CHALLENGE THREE;
RUN; LONDON MARATHON - COMPLETE 23RD APRIL 2017
Finally getting round to writing my blog about Challenge Number 3 – The London Marathon. Quite a long read this – it’s not intentional, I just seem to have a lot to say…!
2017 has so far been a funny one – starting off with the usual hangover on the 1st January after a great Hogmanay and up until last weekend, I had not experienced a single headache as 16 weeks of Marathon training came to an end with a gruelling 26.2 mile run around the streets of London on April 23rd.
I am not a runner – I’ll get that out the way nice and early. 16 weeks ago, I was 2 weeks into my programme where my programme consisted of various 20 and 30 minute runs, 4 times a week. Those 30 minute runs were torcher, my knee was in agony, I was breathing out my a*** doing laps of Kemnay and thinking to myself, how the heck am I going to keep this up for the guts of 5 hours?!?!
Talking of times – I’d heard various plans on what time I should be aiming for. 10 minute miles, 26.2 miles, should get me round in 4 and a half hours and that was what I trained for. More on that later..
Back to the training plan and the sober weekends were beginning to become quite refreshing (seriously – what is/was wrong with me?! Ha) – still heading out on a Sunday morning but the distances weren’t getting any longer and I was not enjoying it whatsoever haha. The weeks were ticking over and I still had no idea how I was going to cope with the full whack.
Then something clicked – 3 weeks before the Garioch half marathon in March (bearing in mind we are now only 7 weeks from the marathon) – I got up one morning and with no pain in my legs, managed a nice 14 miles at that elusive 10 minute mile pace and felt great – it was my longest run by 5 miles and for the first time I thought ‘what just happened!?’ – Not only had I passed double figures, but I’d passed the half marathon distance also.
The following week, it was back to the same issues – I went out for an early morning run with Rod Wallace and 4 miles in, the knee was at it again. We did however complete almost 12 miles at 10 minute mile pace and rested up ahead of the Garioch Half Marathon. The GHM was effectively my first ever long distance ‘race’ and having only completed 14 miles once, was unsure how the day would go. My plan was to run at ‘marathon pace’ and not burn myself out and fortunately, despite the heat and hills, I got round in 2 hours and 14 minutes – right on pace with the aforementioned 4 and a half hours for the full 26.2. To say I was delighted was an understatement but deep down knowing that I still had to double that distance in 5 weeks’ time was a scary thought.
The final month of training was good craic as various people joined my on my runs / parts of my runs which helped pass the distances – physically I probably wasn’t showing much improvement as I had the appetite of a horse while running longer but each week I was sticking to the plan and did manage my 20 mile run before the taper phase (also known as ‘carb loading’ – my favourite part of the full 16 weeks as the phrase ‘I’m running a marathon in 3/2/next week’ could be used as a valid excuse to eat anything I wanted and nobody would question you haha).
Throughout all this training, I was added to a specific CLIC Sargent page with all the other CLIC Sargent runners. A lot of whom were also doing their first marathon and others who were doing Marathon number 10/11/12! It was an excellent group to be a part of as the experienced runners were able to advise those of us who were panicking about the smallest things to help put our minds at rest. A special mention also to Lewis Hay @ CLIC Sargent who was excellent throughout the build-up to the event.
The time came to head to London and the Expo was mad – the sheer amount of things happening with all the various charities, sponsors, celebs involved was great and really got my looking forward to the next 48 hours.
Saturday was a ‘relaxing’ day as such with not much happening. Allison & I took a trip to the start point for Sunday to get our timings sorted and you would have never known a marathon was happening there in 24 hours. My legs were taped, we were in bed by 9pm and then came the worst part… SLEEP, of which, I got naff all. I was wide awake up until about 1am, seen every hour on the clock and woke up properly at 5am. Allison – completely oblivious and nicking the covers as per usual.
