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It’s been almost a fortnight since I ran in the 2009 London Marathon, and it’s long overdue my writing up a few thoughts and notes. I had a great experience, and hit my main target of a sub-4 hour time. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get close to my secondary target of a 3:45 time, for various reasons.

I was able to get a decent nights sleep. An early night compensated for waking up at various points in the night, paranoid that I’d overslept and missed the last train to Blackheath. Nerves weren’t too prevalent, but it was a bit harder to eat my porridge than usual. A short walk to Charing Cross railway station, and managed to get a seat on a train out to Blackheath.

Certainly a top-tip for future years. The train was busy at Charing Cross, and I felt for people trying to get on trains at Waterloo East and London Bridge. Not a stress I would have wanted, but it seems most people got on eventually.

After a chat with a few fellow passengers, we made our way to the Blue start area. I wasn’t able to hook up with my running club – it’s hard to find people when there are 15,000 other people milling about in similar attire. Main task was to put on some suncream, as it was a lot brighter than the weather forecast had suggested. Sunburn was going to be a serious risk!

It was then time to join the toilet queue. And a heck of a queue it was too. Unfortunately, as I subsequently made my way to the start area to find my ‘pen’, I noticed there were two other men’s urinal areas (which hadn’t been on the maps to my recollection) with tiny queues. Quite why the organisers didn’t see fit to mention this, I don’t know. The start pens are supposed to mean faster runners don’t have to overtake slower runners, and my number was inspected closely. However I’ve heard subsequently that a lot of other pens weren’t being checked very thoroughly, so we had pen 9 runners up in higher pens. Further, we were constantly being moved further forward all the time, ie. in to other pens. Really quite bizarre.

After the start, it took me 5 minutes to cross the start line, and the first mile or so was slow going. 09:57 by my Garmin for mile 1, then 9:00 for mile 2. Much MUCH slower than my target pace of around 8:30 miles. All very stop-start, and overtaking charity chain gangs, walkers and similar drained some of my good will. It’s still very hard to be too annoyed at people doing great things for charity: It’s an immense achievement to even get to the start line. But really, I just wish they’d gone in the right start pen (and been kept there), or given more realistic time estimates for their marathon time.

After that things got back on course, and one of the highlights just after the 3 mile marker was where the ‘blue’ and ‘red’ starts merged. Lots of jovial booing at each other was great fun. Through Woolwich, then into Greenwich along non-descript roads, but plenty of great support. The Cutty Sark was a bit of a non-event given it’s currently deeply under wraps, but it’s still a significant part of the course. Then the few miles up through Southwark and towards Tower Bridge. Support was at times massive, and at other points absolutely deserted. Very strange, and a lot more twisty than I’d expected. Managed to see a colleague from one of my clients enjoying the sun. Not sure sitting on grass near to a hedge was quite the best plan!

Crossing Tower Bridge was quite special. It’s such an iconic part of the course, and so very close to the half-way mark it’s hard not to feel the significance of the moment. I was feeling quite good at this point, and my splits were still roughly on course, but still more variable than I’d hoped. Certainly it was starting to be apparent I wasn’t going to make up any of the time I’d lost at the start, and knew only too well that things get properly tough after the 20 mile mark. I still managed a few 8:37 paces, and even – at mile 19 an 8:35 – much of that as I’d locked on to points where I knew supporters would be. The fetchpoint was a great spot, with wonderful red and yellow balloons and loads of supporters. Great to see them on the way out to Canary Wharf, and on the way back. Just the boost I needed.

The miles through Canary Wharf weren’t too bad. Bar the bits around mile 20, near Billingsgate market, much more support than I think I’d expected. But the course was a lot narrower than I’d expected it to be. Spectators encroaching on to the road was one thing, but even marshalled areas seemed to mean the course was a bit narrower than I’d hoped. Overtaking (which I was doing a fair bit of) just got fiddly and, sadly, time-consuming. I was caught up by fellow club runner Michael around here, but soon lost him behind me as I had a couple of good miles at mile 19 and 20 at 8:35 and 8:21 respectively.

Hitting 20 miles was psychologically significant. Only 6.2 miles left, and almost all of it in a straight line right through London. Easy to focus on, and tick off the miles. I only once had a difficult moment around mile 23. I was starting to feel tired. Not the “wall” by any stretch – I’d been taking gels and energy drinks. I just needed to gather up my thoughts, so I resolved to use the very brief break to gather myself up set off to the end. 20 seconds or so later (and a very stiff few strides), and I was on my way again. Still much slower at this point, closer to 9 minute miling, but doing a fair bit of overtaking (At this point so many other runners seemed to be walking), and the runners were starting to thin out a bit more, so felt a lot easier to make progress.

My determination carried me along the Embankment, and started to really feel the building sense of accomplishment. Large numbers of supporters shouting just moves you in quite a way! I knew there were some club supporters around here, and I’d not hear the end of it if I took another walking break! I stuck to my resolve and on I went. Somehow I picked out my club’s Ladies captain Carla in the crowd screaming something encouraging at me. Marvellous, and a further boost. My average pace indicator on my watch suggested a sub-4 hour was very much achievable, and that kept me going.

