Running the Flora London Marathon
It's two weeks since the Marathon and I still cannot stop smiling!
It's been a busy two weeks and I had been writing this update in bits and pieces and have only got to finishing and publishing it today.
April 23rd 2006 was one of the best days of my life.
The day before was pretty low-key and I enjoyed "conserving energy" - basically sitting around and not doing very much. My mind was pretty focussed and I ate a lot of pasta throughout the course of that day. Hopefully when I really needed some energy, the stores of carbs would come good for me. I went to be quite early, knowing I had to be up at 6am the next morning. I had a wee nap in the afternoon and was hoping for eight or nine hours of sleep. Everything in the run up was going smoothly until I went to bed - and then couldn't fall asleep! My mind was racing and I was a little bit paranoid about sleeping through my alarm the next morning. But the anxiety was evidently too high and I just couldn't sleep. I thought to myself this what it must be like for sportspeople on the eve of a big event/match. Did Solskjaer sleep properly on May 25th '99?!? It was after midnight by the time I eventually dozed off.
I got up and went through the routines I had been doing on the mornings of my long runs. I took a pre-ordered cab to Waterloo. I was running from Blackheath and the Red start. There were two other starts, one for the pros and one for (I think) the 'celebrities'. I had heard how busy it could get going to the actual start and how full trains could wizz past you and some people start to panic - so I decided to get out there nice and early. My first bit of luck that day came when I bumped into the Carmel, Francesca and Marion McWilliams, who were also with Carmel's boss, Bill, and Toby. We had a good laugh getting out there and formed a mini-team for the the couple of hours we had till we got going.
I was struck and how well - no, brilliantly - the Marathon was logistically organised. Extremely well-staffed and extremely efficient. Hats off to them and no wonder it was used as an example of how well Londoners can organise a big event in the 2012 Olympic bid.
One mistake I made, however, was to underestimate the length of queue for the port-a-loos. Even though there were loads, the queues were ridiculous. Unfortunately, I had to wait for ages and I was only ready to go 5 minutes before the start of the race. It panicked me a bit and I had my first mental battle to calm myself and get ready.
The atmosphere at the start line was fantastic. I unfortunatley heeded which group to stand with and so ended up setting off with the group where you were looking at doing 12-minute miles. My hope was to do consistent ten-minute miles and if I could stay under, try for a four and a half hour Marathon. Of course my prayers had to be met and my Achilles, ankle, knee (they were just the knocks that I knew of!) and my body as a whole didn't break down at any point. But I remembered from the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon how good it felt to be overtaking rather than be overtaken and so I was ready to work my way through the crowd.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... and a big cheer as we were off - well, kinda. Once the clock started ticking, it took me about twelve minutes to actually cross it myself. I wasn't too stressed as the little chip was going to measure my time and I started off my watch. There was good atmosphere with lots of anxious but smiley faces all around. I couldn't get over how diverse the crowd was. Every shape and size of body was there. A tremendous amount of over-60s – hats off. A huge amount of people in fancy dress – I hope I beat most of them!
It was a nice feeling to cross the starting line and get running. It thinned out surprisingly quickly and it was nice to get going. I started working through the crowd and got to the Mile 1 marker in just over nine minutes. I didn’t want to push it too far too soon but it was a good steady pace that I was used to running. At Mile 1.5, I had a great feeling – I saw Priya, Preeth, Michael, Marianne and Alice. Conall was going to join them later too and they were fantastic to be out so early and gave a big, big cheer as I ran past them. Woo hoo! There was a bit of a crowd out and I got a few shouts ‘Come on Vinay’ or ‘Well Done Vinay’ given my name was emblazoned on my Shelter vest. It was light drizzling and I was glad to have a dri-fit top under the vest and my baseball cap. The cheers were fantastic and it was like a Carnival atmosphere frankly. Got to mile 3 at around 28 minutes and was enjoying going. I was running the London Marathon!
