I’m finally there… that is past the longest run of training, past the last long run of tapering even, and it’s looking more likely than not that 2024 will be the year I really make it to the start line of the London marathon.

It’s now ~1.5 weeks to go – I’m nervous, excited, still not really confident (I’ve just learnt the word is ‘maranoia’)! However, I’ve done my training plan and done my best, even if it exhausted me throughout March (culminating in me having to get the bus to work after being far too stiff to do any commuting by bike), and am more than looking forward to hereafter only doing running that’s just a bit more within my ability (parkrun or my club’s First Saturday on the Month 5k on Norton Common anyone?).

Me looking determined as I run past King's College. I'm wearing running gear; leggings with highland cows, my club vest, a bright pink top and a race number.

As per 2023, I did the Cambridge half as a training race. About a minute slower than last year, but I’ll put that down to the stones from the gravel path on the new route through Trinity College getting in my shoes.

For those that don’t know the story, a TL;DR is I got a ballot place for the London marathon 2020; then when that didn’t happen, I transferred to 2022, and when that moved to autumn, transferred again to 2023 (avoiding summer training 🥵 and a certain wedding). However, in March 2023, I tore a calf muscle at mile 16 of a 17-mile training run, and had to defer.

So, here we are, only 4 years late. For more musings on it all, and a few detours into other running stuff, see other blog entries tagged with London marathon.

Although my place for London is a ballot place, I am taking this opportunity to do a little fundraising for our local hospice, Garden House Hospice, which I go past on my training runs, and for anyone that would like to donate in support of my efforts, a link is below.

Garden House Hospice do marvellous work providing end-of-life care and support to patients and their families, and I know the money raised will make a difference to their work. This was also the North Herts Road Runners (NHRR) charity of the year for 2019/2020, when I was originally supposed to be running, and with events cancelled that year, many charities found their income reduced, so it feels fitting.

To all the coaches at NHRR who have helped so much over the years of me training for this, know that I am beyond grateful; there’s been some memorable evening sessions every March where you’ve given up your time to encourage us through those downpours while standing there getting drenched yourself!

For those at my work, who’ve had to suffer through me going on and on about never-ending training as it once again took over my free time (and strange squeaks when I’ve had to get up out my office chair with quads that don’t quite work as they usually do), in way of compensation, I’ll bring you some marathon cookies. In fact, this is a recipe you’ve seen before, as it’s just my favourite chocolate cookie recipe, but we do call them ‘marathon cookies’ in our house as we first made them for James’s colleagues when he did the London marathon in 2014.

I think it’s fair to ‘congratulate’ myself on having a good deal of stubbornness to get through all the on-offs with marathon training and various associated injuries, but the race will still be hard going and I will be taking a looong time to finish. I’ll be doing a lot of walking; mostly walking in fact.

For anyone following along on live tracking, I don’t start until ~11:20 (bib number 65199), and don’t worry if the pace trails off dramatically in the latter stages – it’s expected that at some point I will run out of run. It’s certainly not true, as you sadly sometimes see trolls claiming, that those walking and taking 8 h haven’t trained; it’s just our best isn’t that fast because 26.2 miles is a very long way and we weren’t starting our training from the same point as others.

Meanwhile, please do also follow my short-form marathon posts on social media (Mastodon; no ads/login/tracking), where James will be doing updates on the day. Replies and encouragement, and boosts, from those on the fediverse are very welcome.

I hope to write a full report of what I make of the day itself in the week after the event – but it won’t be up that promptly. I’ll need a good long rest first.

Finally, very best of luck to everyone else taking part. We’ve got this.

Extra shots

Credits

The photo from the Cambridge Half is ©Sussex Sport Photography and is used with permission.