The day had finally arrived to run the marathon. Boosted by a £150 donation from my dad which took the total past the £10,000 mark (mental!!), protein bars were scoffed and it was time to head to the Red Start at Greenwich Park. It was at this point, I was more worried about Allison than the Marathon. She was to head to the Embankment CLIC Sargent Cheer Point at Mile 25 all by herself using London transport… The fear was real! Ha, would she make it in the 4 and a half hours it’ll probably take me to get there?!?! Attention however quickly turned back to my own thoughts when I entered Greenwich Park and the sea of people was incredible – totally different from the day before. The buzz was amazing and I was to look out for a ‘Band Stand’ which is where the other CLIC Sargent people would be meeting up. I found said bandstand and soon realised why were made that our meeting point as I stood next to Gabby Logan and clocked the TV cameras were soon to be recording! Haha.
I dropped by Bag off in the lorry, went for a final ‘toilet stop’ before heading over to my start point at Zone 6. There was a fellow CLIC Sargent runner (Gary Hook) also at Zone 6 so it was fine to have someone to chat to and ease the nerves ahead of the start.
The countdown finished and we were off at 10am for the 2017 London Marathon……. Or not – I didn’t factor in that we wouldn’t actually start the race at 10am as there were thousands of others trying to cross the start line while we were at it..! ha. As I started walking forwards, I could feel the need for another toilet stop which was not ideal - 10 minutes later however and my race began. The route started off quite flat and very crowded but the pace was good as we started alongside those in the 4h 15 bracket. Miles 1-6 passed easy enough, the Cutty Sark at mile 6 was my first personal ‘marker’ and reached there feeling good, 10 minutes miles were going well – I was just under that actually which was quite handy and the clocks every mile looked good. 7… 8… 9… All passed fine and I’m now really needing to head for a pee as it was an hour and a half since the feeling came on and I was thinking about it far too much. Mile 10 came, 1 hr 39 minutes in and that’s when my race changed for the worst. Completing the lavvy stop was great but trying to get going again, now by myself with no Gary alongside / ahead of me as a guide was not easy at all.
The pace dropped a bit as I struggled to find my stride again but knowing Tower Bridge was coming up at the Half Marathon mark was keeping me going. Tower Bridge was unreal, turning that corner and seeing the Bridge in front with the hordes of people and all the charities with cheer points (including CLIC Sargent) was amazing and gave me a real buzz to crack on and my pace picked up again ahead for miles 14 and 15. I passed the half way stage at 2 hours and 14 minutes (recognise that time from anywhere?!) but the body was beginning to ache all round by the end of 15 and I made the conscientious decision to take a breather for mile 16 and walk it. In hindsight, maybe not the best idea but at the time, the crowds weren’t as busy as previous, the runners had stretched out as we headed on a lap of Canary Wharf and it seemed like the safest bet to get some life back in the legs.
The Mile 17 marker was great as that meant we were into single figures of miles left but by now, I was more slow jogging than I was anything else, trying to keep some stamina in the tank knowing I definitely had 20 miles in my legs but also knowing I had to find an extra 6 from somewhere and I didn’t want to go overboard. I also knew there was a wee hill coming up as our hotel was outside mile 18 and a downhill that far in was too much to ask for obviously…!
My pace had dropped to 11 minute miles but in all honesty, I was more thinking about getting round the course than I was about the 4h 30 mark I’d set myself. That plan seemed great at 10am but I didn’t factor in pee stops and the pain my feet & knees were in come this stage of the race. Another thing that was beginning to get to me was the people – at the start, hearing everyone shout ‘come on Liam’, ‘stick in Liam’ etc was amazing and made me feel great… 17 miles in and hearing someone go ‘not much further Liam’, ‘come on dig deep Liam, you’ve got this’ EVERY TEN SECONDS was doing my head in hahahaha (your name is on your top FYI).
I reached the 20 mile mark and that’s where I reached by lowest point, still 10k to go and thinking that I’ve been doing these for breakfast the last few weeks didn’t have the desired effect. 10k felt like 10 miles and to cap it off, a guy in a Rhino outfit overtook me. Yes, that actually happened. I did however catch up with him 1 mile later as he’d all but passed out and the medical staff were attending to him. Still, I’d been overtaken by a rhino…! To make matters worse, my app was telling me I was further along than I actually was and I’d run a good half a mile / three quarters of a mile further than the actual race markers showed.
