First time London Marathon runner - eek! by greenwelly

Hi again all, hope you're not bored of me yet. Just had to post another blog listing before heading off down to London tomorrow. Only 2 sleeps to go..... (Or probably one really as I can't see myself sleeping very much on Saturday night!) and I'm so pleased its nearly time now... this week has been dragging.

Went for my last run yesterday (in the midday heat of the day as acclimatisation for Sunday, but sadly it wasnt really that hot yesterday), just 3 miles gently plodding along and all felt ok (apart from the blasted left leg which is still complaining somewhat) but I did have a little "moment" during the run....... I suddenly started to visualise myself on Sunday running down The Mall towards the finish line and hearing the music in my head ........ daaaah dah dah di di daaah da da daaaaah.. and then crossing the finish line and collapsing in floods of tears into one of the offficials.... And I do actually think that could be an accurate predition of how the finish will go on Sunday. (Someone please tell me they don't have that music playing at the finish do they?)

And randomly these last few days I just keep getting all choked up thinking about it. I guess it just means so much to me. I'm know you're all feeling the same.

So, will be packing everything up today and heading off early tomorrow morning for London, get the expo done (planning on flying through just to register and collect this lucozade pace band thingy, don't want to tire myself out walking around an expo for hours), then try to put my feet up for as long as possible ready for Sunday.

On the news this morning: "Possibly the hottest day ever for the London Marathon"... OH JOY, that's not what we want to hear is it??! The weather factor is really bothering me as its just going to make it  soooo much harder and means my dreams of 4.30 are probably unrealistic, gutted about that. But..... absolutely nothing I can do about it, just got to drink water all the time, run through those shower things and keep cool as much as possible.

Also on the news this morning, that guy from Homes Under the Hammer, saying he's been training for 6 weeks for the marathon! Good grief how's he ever going to get round??? Poor bloke obviously doesn't know what he's let himself in for at all. That made me feel pretty good as I suddenly started to wonder how many other people out there have done hardly any training... so maybe I'm not in too bad a position after all.

Anyway, this will be my last post before Sunday (but of course I'll be back after that with the full weekend reports). Just want to say a massive thank you to everyone on here who's been a follower of my blog, you're all great and you've been so supportive and have given me such great advice and its been just fab to be able to share the fears, worries and achievements with you all.

I wish you all the very best for Sunday and I will be thinking about you all as I go round, wondering if I'm running along next to ClareVR, Firefly, Suziewee, Squa25, Simonedumergue or any of the rest of you without knowing it. (I fear that I may not make it to the Blue start meet-up as I'll be forever in the loo queues or struck down with fear of meeting you all). I really hope the day goes well for all of you and I can't wait to read your blogs about it afterwards.

If anyone's interested I will be wearing a fluorescent yellow Headway vest with "Tina" on the front of it.

Wishing you all the very best.

Hugs, Tina xx