Hitting Birdcage walk – the last mile – was something else. The end is almost in sight, and whilst I’d perhaps distanced myself more than I’d expected from the crowds and the support along the way, I was lapping it up now. The last few hundred metres were much easier than I’d thought – the finish line is a motivator like no other – but the crowd and distinct sense of achievement as you round the corner in front of Buckingham palace to see the finish line in front of you just pulls you along like nothing else.

Crossing the line and the emotion really washes over. I’d made sub-4 hours (3:56:35), but the time didn’t really matter. I’d seen it so many times on the television, to cross the famous finish having completed the worlds biggest marathon was really quite a moment. The finish area just passed in a blur. Up on the ramp to get the chip cut off. Collect medal. Pose for photograph. Collect goody bag. Collect bags (how’d they know it was me!?). Then I just found the “L” section in the reunion area and waited for Frances. No way I was leaving my iPhone in my bag, so no mobile telephony assistance in reunions!

I’d missed out on my other goal of getting a 3:45 time, and I’ll put that down to a poor start position, the weather, but also perhaps being a bit optimistic. A marathon really is a distance that tests you like no other running event. All said I enjoyed the experience, and the distance, and I will almost certainly do another marathon. But I know I won’t be rushing back to enter London – I think I’d prefer to try a smaller event (with less congestion), and see how I do there. I’ll also be a lot more aware of the amount of time required to train. The race itself is almost the easy bit. The hard bit is finding time to train for three hours on a weekend, when there are so many other demands on my time. Having a life. Glasgow parkrun. My business. My friends. Just having time off.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed London from start to finish. Sure, I’ve a few gripes, but they’re relatively minor in the grand scheme. I know I could run faster, and I intend to prove that someday. London’s not an easy place to get a PB, and it’s so much more than a 26.2 mile run. I know a lot of people had problems on the day, so I feel very pleased that things came together for me on the day and I achieved my primary goal, and had a big smile on my face when I crossed the line less than 4 hours after starting, and to think three years I’d have laughed at the prospect of such an achievement.

Definitely recommended. Just looking at the medal (it’s just by my desk) brings back so many memories.

So with just over seven weeks to go until I run in the London Marathon, I’m in week 9 – over half way – through my 16 week training programme. I’d been planning to write a bit more in way of updates, but as you can see, my weblog writing mojo has taken a bit of a back seat the last few months.

In the general sense, things are going well. I’ve got most of my long runs in – I just missed one – and I’ve been working through the issues that have come up, as I encounter well known endurance running issues for the first time. Until starting my training I’d never run more than about 14-15 miles.

There’s not really a discrete way to say this, but it boils down to three things, first of all chaffing. Run for 18 miles straight and if you’re not wearing the right gear, things that are usually fine start to rub. I’ve learnt to hate cotton. And it’s never nice, so liberal doses of, er, Vaseline or similar (Favourite training quote so far “There’s no problem that Vaseline can’t solve“).

So with that solved, and the distance increasing, I really start to struggle after my first 20 miler. My pace just dropped, and it was tough to get around and hit the 20 mile mark. My body had just run out of energy. A long run can easily burn 2000 calories. Look on the back of your cereal packet, and that’s the recommended daily intake for an adult. In just a few hours! So last week I spent a small fortune on what are best described as “orange flavoured wallpaper paste”: Yup, I’ve got some gels at last. I’ve also “rediscovered” Jelly Babies. Ok, I’ve always liked them (head first, natch), but they were pretty much a long car journey treat. Now they’re a great reward on long runs.

The goal in all of this is to make sure I’ve tried everything out, so that on race day I’m as prepared as I can be. I’ll be worried enough as it, and the weather will no doubt provide enough randomness for my tastes!

My third, and – I’d feared biggest – issue was sore legs, particularly my right leg. I’d begun to worry I’d picked up an injury – a hamstring or calf strain or similar – so had backed off a little. In talking it through with some fellow runners, I was strongly recommended to try getting a sports massage. People seemed marginally surprised I’d not actually had one before.

The reason is I’m a bit funny about massages. Just don’t particularly like people touching me, so whilst Frances is usually first in the queue for a spa massage, I’ll content myself with a run and then a shot in the pool. However, it was such a consistent “you’re training for a marathon, therefore you must have a massage” from so many running friends that I figured I’d give it a shot. As one of my clubs coaches is a qualified masseur, popped along early and had the full ‘Oscar treatment’. Painful? Yes, but in a really good way. I was very surprised by the difference I felt, and where the problem (such that it was) seemed to be located. I’d not actually expected to be able to run afterwards, but felt really good, so I opted to skip the hill session my group was scheduled for and went for an ‘easy’ run around Glasgow Green with a few others. Whilst the pace wasn’t quite as easy as I’d hoped, it was eminently manageable, and my legs felt, and still feel, fine. I may even go for an easy run this afternoon. The last few weeks they’ve been stiff for a fair while after any long-ish run. So, I’ll be most certainly going back!

