I had completed my final long run the Sunday before the race and clocked 1hr 45 - which was quicker than my half marathon PB of 1hr 47, so I was hopeful of a decent time. However, I wasn't sure of how other factors might affect me, such as getting up ridiculously early to get to the start line and how busy the race might be - which may make it hard to run a fast pace.
I got everything ready the night before, and felt a mixture of nerves and excitement. The combo of my Nike sports bra and Lululemon vest are so comfortable, and make me feel good, stay cool and avoid painful chafing!
My alarm went off bright and early at 5.30am and along with my faithful groupies (Mum and boyfriend) we got the train by the skin of our teeth (why does that always happen?!) and got the tube to Knightsbridge, where we encountered quite a few other nervous and excited looking runners. Upon leaving the tube by Harrods, I pinned my number on and tied my shoes, then we just followed the pack of runners to the festival area by the start line.
There was music, stalls selling food and snacks, runners warming up, and a great buzz of excitement in the air. I began the pre race ritual of queuing for the portaloo and I unfortunately must have chosen the longest and most frustrating queue EVER. It seemed as though each person was taking literally ten minutes in the there - and seriously, why would you want to spend any more time than was necessary?! After half an hour of waiting and getting more and more anxious, it was 8 minutes until the official start.
There were about 6 people still in front of me. By this point I was struggling to control my annoyance, "let's hurry this up a bit guys, or we'll miss the start!" I tried feebly. Luckily a few people had the same thoughts as me, and quickly went in, did their thing, then got out. Two people in front of me, and the start was imminent. One person was a race marshal and not a runner - and I naively hoped that he might let runners that needed to start the race pop in front of him. Unfortunately, he motioned smugly for a fresh roll of toilet paper, and settled himself down for the long haul. As I heard the start klaxon from the portaloo queue, I felt the chance of a good run slipping away. For one, I was pretty stressed out, and hadn't stretched properly. And even though it was chip timed, I had wanted to start in my rightful place which was with the 1.30-1.55 runners.
This guy really was taking his sweet time - and a lot of people around were complaining about it. With my anxiety reaching breaking point, I lurched forward and banged hard on the door, and then accosted the poor guy when he emerged . "That was so unfair!" I blurted out, to which he looked confused. When I then added "you're not even running" he realised I meant his selfish toilet decisions - and to his credit he did apologise...!
I then ran through a haze of rage to the start line, where I was now in a slower group than I wanted to be in. Luckily the lovely wide roads of London and the fact everyone went off extremely fast meant that I didn't have any problems with being stuck in a group, and I bashed out the first mile in a way-too-fast 6.45mins. A few people had mentioned the 1hr40 time, and I knew that I would have to beat my PB by 7 minutes to achieve this - but at that moment I decided to do just that. I knew that if I ran roughly 7.25min miles, and I should be able to maintain that on this flat course, I might be able to do it.
The race itself was a mix of highs and lows. I knew I hadn't stretched as much as I would have liked to, and my hip and knee kept reminding me of this. Also, I hadn't really tapered properly at all, which I something I need to really get better at. I'm really bad at resting and often can't resist the chance to get out and run. There were some points where I found it hard to keep up the pace I'd set myself, but with two doses of lucozade, jelly babies and a SIS Gel, I managed to keep my energy up enough. The atmosphere around Hyde Park with the supporters and charity stations really helped too. I found myself able to overtake people nearing the latter stages of the race which felt good - apart from when I looked behind to overtake, and then upon looking forward again I had a plastic boob in my face which was attached to someone's back! Not ideal.
Seeing the 11 mile then the 12 mile signs gave me new hope and new life in my legs. I knew my mum, boyfriend and brother (who had travelled in to meet them) would be waiting to see me cross the line, and thinking of that always gives me a push at the end. When I spotted them with a few metres to go I somehow broke out into a sprint, and the noise was deafening down the finishing straight. I crossed the line with my arms in the air!
We were shepherded to the festival area, where we got our lovely medal, much needed water and a banana, and they filled or bags with goodies such as Bounce Protein Balls, a mini deodorant, and sweets! I then received this text which made all the effort worth it:
I had a real mix of elation and mental and physical exhaustion after the race, and felt really sick and drained. It did make me contemplate how I would feel on the day of the London Marathon, and how hard I had to work with my running and fundraising before I get to the start line in April. However, it was a great experience and definitely a race I would recommend people to do if you can. Just suss out the best portaloo queue before you invest time standing in it...
Next race for me is the Brighton 10k on the 16th November. Please if you can - donate to my fundraising for Whizz-Kidz: https://www.justgiving.com/Eloise-Smith2
