The morning of the race, I woke up in bed and waited for the usually pang of nerve pain coursing down my left leg. But, there was nothing! I slowly moved one leg and then the other. Inch-by-inch, I gingerly slid out of bed. Still. Nothing. No pain at all ?!! I literally couldn’t believe it – maybe there is a running god up there somewhere – if there is, they are definitely shining down on me this morning !!!! Wahooo, its race day, let’s do this! I put on my carefully laid out kit and my race number, grabbed my big transparent plastic kit bag, and cycled very slowly over to Ealing Green to meet the bus. I parked up my bike and walked over to the group of eagles slowly congregating. Still no sciatica pain!!! This was incredible - I was over the moon. With no stinky sciatica pain, maybe now, I really did have a chance of pulling off this marathon, once and for all!
For this last blog, I’ll keep structuring things around hints and tips for next time, like my last few entries. One thing I’d definitely do next time is;
Carb-load up until half an hour before!
Now I know that some people take nutrition very seriously, with advice from dieticians and measuring out carbs in grams/day etc. For me, I didn’t have time for any of that! I just ate as many carbs as I could, in the days before the race. Pizza at the running show with Mum and Soph. A Chelsea bun on the train on the way home. Double pasta for dinner with Hannah. Morning of the mara was porridge with banana and honey, then a big bowl of cereal with yoghurt and more fruit. Feeling rather full, I then forced down a cereal bar on the way over to Ealing Green. Then not one but TWO bagels. – Ham and cheese for the bus (see pic with Suha), and peanut butter and honey for the porter-loo queue! All of this, washed down with copious electrolyte solution!
I have to be honest, trying to get the second bagel in, was quite a challenge, being so full already. By this point, I was waiting in the Yellow wave with Tom Green and Sam Royle (two uber fast and inspirational Eagles – lucky me!). Look how excited we all are in the pic! They both predicted:-, ‘you are definitely going to see that bagel again during the race’! – ahhh but I knew it would be fine. I’m not really a ‘puker’ and I had practiced a similar routine before other races. I just know how much better I can run, with really fuel and energy in the tank.
Our awesome yellow-wave waiting strategy, was to queue up constantly for the loos, whilst continuously drinking fluids. We were perpetual human drain-pipes, maximising hydration, while minimising the chances of full bladder! This worked really well, and we managed to time the final wee, for right before the start. Fully hydrated (and bladders empty), we headed over to the start line. I gave Tom a last high-five and smashed a caffeine gel – this was it now – HERE WE FINALLY GO!!
Run in a pacer pack if you can
Once I entered the start line area, I found a marshal and asked to be directed to the 3.30 pacer. To my dismay he answered ‘unfortunately there are no pacers in this wave’ – Whaaaat?!! You cannot be serious. It definitely said on the TCS website there would be pacers in every wave! Others around me were also a little dismayed. But, there was nothing gained from moaning by this point - nothing for it but to pace myself using my own watch. I had done this so much during training, it would be fine. I minimised this as just a small set back, in my head, and instead tried to build on the atmosphere in our wave. The atmosphere was electric, but focused. So many charity vests, so many people, all with their own stories. This race wasn’t really about pacing anyway – lets face it. This race was about running for a cause, raising awareness, fundraising, doing something for others, and proving that good can come out of difficulty and struggle. Sod the pacers, the good will of this race would move me forward!
So we all moved up to the start in silence, with only the beep beep of Garmins starting, and nervous good-luck grunts from one stranger to another. We all exchanged knowing looks – all of us contemplating the culmination of our training journeys, in this one epic moment of pure anticipation – come on!!!
Self-pacing is empowering though, and lets you own the race!
So we all set off and I channelled all my focus into finding my pace – To my relief there was no sciatica pain at all – slightly stiff left-leg, but my gait was even and I got into my stride, hitting around 4.50 min/km pace. Now bearing in mind I hadn’t been able to do this pace AT ALL during my taper, I was pretty happy to find it came relatively easily – I even had to hold back a little, so as not to get into the 4.40s and 4.30s. There were a few hills at the start, so I allowed myself to speed up a bit down the hills, banking a tiny bit of extra time for later when I would be dying!
Even from the start there were cheers from both sides of the route. The road was lined with spectators the whole way round – drums, speakers, people hanging out of balconies, children sticking out their hands for a high fives, or with jelly babies, orange slices, water. As we got further, the cheers got louder and I got into a rhythm – I kept looking at my watch, and it always seemed to say 4.55, so I just went with it – I’d stick with this pace as long as I could, and this would hopefully put me on track for a 3.30 finish.
It was the first 5k of the mara where I finally believed that I could do this. Only now could I really appreciate the effect of the taper, the period of rest, combined with all the training – my legs felt wonderful and strong! My breathing was regular, no pain other than the odd twinge on the left sciatica leg. My renewed self-belief, combined with soaking up the electric atmosphere from the crowd, just fuelled me with so much energy – the first half of the race was pure joy. I literally couldn’t stop smiling!