I saw the possee again who jumped up and down as I got past them at 3.5 miles. It felt great and I got to Mile 5 without too much stress, making my way through the crowd and keeping a steady pace. It turns out Priya & co were texting Devika and my parents to keep them updated. I felt good and had my first bit of lucozade sport which I enjoyed thoroughly. Amber nectar! The crowd kept you going and I realised I was in a solid rhythm and was running at 9 to 9.5 minute miles. My niggles were fine and overall felt ok.
I hit mile ten and would loudly exclaim ‘yiess!’ every time I crossed a marker. Up towards half-way & Tower Bridge and I spotted a couple of celbs – Colin Jackson and Sophie Anderton. Thankfully Jade Goody was nowhere to be seen – surely I had to beat her!! I saw the possee again and got to the half-way mark feeling a bit tired but mentally strong. The crowds were fantastic, giving up their free time to cheer on 33,000 runners, all pushing their body to their own limit. I crossed halfway at 2h 05m and was very pleased as I was moving around the course at a steady pace.
It started to get a bit tougher from miles 14-18 and where the crowds thinned, you almost missed them. It was a wet day but I was quite pleased as I didn’t want fabulous sunshine, which we had on the Saturday. London was looking fantastic and it was nice to pass through a lot of great sites such as round the Cutty Sark. Canary Wharf was surprisingly packed with spectators and my fanastic possee found a brilliant position and gave me a massive cheer. I loved it!
Looking back, the biggest pain came between miles 19 to 22. It was pain as such, more a desire to walk a little bit and rest the tired legs. I knew it was a mental game though and whilst there is no shame at all in walking part of the Marathon, it is best to delay or avoid it if at all possible in my view. I had taken two energy gels and I wasn’t sure how effective they were but, looking back, were excellent. I was drinking water at virtually every marker and grabbing the Lucozade sport every time and holding on to it for a mile or two to take my time consuming it. Thankfully I didn’t succumb to my desire to walk and made it through that pain.
I was worried about the ‘Wall’ – running out glycogen reserves and when hypoglycaemia ensues. Check me out!! Amazingly though, I still felt strong and would let out a whoop on crossing every mile marker. I was actually feeling strong. I actually really enjoyed the last 3.2 miles of the Marathon. I saw my brilliant possee again as well as a few surprise friends and colleagues. It was great to get into the City and then run along the Embankment. I was tired for sure but I was loving it – I am a Marathoner, I thought! I tried not to, but couldn’t stop myself looking at my watch. I was on for a sub 4h 30m Marathon if I could just sustain my pace. I shouldn’t have been thinking that way but I couldn’t help myself. I was still overtaking way more than being overtaken which helped the psychology of it all, especially when you are competing against a few Spidermen, Wonder Women and Wombles!
Mile 24 felt good and crossing the Mile 25 barrier and turning right at Westminster was when I started smiling (the smile that I still have!). I felt OK but pushed it – I may never do this again and so I attempted a bit of a sprint-finish! I was running past people who were exhausted, but even though I was, I went for it. Yes!! You can do it… big signs – 800m to go… 400m… 200m. Finish Line in sight. GO FOR IT, VINAY!! Lots of happy thoughts flooded my head as I approached and crossed the finish line. The finsih line. WOO HOO!! I DID IT!! I congratulated those around me and was cheering loudly to everyone – we all did it! Getting the medal made me proud and I got my photo taken.
My legs really felt sore now, especially my hamstrings and glutes. I met my brilliant family and friends who had so kindly followed me around. I called Devika, my mum and dad who were all so happy. 4h 15m 18s. I couldn’t get over it. And I couldn’t stop smiling!
I went to the Shelter tent where I got a sensational massage, which they had kindly organised. The Shelter team were fantastic and as things stand today, I have raised for them over £7,380. They are such nice people and they are very happy.
The last two weeks have been very hectic – I was in Heathrow Airport eight times! – but it has been nice to get so many people’s goodwill. I went for my first run again yesterday. 3 miles. I enjoyed it. I am not rushing to do another Marathon but the thrill of crossing the Finishing Line, that feeling, that joy… maybe I’ll have to set up another blog, ‘Vinay’s Marathon Adventure – Part Two…’
It's been a busy two weeks and I had been writing this update in bits and pieces and have only got to finishing and publishing it today.
