and arms out for me the night before.)
I wondered off to my pen, in a sea of people, nervously looking around and I spotted @CLO_V at the back of a girls vest! That's Chloe from twitter. So I wondered over and patted her on the shoulder (after she had finished stretching) and introduced myself! We began chatting, and it was really calming! (Thanks Chloe) The start buzzer went off, we all cheered and the walk to start began! So we waited, and waited, walked slowly, wondering where the start was! About 5 -10 mins later we got to the start and the Marathon began!
And off I went, extremely slow and unsure what pace I needed to run! I was conscious of the fact that I had been ill that week, so I wasn’t sure if it would impact me. The first few miles were good, the day was still cool, and plenty of people cheering us all on. We were also still the red start and yet to join everyone else! It got a little tighter as all the starts joined, all this congestion was something I had never experienced or expected!
But even two weeks on and the 26 miles in the past, all the #VLM tweets in tweet history! The day still remains in my head like it was yesterday! Words cannot describe how amazing the day was,one of the most memorable days of my life to date! My first ever Marathon, who would of thought it! (Not me!)
I completed the 26 miles in 4hr 22 and feeling absolutely fine! No stopping, no giving up and no struggling! That positive mental attitude talk actually works (obviously with all the training.)
The build up to the day was a little rocky! I fell ill with a stomach bug the week of the Marathon, and 4 days before I was struggling to get out of bed let alone think about running the London Marathon! But I survived and recovered... Thank you to @Jonhinio, @pinkcycling and @XFmgirl for your tweets at the time :)
The day began early, 4.30am as I got up to get ready and be on the Dashers coach at 6.30am! It was great going up with the club, tips and advice and talks about random things to keep our minds off the gruelling journey ahead! I did however get extremely nervous and worried about all the gels and prep everyone else seemed to be doing! I only had my cliff shot blocks, no gels and no porridge etc. Breakfast had been eaten before catching the coach! Would I be okay?
I was starting with the red masses and pen 7. The two hours before the start I spent with my aunt’s friend, who was also running it, trying to keep her calm. She was having some serious nerves issues! This kept my mind of my Marathon run! A few trips to the loo, cup of coffee and a nibble of my cliff cereal bar! And we were off packing our bags and taking off the extra layers! It was a warm day but I still wore my bin liner (just because my friend took the time to cut a head and arms out for me the night before.)
I wondered off to my pen, in a sea of people, nervously looking around and I spotted @CLO_V at the back of a girls vest! That's Chloe from twitter. So I wondered over and patted her on the shoulder (after she had finished stretching) and introduced myself! We began chatting, and it was really calming! (Thanks Chloe) The start buzzer went off, we all cheered and the walk to start began! So we waited, and waited, walked slowly, wondering where the start was! About 5 -10 mins later we got to the start and the Marathon began!
And off I went, extremely slow and unsure what pace I needed to run! I was conscious of the fact that I had been ill that week, so I wasn’t sure if it would impact me. The first few miles were good, the day was still cool, and plenty of people cheering us all on. We were also still the red start and yet to join everyone else! It got a little tighter as all the starts joined, all this congestion was something I had never experienced or expected!
But as we got to 9 miles the day was getting extremely hot! I kept my pace going, although I did worry if the heat will slow me down! Instead of panicking, I resigned to the fact that my aim was no longer a sub 4hrs 20min marathon, it was simply to complete it, running the whole way around. I saw my friends at mile 9, who cheered me on, I was slightly embarrassed but I got used to the ‘Go Pav’ as the miles ticked away!
The next mile stone was London Bridge! What an amazing sight! At every mile I had a reason to get to the next, with miles in head they ticked away so quickly! The crowds were amazing!
I spotted my friends again at Mile 18 and Mile 19, also the Miscarriage Association team at Mile 18 where I grabbed a slice of Orange and offloaded my water bottle! Thank you for being there; it helped me get around knowing I had supporters and friends on route!
The crowds were amazing! Around mile 19 I spotted CLO_V, and gave her a little rub on her back! It was nice seeing a familiar face on route! Well done you!
My favourite was the last 6 miles, as I got closer to the finish I felt more and more energised! After 23 miles at the last Lucazade station (run by the Datchet Dashers) I saw a banner above saying 2.5miles to go! There was nothing stopping me then! As I entered St James Park, it was nothing I could have imagined! The amount of people and all the support from them was just amazing! The crowd’s definitely kept me going. As I turned the corner to the finish I had a glimpse of myself on the big screen, which really embarrassed me, but then I spotted my best friend in the grand stand I blew her a kiss and sprinted to the finish to claim a rightfully deserved medal! (The medal has not yet left my sight)
I would do the Marathon all over again! The training and pain was all worth it on the day. One of the greatest Marathons on the planet surely! (2012 ballot has been entered!)
Thank you to all who came to support and ran! It really made this day memorable and I'm extremely proud of myself and everyone who completed!
The reason I ran was for my unborn nephew, Baby Khaira, raising money for The Miscarriage Association. With every ones support I raised a grand total of £2,026. Thank you very much!
The next mile stone was London Bridge! What an amazing sight! At every mile I had a reason to get to the next, with miles in head they ticked away so quickly! The crowds were amazing!
I spotted my friends again at Mile 18 and Mile 19, also the Miscarriage Association team at Mile 18 where I grabbed a slice of Orange and offloaded my water bottle! Thank you for being there; it helped me get around knowing I had supporters and friends on route!
The crowds were amazing! Around mile 19 I spotted CLO_V, and gave her a little rub on her back! It was nice seeing a familiar face on route! Well done you!
My favourite was the last 6 miles, as I got closer to the finish I felt more and more energised! After 23 miles at the last Lucazade station (run by the Datchet Dashers) I saw a banner above saying 2.5miles to go! There was nothing stopping me then! As I entered St James Park, it was nothing I could have imagined! The amount of people and all the support from them was just amazing! The crowd’s definitely kept me going. As I turned the corner to the finish I had a glimpse of myself on the big screen, which really embarrassed me, but then I spotted my best friend in the grand stand I blew her a kiss and sprinted to the finish to claim a rightfully deserved medal! (The medal has not yet left my sight)
I would do the Marathon all over again! The training and pain was all worth it on the day. One of the greatest Marathons on the planet surely! (2012 ballot has been entered!)
Thank you to all who came to support and ran! It really made this day memorable and I'm extremely proud of myself and everyone who completed!
The reason I ran was for my unborn nephew, Baby Khaira, raising money for The Miscarriage Association. With every ones support I raised a grand total of £2,026. Thank you very much!
Here are a few pics, once i have the official shots i will upload for every one to admire :)
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