Once I got past 23 miles, the energy came back as I realised this was it and I’d almost finished the London Marathon. 4 and a half hours on the clock and I’m thinking to myself, ‘5 hours or so – that’s not a bad effort for my first run’. Allison had made it to Embankment cheer point and she passed the Flag which was filled with sponsors and I ran with it the final 1.2 miles.
The last stretch down Westminster and past Buckingham Palace was crazy. The noise was mental and it just felt great – having seen the London Marathon on TV many times and seeing that final sprint to the finish from the other side and knowing that I was now running that stretch was the best feeling. I crossed the line with 5 hours and 7 minutes to my name, body in bits, gasping for breath and to make matters worse – had I entered the finish line 3 lanes to my right, I’d have received my Medal from none other than Prince William!!!! Typical!
CLIC Sargent hosted an after party at the Northumberland where runners were treated to a post-race massage and with that, Challenge Number 3 was complete.
Again, a massive thanks to all the companies who sponsored a spot on The Flag and you will be on there again ahead of my trek around the Mountains of Peru in October this year as I divert my attention to a 6 day trek around the Inca Trail, culminating at the World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu.
Those companies (in no particular order) are;
Silver Darling Restaurant – Edwards Inverurie – Party Box Aberdeen – Heather Thom – Rhea At Soul – Centrifuges Unlimited – G Muldoon Decorating Services – ASP Cleaning Services – Premier Coaches – Shenzhen Red Subsea Technologies Ltd – R&R Plumbing & Heating – A&G Collie Butchers – The Rotary Club of Kintore, Kemnay & District – Morna Petrano Property Leasing Ltd – RJ Furniture – Specsavers – Well Balanced – Mindfulness & Relaxation Studio for Children & Families – Aberdeen City Electrical – Rood Signs – Alaska Poker Association – Coco’s Hair Salon – Inverurie Round Table.
Also a thanks to everyone putting up with my sober antics and bailing on nights out etc. as I trained for this. I even spent a night sober on one of my pals Engagement Parties (that actually happened yes…!) and to those who joined me for various runs over the last few months.
And finally Allison for putting up with my moaning about aches, pains and tiredness for the last 4 months! Ha.
Cheers for reading,
Liam.
www.justgiving.com/liamthom
www.facebook.com/liamthomcharity
www.liamthom.weebly.com
2017 has so far been a funny one – starting off with the usual hangover on the 1st January after a great Hogmanay and up until last weekend, I had not experienced a single headache as 16 weeks of Marathon training came to an end with a gruelling 26.2 mile run around the streets of London on April 23rd.
I am not a runner – I’ll get that out the way nice and early. 16 weeks ago, I was 2 weeks into my programme where my programme consisted of various 20 and 30 minute runs, 4 times a week. Those 30 minute runs were torcher, my knee was in agony, I was breathing out my a*** doing laps of Kemnay and thinking to myself, how the heck am I going to keep this up for the guts of 5 hours?!?!
Talking of times – I’d heard various plans on what time I should be aiming for. 10 minute miles, 26.2 miles, should get me round in 4 and a half hours and that was what I trained for. More on that later..
Back to the training plan and the sober weekends were beginning to become quite refreshing (seriously – what is/was wrong with me?! Ha) – still heading out on a Sunday morning but the distances weren’t getting any longer and I was not enjoying it whatsoever haha. The weeks were ticking over and I still had no idea how I was going to cope with the full whack.
Then something clicked – 3 weeks before the Garioch half marathon in March (bearing in mind we are now only 7 weeks from the marathon) – I got up one morning and with no pain in my legs, managed a nice 14 miles at that elusive 10 minute mile pace and felt great – it was my longest run by 5 miles and for the first time I thought ‘what just happened!?’ – Not only had I passed double figures, but I’d passed the half marathon distance also.
The following week, it was back to the same issues – I went out for an early morning run with Rod Wallace and 4 miles in, the knee was at it again. We did however complete almost 12 miles at 10 minute mile pace and rested up ahead of the Garioch Half Marathon. The GHM was effectively my first ever long distance ‘race’ and having only completed 14 miles once, was unsure how the day would go. My plan was to run at ‘marathon pace’ and not burn myself out and fortunately, despite the heat and hills, I got round in 2 hours and 14 minutes – right on pace with the aforementioned 4 and a half hours for the full 26.2. To say I was delighted was an understatement but deep down knowing that I still had to double that distance in 5 weeks’ time was a scary thought.