Advantages of a pacer pack - it supports and reassures you, you don’t have to constantly check your watch, it carves a way through the crowd, and saves energy on weaving.
Disadvantages - it boxes you in, shields you from the buzz and the positivity of the crowds, and you have less control over your own destiny. You might get less of the ‘I’m making this pace happen myself’ feeling, which can be quite empowering.
Overall, I think no pacer pack was a blessing in disguise, because I was in the driving seat, really owning my race.
Take more gels than you think you’ll need
So my gel plan was to have 1 gel just before the start, and then 1 every half an hour from the 1 hr point. For a 3.30 mara thats 6 gels. I think in the end during the last hour (when the going got tough), I probably had 1 every 20 minutes, so more than I had planned for. luckily they were handing out Lucozade gels at the water stations, so I was ok. I tried to wash down every gel with water to keep up the hydration and get the sticky gloopy stuff down the hatchet. Ewww gels are so gross! They just need to be washed down with something!! Maintaining my pace whilst taking in fuel or water is still a challenge for me, but practicing it in the big half and other races meant I’d had a bit of practice.
Drink water at EVERY water stop
I’ve always done this in long races, and despite sticking to this rule at London, I still felt uber thirsty at various points. Someone told me once that being properly hydrated contributes to 5% of your performance - probably an unscientific statistic, but it still pops into my head every time I drink water in a race! so I’m believing it for now and staying as hydrated as possible during marathons.
Definitely wear your name on your vest – preferably on a hybrid club-charity design!
Wearing your name on your vest, is an absolute no-brainer for the London Marathon. Every time you hear someone cheer your name, it spurs you on! I was lucky enough to wear my hybrid vest (sewn by my brilliant mum!), to represent both Meningitis Now and The Ealing Eagles. This was very important to me, and made me immensely proud - I’m sure wearing my pride on my vest, contributed to me having a good race. Thanks Mum, Meningitis Now and Eagles! You all rock.
Run for charity - it feels great to do something good
Although it feels like a huge task to raise 1-2000 quid, it’s doable if you start early. Knowing that you’re running for a cause other than your own personal goals, is a great feeling. It also really takes the pressure off you during the race, because you know that even if you totally muck up, you’ve still raised a bunch of cash for a really good cause. Suddenly it matters much less how well you do. All you have to do is get to the end. Your family and friends (and in my case the Eagles too) will surprise you with their generosity. And the charity will be out on the course cheering you along. I really think it adds to the experience and I highly recommend finding a charity with a £1000 target. It’s absolutely worth the effort.
Run behind someone wearing a big charity vest!
I found myself following other runners who seemed to be running the same pace as me solidly and confidently. This felt grounding, and if you start losing pace, you can aim to catch back up with them. If they are wearing a charity vest – (I was following a dude in a red British Heart Foundation vest) – then as they pass their supporters, you get the benefit of all their cheers! – By following a BHF runner, I think I definitely benefited from the BHF cheers! a bit cheeky maybe, but probably not one I’ll go to hell for!
Soak up the good vibes and channel them down each leg🦵 🦵
With so many people shouting my name, and with no pacer pack to stick with, I could run along the edge of the road, high-fiving as many small kids’ hands as possible! – this was clearly a covid/virus spreading nightmare, but the look of joy on their little faces, was like an extra dose of endorphins – it was addictive! The vibes from the crowd just carried me forward. At the same time the ‘sensible-athlete’ part of my brain was saying to me - keep to the centre of the road and run in a straight line – that’s much more economical! But this was way more fun and the London Marathon is a race you just simply must enjoy enjoy enjoy!
Station your cheer leaders strategically
I knew my main cheer squad would be there at Bermondsey station and there they were, with a huge orange Meningitis Now banner, with an eagle on it! It was unmissable! I ran over to hug them, but I couldn’t get near enough for the crowds - I just managing to reach through the crowd to my nephew Henry, and then carried on running. Buoyed up by the support & super happy I’d seen them. Now I was loving the atmosphere so much, I kept missing the mile markers - they actually weren’t that obvious, to be honest! These honey-comb shaped markers with the number quite small in one corner. Great design but hard to see man!! Due to not seeing the mile markers properly, I managed to miss Mum & Dad at mile 12, (damn it!) however I did get lucky enough to see the amazing Kat Revill (+hubby) twice along the route!