This weekend I’m running the Balloch to Clydebank Half Marathon as part of the training plan. Not sure what pace I’m going to run it at yet though. Coaches advise is largely “just see how it goes”, which seems sensible enough to me, perhaps as a pacing run for the marathon, perhaps a bit quicker. I’ll be saving any attempt at half marathon PB’s for later in the year. Then it’s a few more weeks of long 20-22 mile runs before starting the taper.

I’ve also rediscovered running with music. I’d stopped listening to music whilst running a couple of years ago, but trying to motivate yourself for a 20 mile run on your own, you do need something! As my running club weekend long runs normally clash with the parkrun, I’ve been running on my own a lot, unless I managed to find a few others happy to get up early on a Sunday morning. But when that doesn’t happen, I’m off on my own with my music, and quite enjoyable it is too.

So all going quite well, and I’m quite relieved my recent worry about injury was, it seems, misplaced. I’ve overcome the challenges I’ve encountered so far, and learnt a lot about my body in the process. It’s far from over though: There’s a lot that can happen even when it’s “just” a case of getting a few more long runs done, but I’m enjoying the experience, and if that’s happening, fingers crossed it’ll come together ok on the day.

Whilst locking up the house last night, I noticed the postman had wedged a package behind our storm doors. Annoyed that they’d not at least tried to ring, I dug it out and wondered who on earth had sent me a fleece. I’m afraid I’ve reached free-garment overload with all the free t-shirts I get as a runner and a techie.

Only after a moment of silence that must have been quite noisy in the way that important moments are, did I realise this was the official are-you-in-London-2009 Marathon letter. So after ripping open the package, the magazines words of “It’s not over yet”, and “You have been unsuccessful” stared back at me. 

Oh well. According to wikipedia, in 2007, as many as 125,000 people applied to run, but only 49,963 applications were accepted. So that’s quite a ratio, especially given there are charity places allocated out, good-for-age runners, and places made available to running clubs to take out of that figure. So my chances were always slim, and I really don’t know if I fancy trying to raise money for charity – the minimum figures for guaranteed entry are quite high. Oh, and I rather like my running club top

So as I decided some months ago that I would run a marathon of some sort, I’ve today applied to run the 2009 Edinburgh Marathon, which is a bit easier to get to, still has places, is much smaller, and according to their publicity at least, has a fast course. It’s also very popular with my running club, so there’ll be a good number of people to train with. Plus a hotel we rather like is a short train journey away from the finish line, and it has rather good spa facilities. Which I expect will be very welcome indeed after the event.

I’m probably still going to have a go at London 2009, through my clubs allocation, but as I write that I’m wondering if that’s going to be such a good idea. I quite like the idea of a smaller race (If 11,500 participants is ever considered small? Compared to London it is!) for my first marathon, and perhaps leaving the ballot to people in the club who want it more. Plus the Edinburgh entry is non-refundable…

No matter. That’s still some months off. In the meantime I suppose I need to have a think about what sort of time is reasonable to aim for in this, and all the other distances I’ll be running next year.

I decided last year that running a marathon wasn’t going to feature in my running plans for 2008. I’d been aware of just how much training was required for a half marathon, so doing a full marathon along with running my own business, and having a life and time with Frances just wasn’t practical. Oh, yes, and given London was the marathon I wanted to do, that we were getting married the day before sort of put pay to any small notions I still had.

As my fellow running club members built up to London 2008, my appreciation of the time and effort required increased further. It’s a lot more than “just twice the distance” of the (easier) half marathon, and really tests mind and body to the limit. 20 mile training runs take a long time, and that means a large part of rare free time is eaten up for a good few weeks, and if the weather is inclement, it’s hardly a lot of fun getting out to get the miles done. The support of a running club geared up for the race would seem essential.

However, part of me still wanted to give it a go at some point. I get the impression it’s something every runner needs to have a go at at some point. Even just once. I’d also thought it’d be good to see about beating my charity total from Glasgow 2007. So I resolved a month or two back that I’d enter the ballot for London in 2009 when it opened.

Earlier this week I heard the application process had opened, just a week after the 2008 marathon finished. So to cut a long story short, and with a year and a day to go, I entered the ballot for London 2009 yesterday lunchtime.

If I don’t get through (which is likely given the huge volume of applicants for the limited number of places), I may look at a charity place, although the fund-raising required for such is a bit of a concern. Failing that, my running club usually gets a few places allocate as it sees fit (by ‘lucky dip’ last year after the Christmas 5k charity run). There’s always a big turnout at London from the club – it’s one of the clubs biggest races given the high number of ‘good for age’ runners – quite something for a club 400 miles away. But I’ve got my fingers crossed I’ll be lining up on Blackheath in a years time.