I Did It!

😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

Oh my goodness! I did it! I actually did it! I ran the entire 26.2 miles without stopping (with the exception of a quick wee stop at around mile 8!)

I am a marathoner!

What an amazing day! I can’t tell you how nervous I was in the morning and had to force down a bowl of oats and a slice of toast for breakfast 😬

Perfect weather for running too (at the start but more on that later!) We even managed to find Jo at the start which was lovely!

I’d made the decision to run sans music but had my phone headphones just in case! And with a bottle full of Tailwind and a tummy full of nerves we were off!

In my head I knew I just wanted to run the lot and finish. That was my goal so I started slow and gradually found my pace I was comfortable at. It meant I was passed by Scooby Doo…twice (!) but I was good with that!

In my head I wanted to get to 8 miles. I knew once I got there I ‘only’ had 18 miles to go and I knew I could run 18 miles!

I loved running without music – it meant I could have a chat to others on my way round. I saw plenty of goats too – had to explain I was ingoatnito but was in fact a goat too! 🐐

13 miles felt good! After this point I was over half way and homeward bound!

Some stretches were filled with well wishers encouraging and shouting your name which was such a great feeling. Some bits were quite quiet and these were times when I could just have time to think. There were also quite a few hills. As I was running up one, I declared to the guys walking, ‘This is quite a dewsey! I was told this was supposed to be flat?!’ To which I got the reply, ‘It is for Yorkshire!’ Fair enough! 😂

Once I got to 18 miles my ankle had been hurting for a bit but after 3 or 4 miles it stopped. I think my body stopped protesting as it realised I was just going to ignore it! I saw the 19 mile marker on the other side of the switchback which kept me going. Once I got there, I thought I would keep going to 20 miles and see how I felt there.

The psychological training I had taken from my training guide was invaluable at this point! Checking my phone and reading all my friends’ lovely messages as I ran, as well as seeing the donations coming in for Myton Hospices kept me strong! I’m pretty sure Sarah was giving me a shove too just when I needed it ☺️

At 20 miles I was hurting. I felt really emotional and just wanted to cry but crying and running is a really hard thing to do!

At 21 miles I started the count down by thinking about how far it was on my training runs – 5 miles is a short ‘before work’ run. I can do that. 4 miles is two laps of PR. I can do that. 3 miles is a Sunday Run in the Park. I can do that. Each mile I was ticking off. How do you eat an elephant? 🐘 ( I could have eaten an elephant by then too – I was starving!!)

24 miles felt good but I’m pretty sure they had started to move the mile markers as it seemed to take forever to get to 25 miles then the Holy Grail of 26!

I turned the corner in the last mile, the rain poured down and low and behold, it was a bloody hill! Right at the end!!! Thankfully I’m a Chiltern’s girl so up I ran with a combination of tears, sweat, rain and snot streaming down my face. Thank goodness for all those hilly training runs I used to swear about!

Then there it was! The finish!

I was actually going to do this! Every bit of me hurt but who popped out from the crowd and ran with me to the finish line? Noah! 😍😍😍

I could not stop crying! A little voice said to me, ‘Mummy you’re running fast! I can only just keep up!’ I don’t know if I was or not – probably not but it felt like it!

5 hours 12 minutes and 42 seconds of running and I could stop. I had done it! Every one of those 499 miles of training, early mornings, tough runs, failed runs, frustrating runs, great runs had been worth it!

I was so happy to see David! The tears started again and I was blubbing like a baby but I was so happy! There is absolutely no way I could have done this without his support and that of all my friends and family. Thank you everyone! 😘

I think the smile on my face says it all! The foil is quite a look too! (That is alcohol free lager btw!)

So, as I’m sat on the sofa sipping a glass of red with my ankle on ice and taped up and parts of my body aching that I didn’t know could ache, what are the top five things I’ve learnt from running a marathon?

1. It’s a long way. No really, it is.

2. You ache like you wouldn’t believe. Stairs are not an option.

3. If you are injured, rest!

4. Pickled onion Monster Munch are the best post marathon snack.

5. You need to train just as much for the psychological part as well as the physical part. That’s what will get you through.

So, the final question would have to be: would I ever run a marathon again?

Never say never…watch this space! 😉