The final month of training was good craic as various people joined my on my runs / parts of my runs which helped pass the distances – physically I probably wasn’t showing much improvement as I had the appetite of a horse while running longer but each week I was sticking to the plan and did manage my 20 mile run before the taper phase (also known as ‘carb loading’ – my favourite part of the full 16 weeks as the phrase ‘I’m running a marathon in 3/2/next week’ could be used as a valid excuse to eat anything I wanted and nobody would question you haha).
Throughout all this training, I was added to a specific CLIC Sargent page with all the other CLIC Sargent runners. A lot of whom were also doing their first marathon and others who were doing Marathon number 10/11/12! It was an excellent group to be a part of as the experienced runners were able to advise those of us who were panicking about the smallest things to help put our minds at rest. A special mention also to Lewis Hay @ CLIC Sargent who was excellent throughout the build-up to the event.
The time came to head to London and the Expo was mad – the sheer amount of things happening with all the various charities, sponsors, celebs involved was great and really got my looking forward to the next 48 hours.
Saturday was a ‘relaxing’ day as such with not much happening. Allison & I took a trip to the start point for Sunday to get our timings sorted and you would have never known a marathon was happening there in 24 hours. My legs were taped, we were in bed by 9pm and then came the worst part… SLEEP, of which, I got naff all. I was wide awake up until about 1am, seen every hour on the clock and woke up properly at 5am. Allison – completely oblivious and nicking the covers as per usual.
The day had finally arrived to run the marathon. Boosted by a £150 donation from my dad which took the total past the £10,000 mark (mental!!), protein bars were scoffed and it was time to head to the Red Start at Greenwich Park. It was at this point, I was more worried about Allison than the Marathon. She was to head to the Embankment CLIC Sargent Cheer Point at Mile 25 all by herself using London transport… The fear was real! Ha, would she make it in the 4 and a half hours it’ll probably take me to get there?!?! Attention however quickly turned back to my own thoughts when I entered Greenwich Park and the sea of people was incredible – totally different from the day before. The buzz was amazing and I was to look out for a ‘Band Stand’ which is where the other CLIC Sargent people would be meeting up. I found said bandstand and soon realised why were made that our meeting point as I stood next to Gabby Logan and clocked the TV cameras were soon to be recording! Haha.
I dropped by Bag off in the lorry, went for a final ‘toilet stop’ before heading over to my start point at Zone 6. There was a fellow CLIC Sargent runner (Gary Hook) also at Zone 6 so it was fine to have someone to chat to and ease the nerves ahead of the start.
The countdown finished and we were off at 10am for the 2017 London Marathon……. Or not – I didn’t factor in that we wouldn’t actually start the race at 10am as there were thousands of others trying to cross the start line while we were at it..! ha. As I started walking forwards, I could feel the need for another toilet stop which was not ideal - 10 minutes later however and my race began. The route started off quite flat and very crowded but the pace was good as we started alongside those in the 4h 15 bracket. Miles 1-6 passed easy enough, the Cutty Sark at mile 6 was my first personal ‘marker’ and reached there feeling good, 10 minutes miles were going well – I was just under that actually which was quite handy and the clocks every mile looked good. 7… 8… 9… All passed fine and I’m now really needing to head for a pee as it was an hour and a half since the feeling came on and I was thinking about it far too much. Mile 10 came, 1 hr 39 minutes in and that’s when my race changed for the worst. Completing the lavvy stop was great but trying to get going again, now by myself with no Gary alongside / ahead of me as a guide was not easy at all.
The pace dropped a bit as I struggled to find my stride again but knowing Tower Bridge was coming up at the Half Marathon mark was keeping me going. Tower Bridge was unreal, turning that corner and seeing the Bridge in front with the hordes of people and all the charities with cheer points (including CLIC Sargent) was amazing and gave me a real buzz to crack on and my pace picked up again ahead for miles 14 and 15. I passed the half way stage at 2 hours and 14 minutes (recognise that time from anywhere?!) but the body was beginning to ache all round by the end of 15 and I made the conscientious decision to take a breather for mile 16 and walk it. In hindsight, maybe not the best idea but at the time, the crowds weren’t as busy as previous, the runners had stretched out as we headed on a lap of Canary Wharf and it seemed like the safest bet to get some life back in the legs.
