Well, still alive (just about)!

don't know where to start...what an absolutely incredible experience!  Tough - particularly after the old injury flared up again about 13 miles in - but amazing.

the day went something like this.

3am, woke up in a cold sweat. Rubbish night’s sleep. I know the alarm is set for 4.55am. Doubt I’ll get anymore sleep before it goes off. Grrr. Dozed a bit but when the alarm finally went sprinted out of bed. Had breakfast – really paranoid about having enough time to digest and poo before the start.  5.45am leave house for Withdean Stadium. 6am board coach. Mixture or runners, supporters, running sisters and brighton and hove club runners volunteering at mile 14 water station. Very exciting. Still not pooed, there’s a bog on the coach but don’t really fancy it.

7.30ish coach drops us off near red and blue starts. Everyone seems to be on the blue start apart from me. Find one person who is red thought so we say our goodbyes to the blue and split off to the red start. How exciting. Get to red area about an hour and a half before the start. Located the loos first – pleasantly surprised to find no queue and very clean.  I poo!! Slightly dodgy nervous guts. Oh dear. Wander about a bit, sip some lucozade, locate the baggage trucks. Go to loo again. Guts still a bit dodge. Mobile going a bit crazy with good luck texts. Sit in the park and respond to them and watch the squirrels, eat  banana. Loo again. Still dodge. Argh. Drop off kit bag, put bin liner on, 9.25 head to pen 5. Stand in pen 5 for a bit. I need a wee. No i don’t. Yes i do. Argh. Shall i go, queues are long now. No i don’t need it’s fine.....stomach turns. I need a poo. Run to loos. Queue seems to take forever but finally get my turn at about 9.35. Guts aren’t great but not a lot to be done about it now...9.38 back at pen 5. Counting the minutes....

GO! Cross the start about 4 mins after the gun. OMIGOD I’m actually running the LONDON MARATHON!!!  Amazing.  Pace yourself, pace yourself. A mile in I hear ‘Hannah hannah’ – David a work colleague who lives in Blackheath is there, yay! See him a little later around mile 4 too, briliiant! Mile 1 came very quickly, and mile 2. 3, 4, 5, 6, all is well, steady goes tt -  8 minute miles - feel fine. Wow – spot my work mates Laura, Sarah, James, Rich and Julia with a huge ‘Go Hannah banana’ banner at around mile 6/7.  Brilliant!!! I think i may have screamed rather loudly in another runners ear.  Oops.

About 7 miles in am desperate for a wee – or so i think – and from then on every mile i’m looking out for the portaloos to see if any are vacant or how long the queues are. Very  envious of all the men able to nip off and wee by the side of the road. Keep telling myself i don’t really need it but the anxiety stays with me the whole time. Avoid drinking too much water, stick to lucozade. And gels. Mile 11, feeling a bit tired now. Mile 13, ouch,  groin pain is back. S--t. It doesn’t hurt, it’s fine, keep going... .

Tower bridge. Wow. The feeling of running over Tower Bridge will always stay with me, it was  breathtaking – literally – i had to force a deep breath and fight back the tears, really overwhelming!

Mile 14 water station – i can see my clubmates handing it over but can’t get over to the side in time, damn. Feeling OK again. Mile 15, 16. Bit tired again. Mile 21. Groin goes. Arrrrgh. It’s really a case of grin and bear it from now on. Really bloody hurts .

Finally at around mile 22 I see a vacant portaloo but by then my pulled muscle is sooo painful I know if I stop there’s no way i’ll ever  be able to get going again, so hold it in. Mile 23. Hadn’t planned to tale another lucozade but spot a pregnant woman at the side at the road – it’s Liz Yelling! I’ll have a lucozade from her then, ace! That gave me a boost.

Nearly there. Ahh it’s my work mates again, fantastic. Managed to swap by grimace for a smile momentarily. Finally Mile 25. Goes on FOREVER. 800 metres. 400 metres. How long does it takes me to run 400 metres on the track? No where near as long as this. 200 metres. FINISH!!  3 hrs 48, or 3.47.59 to be precise.

Start to cry. Can’t breathe. Calm down. Forgotten how to walk. Funnily enough the minute i cross the finish line the need for the loo completely disappears...

 Zombified am ‘processed’ through. Chip off, shiny medal, smile for the finish photo, collect goodie bag, retrieve kit bag, turn phone on, hobble to meet and greet area.

My mum spots me first and bursts into tears. I don’t know why since I’m the one who’s just run 26 miles and is in pain. Then my dad, my cousin Vanessa, and Chris (who finished in 3.34). Then my friend Anna turned up and my work mates a bit later. Ate goodie bag contents and chatted for a while before saying our goodbyes and heading over to the brighton lot for the coach home.

 Walking back to the coach I realised just how much pain i was actually in, my groin really really hurt now and I couldn’t put any weight on the right leg at all. When we got home I literally had to crawl up the stairs on my hands and knees.  Had a hot arnica bath and some dinner before heading out to the pub to meet the other finishers and supporters.  Didn’t plan to stay out to long as figured one G&T would go to my head and send me to sleep but actually after 3 of them I was still fine and had a bit of a second wind so stayed til about 12 before taxi-ing home again. Then fell asleep as soon as I hit the sofa. Chris woke me up about an an hour later and was just about to go to bed when my stomach churned and I had the worst guts ever. Reckon it must have been all those carb gels and lucozade. Ugh.

Pretty uncomfortable night’s sleep as the slightest movement really hurt. Fortunately i had the Monday morning off so went straight to the doc who obviously prescribed more rest but also some painkillers. Was in a lot of pain all of Monday and Monday night but Tuesday was much better – until i caught  post-marathon cold and also stubbed by toe of the left foot. So now i’m snotting all over the place and hobbling on both sides. But at least i;m off on holiday this afternoon, phew!

 So anyway, all in all it was brilliant, and i’d do it all over again tomorrow (if i could walk!). To be honest I was hoping for a bit better time, and am frustrated that i just missed out on the 'good for age' by 2mins 59, but under the circumstances I guess i'm ok with it, and at least have my first marathon underway and something solid to aim to beat for the next one! The crowds were amazing - especially my fantastic colleagues, friends and family scattered around the course with brilliant banners and screams of encouragement and  gave me a real boost, particularly in those final few miles when I needed it most.

Once again a HUGE thanks to everyone who has supported me over the past few months and helped to raise over £2000 so far for ACTSA!

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