April 23rd 2006 was one of the best days of my life.
The day before was pretty low-key and I enjoyed "conserving energy" - basically sitting around and not doing very much. My mind was pretty focussed and I ate a lot of pasta throughout the course of that day. Hopefully when I really needed some energy, the stores of carbs would come good for me. I went to be quite early, knowing I had to be up at 6am the next morning. I had a wee nap in the afternoon and was hoping for eight or nine hours of sleep. Everything in the run up was going smoothly until I went to bed - and then couldn't fall asleep! My mind was racing and I was a little bit paranoid about sleeping through my alarm the next morning. But the anxiety was evidently too high and I just couldn't sleep. I thought to myself this what it must be like for sportspeople on the eve of a big event/match. Did Solskjaer sleep properly on May 25th '99?!? It was after midnight by the time I eventually dozed off.
I got up and went through the routines I had been doing on the mornings of my long runs. I took a pre-ordered cab to Waterloo. I was running from Blackheath and the Red start. There were two other starts, one for the pros and one for (I think) the 'celebrities'. I had heard how busy it could get going to the actual start and how full trains could wizz past you and some people start to panic - so I decided to get out there nice and early. My first bit of luck that day came when I bumped into the Carmel, Francesca and Marion McWilliams, who were also with Carmel's boss, Bill, and Toby. We had a good laugh getting out there and formed a mini-team for the the couple of hours we had till we got going.
I was struck and how well - no, brilliantly - the Marathon was logistically organised. Extremely well-staffed and extremely efficient. Hats off to them and no wonder it was used as an example of how well Londoners can organise a big event in the 2012 Olympic bid.
One mistake I made, however, was to underestimate the length of queue for the port-a-loos. Even though there were loads, the queues were ridiculous. Unfortunately, I had to wait for ages and I was only ready to go 5 minutes before the start of the race. It panicked me a bit and I had my first mental battle to calm myself and get ready.
The atmosphere at the start line was fantastic. I unfortunatley heeded which group to stand with and so ended up setting off with the group where you were looking at doing 12-minute miles. My hope was to do consistent ten-minute miles and if I could stay under, try for a four and a half hour Marathon. Of course my prayers had to be met and my Achilles, ankle, knee (they were just the knocks that I knew of!) and my body as a whole didn't break down at any point. But I remembered from the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon how good it felt to be overtaking rather than be overtaken and so I was ready to work my way through the crowd.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... and a big cheer as we were off - well, kinda. Once the clock started ticking, it took me about twelve minutes to actually cross it myself. I wasn't too stressed as the little chip was going to measure my time and I started off my watch. There was good atmosphere with lots of anxious but smiley faces all around. I couldn't get over how diverse the crowd was. Every shape and size of body was there. A tremendous amount of over-60s – hats off. A huge amount of people in fancy dress – I hope I beat most of them!
It was a nice feeling to cross the starting line and get running. It thinned out surprisingly quickly and it was nice to get going. I started working through the crowd and got to the Mile 1 marker in just over nine minutes. I didn’t want to push it too far too soon but it was a good steady pace that I was used to running. At Mile 1.5, I had a great feeling – I saw Priya, Preeth, Michael, Marianne and Alice. Conall was going to join them later too and they were fantastic to be out so early and gave a big, big cheer as I ran past them. Woo hoo! There was a bit of a crowd out and I got a few shouts ‘Come on Vinay’ or ‘Well Done Vinay’ given my name was emblazoned on my Shelter vest. It was light drizzling and I was glad to have a dri-fit top under the vest and my baseball cap. The cheers were fantastic and it was like a Carnival atmosphere frankly. Got to mile 3 at around 28 minutes and was enjoying going. I was running the London Marathon!