The Mile 17 marker was great as that meant we were into single figures of miles left but by now, I was more slow jogging than I was anything else, trying to keep some stamina in the tank knowing I definitely had 20 miles in my legs but also knowing I had to find an extra 6 from somewhere and I didn’t want to go overboard. I also knew there was a wee hill coming up as our hotel was outside mile 18 and a downhill that far in was too much to ask for obviously…!
My pace had dropped to 11 minute miles but in all honesty, I was more thinking about getting round the course than I was about the 4h 30 mark I’d set myself. That plan seemed great at 10am but I didn’t factor in pee stops and the pain my feet & knees were in come this stage of the race. Another thing that was beginning to get to me was the people – at the start, hearing everyone shout ‘come on Liam’, ‘stick in Liam’ etc was amazing and made me feel great… 17 miles in and hearing someone go ‘not much further Liam’, ‘come on dig deep Liam, you’ve got this’ EVERY TEN SECONDS was doing my head in hahahaha (your name is on your top FYI).
I reached the 20 mile mark and that’s where I reached by lowest point, still 10k to go and thinking that I’ve been doing these for breakfast the last few weeks didn’t have the desired effect. 10k felt like 10 miles and to cap it off, a guy in a Rhino outfit overtook me. Yes, that actually happened. I did however catch up with him 1 mile later as he’d all but passed out and the medical staff were attending to him. Still, I’d been overtaken by a rhino…! To make matters worse, my app was telling me I was further along than I actually was and I’d run a good half a mile / three quarters of a mile further than the actual race markers showed.
Once I got past 23 miles, the energy came back as I realised this was it and I’d almost finished the London Marathon. 4 and a half hours on the clock and I’m thinking to myself, ‘5 hours or so – that’s not a bad effort for my first run’. Allison had made it to Embankment cheer point and she passed the Flag which was filled with sponsors and I ran with it the final 1.2 miles.
The last stretch down Westminster and past Buckingham Palace was crazy. The noise was mental and it just felt great – having seen the London Marathon on TV many times and seeing that final sprint to the finish from the other side and knowing that I was now running that stretch was the best feeling. I crossed the line with 5 hours and 7 minutes to my name, body in bits, gasping for breath and to make matters worse – had I entered the finish line 3 lanes to my right, I’d have received my Medal from none other than Prince William!!!! Typical!
CLIC Sargent hosted an after party at the Northumberland where runners were treated to a post-race massage and with that, Challenge Number 3 was complete.
Again, a massive thanks to all the companies who sponsored a spot on The Flag and you will be on there again ahead of my trek around the Mountains of Peru in October this year as I divert my attention to a 6 day trek around the Inca Trail, culminating at the World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu.
Those companies (in no particular order) are;
Silver Darling Restaurant – Edwards Inverurie – Party Box Aberdeen – Heather Thom – Rhea At Soul – Centrifuges Unlimited – G Muldoon Decorating Services – ASP Cleaning Services – Premier Coaches – Shenzhen Red Subsea Technologies Ltd – R&R Plumbing & Heating – A&G Collie Butchers – The Rotary Club of Kintore, Kemnay & District – Morna Petrano Property Leasing Ltd – RJ Furniture – Specsavers – Well Balanced – Mindfulness & Relaxation Studio for Children & Families – Aberdeen City Electrical – Rood Signs – Alaska Poker Association – Coco’s Hair Salon – Inverurie Round Table.
Also a thanks to everyone putting up with my sober antics and bailing on nights out etc. as I trained for this. I even spent a night sober on one of my pals Engagement Parties (that actually happened yes…!) and to those who joined me for various runs over the last few months.
And finally Allison for putting up with my moaning about aches, pains and tiredness for the last 4 months! Ha.
Cheers for reading,
Liam.
www.justgiving.com/liamthom
www.facebook.com/liamthomcharity
www.liamthom.weebly.com