Top Ten thoughts had before tackling the 26.2 London Marathon:
1)Is it even tomorrow?
Classic questioning the key facts syndrome! Yes the race is tomorrow, yes you are ready and yes you will have completed the race this time tomorrow.
2) It is 26.2miles yeah? I heard someone last week suggesting it was only 24?
No the distance hasn’t been changed, even if it has been running almost 35 years. It’s still 26.2 miles, and it’s still the distance you’ve been training for. One mile at a time, you’ve got this.
3) I wonder how many miles everyone else has run? Is my one 20 mile training run enough?
Does it matter how many miles everyone else has run? Are you really going to go and bash out a 24 miler now? NO. So don’t panic. You know your body, you know your training and you are ready for this!
4) What if I really need to go…
We all had it, and everyone will have it… the genuine fear of desperately needing to go. Well you’ll be glad to know there’s numerous stop spots each equipped with fully functional toilets catering for every ‘go’.
5) Is this porridge ever going to end?
We’re told to carb load pre race, we listen. But when they said carb load did they literally mean fill the bath with porridge and attempt to eat all before 9? (Your bowl is not really the size of the bath, you will get through your sensible portion and it will give you the power to pace the many meals. Just keep spooning!)
6) Should I have been a little more inventive with my playlist? Eminem’s ‘Lose yourself’ is really starting to grate on me.
You’ve tried ‘Eye of the Tiger’, you’ve tried ‘Don’t Stop me Now’ but still Eminem’s husky sounds are what keeps the speed up. Well then that’s that! Lose yourself in the miles, lose yourself in the song. If you have to sing it, sing, your fellow runners will appreciate the encouraging words!
7) Are the 12 tubs of vaseline really necessary?
We’ve heard the chaffing stories. If it gives you peace of mind you carry as many tubs of vaseline as you wish to.
8) I can’t wait to finish and have a massive pizza…no burger…no ice cream…no glass of red wine…screw it I’ll have it all!
After 26.2 (never miss the 0.2) you can eat as many pizzas, as many burgers and as many tubs of ice cream as you like. As for the wine, there’s never a limit on that. In fact we heard this rule applies for at least 3 days after? It certainly did for us!
9) Am I ever going to get to the front of this toilet queue?
The queue for the toilet drags longer than the race itself, be warned. This could be due to the fact there’s no one cheering you in the toilet queue…
10) Was that the starter buzzer?
No one’s moving, so we’re going to say no that was just the alarms going off in your head reminding you of the feat before you! Don’t panic, just go with the crowd and enjoy every step!
TTH x