I saw the possee again who jumped up and down as I got past them at 3.5 miles. It felt great and I got to Mile 5 without too much stress, making my way through the crowd and keeping a steady pace. It turns out Priya & co were texting Devika and my parents to keep them updated. I felt good and had my first bit of lucozade sport which I enjoyed thoroughly. Amber nectar! The crowd kept you going and I realised I was in a solid rhythm and was running at 9 to 9.5 minute miles. My niggles were fine and overall felt ok.
I hit mile ten and would loudly exclaim ‘yiess!’ every time I crossed a marker. Up towards half-way & Tower Bridge and I spotted a couple of celbs – Colin Jackson and Sophie Anderton. Thankfully Jade Goody was nowhere to be seen – surely I had to beat her!! I saw the possee again and got to the half-way mark feeling a bit tired but mentally strong. The crowds were fantastic, giving up their free time to cheer on 33,000 runners, all pushing their body to their own limit. I crossed halfway at 2h 05m and was very pleased as I was moving around the course at a steady pace.
It started to get a bit tougher from miles 14-18 and where the crowds thinned, you almost missed them. It was a wet day but I was quite pleased as I didn’t want fabulous sunshine, which we had on the Saturday. London was looking fantastic and it was nice to pass through a lot of great sites such as round the Cutty Sark. Canary Wharf was surprisingly packed with spectators and my fanastic possee found a brilliant position and gave me a massive cheer. I loved it!
Looking back, the biggest pain came between miles 19 to 22. It was pain as such, more a desire to walk a little bit and rest the tired legs. I knew it was a mental game though and whilst there is no shame at all in walking part of the Marathon, it is best to delay or avoid it if at all possible in my view. I had taken two energy gels and I wasn’t sure how effective they were but, looking back, were excellent. I was drinking water at virtually every marker and grabbing the Lucozade sport every time and holding on to it for a mile or two to take my time consuming it. Thankfully I didn’t succumb to my desire to walk and made it through that pain.
I was worried about the ‘Wall’ – running out glycogen reserves and when hypoglycaemia ensues. Check me out!! Amazingly though, I still felt strong and would let out a whoop on crossing every mile marker. I was actually feeling strong. I actually really enjoyed the last 3.2 miles of the Marathon. I saw my brilliant possee again as well as a few surprise friends and colleagues. It was great to get into the City and then run along the Embankment. I was tired for sure but I was loving it – I am a Marathoner, I thought! I tried not to, but couldn’t stop myself looking at my watch. I was on for a sub 4h 30m Marathon if I could just sustain my pace. I shouldn’t have been thinking that way but I couldn’t help myself. I was still overtaking way more than being overtaken which helped the psychology of it all, especially when you are competing against a few Spidermen, Wonder Women and Wombles!
Mile 24 felt good and crossing the Mile 25 barrier and turning right at Westminster was when I started smiling (the smile that I still have!). I felt OK but pushed it – I may never do this again and so I attempted a bit of a sprint-finish! I was running past people who were exhausted, but even though I was, I went for it. Yes!! You can do it… big signs – 800m to go… 400m… 200m. Finish Line in sight. GO FOR IT, VINAY!! Lots of happy thoughts flooded my head as I approached and crossed the finish line. The finsih line. WOO HOO!! I DID IT!! I congratulated those around me and was cheering loudly to everyone – we all did it! Getting the medal made me proud and I got my photo taken.
My legs really felt sore now, especially my hamstrings and glutes. I met my brilliant family and friends who had so kindly followed me around. I called Devika, my mum and dad who were all so happy. 4h 15m 18s. I couldn’t get over it. And I couldn’t stop smiling!
I went to the Shelter tent where I got a sensational massage, which they had kindly organised. The Shelter team were fantastic and as things stand today, I have raised for them over £7,380. They are such nice people and they are very happy.
The last two weeks have been very hectic – I was in Heathrow Airport eight times! – but it has been nice to get so many people’s goodwill. I went for my first run again yesterday. 3 miles. I enjoyed it. I am not rushing to do another Marathon but the thrill of crossing the Finishing Line, that feeling, that joy… maybe I’ll have to set up another blog, ‘Vinay’s Marathon Adventure – Part Two…’
posted by Vinay at 8:18 PM
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