A guy with pink hair, pink socks and pink trainers was doing a video call to his family whilst running alongside me – I photobombed his video without realising – after the call finished we chatted a bit – he seemed to be paying more attention to the route than me and pointed out that we were nearly at Tower bridge now – this was going to be epic!! This is a great landmark to focus on and aim for in the first half. Dividing the race up into small chunks makes it seem more doable, Tower Bridge means first half is in the bag! Running over Tower Bridge really was the most unbelievable experience – the roars of the crowds on each side were so loud – almost 6-7 people deep, with people standing on railings, sitting on each others shoulders, to wave and cheer – at this point I felt really good. I wa in the rhythm - not breathing too hard - feeling like it was definitely possible to keep this pace going for 26 miles. I had this in the bag! I also knew that I’d saved a few seconds off my earlier splits, so I could afford to go over a bit here and there.
Take emergency music for when you hit the wall - (the same music you trained with)
At mile 18 I was lucky enough to get a cheer from Wei Sui who was marshalling (good on him!). This was a great lift, but by mile 19 I was hitting some kind of wall - my pace seemed to keep dropping down slower than 5min/km and my rhythm had gone. The sun had also come out, so I was sweating more, and suddenly feeling super super thirsty. Not being able to see the mile markers properly, I had completely forgotten where the water stations were on the map (having tried to commit this to memory the night before). Now my memory didn’t seem to be working. I had missed a water station, and I was panicking that I wasn’t hydrating well enough – I asked a guy next to me to pass me his bottle when he was finished (most people were only taking a few sips and then ditching their bottles). He kindly gave me the second half of his bottle – I was so grateful!! Trying to calm down my mind, I put on my head-phones – born slippy came on and lulled me into a new rhythm – lets go!
Enjoy Mile 23 it’s THE BEST bit of the race!
Mile 23 – I think I started to build up to mile 23 at about mile 1 to be honest. The whole race is a build up to 23 and then a last push to the end! I could see the ramp on the right approaching and ran up it. Suddenly there was a wall of orange Meningitis Now people cheering me through – whoop whoop!! And then finally the Eagles and my parents, with hands stretched out for me. I felt so overwhelmed with pride, that so many lovely people were out in force to support me – I kept up my pace and reached out for the longest and most crazy high five I’ve ever done! (with the most ever hands, in one go!!!). It went on and on – hands – touching hands – I could hear Neil Diamond ‘Sweet Caroline’ playing in my head – haha this was a whole new running high now – what an incredible moment – I had got this far – only 3 miles to go now!!
Save a gel for the last 3 miles – it’s the hardest bit!
I was breathing hard now – couldn’t tell if this was the extra effort of running up the ramp, the excitement at having seen all the Eagles and Mum and Dad, or the fact that my body was starting to get tired. I checked my watch again and read 5.20 – shit speed it up Caro! – only 3 miles to go. Time for your last gel. I have to say the prospect of running 3 more miles at this speed, with no support left, was difficult – I’d built up to mile 23 so much - now there was a real feeling of ‘your on your own now, love!’ You’ve got to do the hardest bit now, all on your own. I gulped down my last sticky gloopy gel, and pushing all negative thoughts aside, I enjoyed the relative downhill slope into the tunnel, getting myself back up to marathon pace.
But to my horror, there was an ambulance to the left side of the tunnel and I could see marshals jumping up and down on a guys chest, as he lay on the floor. I could tell they’d been doing it for a while because as I passed a new team of first aiders took over doing CPR. They were obviously taking turns. If you’ve ever done CPR you will know that it’s quite tiring. Out of hospital cardiac arrests have a very poor prognosis, and most of the time, people don’t make it. I felt overcome with sadness that through all the joy of this amazing race, someone was going to die – they had got this far – (24 of 26 miles of this marathon!), and now they lay dying on the floor. It felt utterly wrong to run past and not stop to help. As we exited the tunnel, a huge speaker played euphoric music which reverberated around the tunnel exit, it lifted me up out of the tunnel but everything was tinged with sadness for our fellow runner who I knew probably wasn’t going to make it.
Have supporters at Mile 25!
So I pushed on now trying to forget what I’d seen, the cheering was so loud now – it was more of a roar than a cheer from both sides – I could see Big Ben in the distance, and felt slightly delirious! We were running down the river now – I had taken this route on my bike many times, and could even remember doing it during the London Triathlon a few years back. This was an awesome straight stretch of road – with the river out to the left – suddenly Tom Green was shouting from the left – go Caro go Caro! – then on the right Holly was standing there waving and shouting – and I got the last boost I needed - Thanks Holly!!!. Rounding the bend at Westminster bridge (going past big ben on the left), I really knew I had this now, only two roads to go – down the side of saint James’ Park, turn right to the Palace and down the Mall and your done. Come on girl!!
My legs were flagging now – I had pain in the top of my hamstrings and my calves were burning – my abdomen was also aching – god please don’t let me get a cramp or a stitch at this point!! I crossed over a green flora ramp on the floor and someone shouted only 2 km to go – I said to myself- anyone can run 2k Caro!! YOU’VE GOT THIS!!!. I gathered all my strength and resolve and went into some kind of trance-like vortex of concentration and determination – it was like I’d hypnotised myself or something – focusing on breathing in and out, letting each leg go round and round – pushing down into the ground – leaning my chest forward – swinging my arms for dear life – ALMOST THERE – I think I had tunnel vision as I ran down that road, my head went quiet and I couldn’t hear the cheering any longer, oh shit, don’t faint now!!
Finally, I was rounding the corner to Buckingham palace and I remember seeing the sun glinting off the gold statue – the sight of that statue was so brilliant and vivid – it was like I was in some kind of dream – my tunnel vision drained away and I could hear the crowds again – this was it - the final dash down the Mall to the finish!!! – that moment I had dreamed of for so long. Despite all the pain and exhaustion, from the very depths of my running soul, I somehow found a tiny bit of acceleration to throw myself over that finish line. What an unbelievable relief to finally get over that finish line!!
As you can see from the pictures, I was so pooped, I totally forgot to smile for the camera! That’s another tip right there…
Remember to smile for the camera as you go over the finish line!!
Almost immediately (like within seconds of finishing) my time came through to my watch – congratulations you’ve done the TCS London Marathon 2022 in 3.32.06 !!!! Absolutely Brilliant, I didn’t care now about my 3.30 goal this was still a huge PB.
I needed water now - where’s the water?! Here’s a t-shirt and a silver blanket – no where’s the bloody water?!! people were crying and throwing up around me - I finally found a water and glugged it down. I collapsed on the grass in the sunshine, savouring the moment of sheer relief, achievement, strength and resilience, but utterly exhausted and so so proud of the medal around my neck.
Trust the plan & your wise friends – the training works and they are right !!!
So my final tip for nailing the London Marathon, in whatever time your aiming for - is just this - trust the plan and your wise friends. The training works and they are right! You can do this! Just believe in yourself, and you might even exceed your goals.
As for my MD thesis, after achieving an awesome PB in the London Marathon and just having such a brilliant experience in that iconic race - I felt confident enough to finally finish my corrections and submit a final copy to my examiners, once and for all. Achieving my running goals in the Mara, 100% fed into achieving this academic milestone. I really think getting over one finish line, helped to push me over another.
It’s been such a journey, from which I’ve learnt and grown so much – its brought me confidence in my running, and hopefully made me a better more responsible athlete (one that can avoid injury, if I’m careful). It’s made me believe in myself and my abilities to overcome both physical and mental challenges, but also to enjoy the journey, and not be too hard on myself. It’s made me realise how much of a team sport running really is – I could not have done it without my Eagles buddies. All the races and training sessions to weave into the training – all the advice and coaching at Track session and West Walk hills. All the relays, the cross-country, the events that enable us all to achieve our goals – we are so lucky to have such a great club. Doing the London Marathon as I just turned 40, (and realising that I’m getting faster and fitter as I get older), was so empowering and made me feel as young as I’ve ever felt!
Having my family there to support me, made me realise how important they are to me, and that includes the Eagles family. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to run a club-ballot London Marathon for charity. It’s been an absolutely wonderful privilege, a milestone in my life, and an awesome start to my 40s. Raising a total of £1800 for Meningitis Now is just the icing on the cake !! A MASSIVE THANK YOU!! to everyone who donated and who gave me good vibes at some point along the way. Here’s a final summary list of my helpful tips for next time. I really hope its useful for others doing Marathons in 2023 :) :) :) Good luck!!!!
During your training
- Pair up your marathon training with another mental challenge in your life!
- Do the big half as a warm-up - this is a really good calibrator!
- Get your friends to pace your MP runs!
Terrible tapers
- Don’t schedule a thesis deadline during the taper!! (or anything that involves sitting still for hours)
- Don’t listen to the taper gremlins they will be out in force! ‘Maranoia’ is definitely a thing!
- Do look back at all the awesome training you’ve logged on Strava!
- Do spend the night before, with a best running buddy!
- Look to the greats for inspiration - or a personal good luck from a Kenyan champion!
Race day
- Carb load up until half an hour before!
- Run in a pacer pack if you can
- Self-pacing is empowering though, and lets you own the race!
- Take more gels than you think you’ll need
- Drink water at EVERY water stop
- Definitely wear your name on your vest – preferably on a hybrid club-charity design!
- Run for charity - it feels great to do something good
- Run behind someone wearing a big charity vest!
- Soak up the good vibes and channel them down each leg🦵 🦵
- Station your cheer leaders strategically
- Take emergency music for when you hit the wall, the same music you trained with
- Enjoy Mile 23 it’s THE BEST bit of the race!
- Save a gel for the last 3 miles – it’s the hardest bit!
- Have supporters at Mile 25!
- Remember to smile for the camera as you go over the finish line!
- Trust the plan & your wise friends – the training works and they are right !!!