It’s spring marathon season and London marathon weekend, a highlight in any runner’s calendar. A couple of weeks ago, I ran Brighton Marathon in 3:48. It was my second ever marathon, the first being London marathon in 2018. I was underprepared and under-fuelled for that one and, honestly, I’ve never been proud of the time I ran (even though I know times don’t matter). So, I had unfinished business with the marathon distance.
Here’s everything I learnt from my sub-four marathon and if you’re about to take on 26.2 miles, take a deep breath, remember that you get to do this, smile at the crowds and be proud of how far you’ve come.
A marathon brings out the best in people
Every single person on that start line has a reason to run. Whether it’s a personal challenge, a charity cause, or in memory of a loved one. Being surrounded by that kind of energy is infectious and overwhelming. With Brighton and Manchester just gone and London today, you’ll mostly find me crying at videos of strangers running on the internet these days.
Waiting in the start pen there was a collective sense of ‘we’re really about to do this’. They put ‘Right Here, Right Now’ by Fatboy Slim on the speaker as my wave crossed the start line. I took a deep breath in, felt others bouncing up and down around me shaking their legs out, heard people nervously wishing each other luck and then we were running.
On top of that you have people who don’t even know you shouting your name, cheering you on, making the most noise possible to get you across that finish line. It’s an experience unlike anything else. I had my name on my t-shirt as I was running solo and thought I might get the odd volunteer giving me a boost. Strangers cheered for me the whole way.
I knew the London marathon would be amazing, but I wasn’t prepared for the atmosphere on the Brighton marathon course to be so electric. There were points in the city that were just a wall of noise, I didn’t need my carefully curated playlist until the quieter stretches. People who turn up and support not just their loved ones but total strangers too are angels in disguise.
So, make the most of that feeling, use it to drive you on and enjoy your victory lap.
You can have a perfect block and not have a perfect day
My training block went so well. It was my first time working with a coach, instead of following an online training plan. It made such a difference to have someone personalising my training and checking in with me, as well as encouraging me for all my races and big runs in the build-up. I didn’t face any of the common challenges that crop up during marathon training – no injuries, no illnesses – so, on paper, my 3:30 goal was achievable.
Despite this, I had far from the perfect day. I felt incredibly sick from halfway even though I kept to the same fuelling strategy I had for all those weeks in training and I was running at a pace I knew I was capable of.
The weather is also something that will play a massive part in how your race goes and is totally out of your control. Brighton marathon day was both hot and windy which adds to your fatigue. All you can do is prepare and adapt – splash water on yourself at water stations, run through misters if they have them on the course and make sure you take on enough water.
Stuff happens, things can go wrong and it’s about being able to adapt to that. Which brings me to…
A marathon is 99% mental
When they say the race begins at 20 miles, they’re not lying. I’d ran 20 miles in training, twice, but that last six was completely unknown territory. Your head starts to tell you that you can’t do it, your body goes into survival mode. I remember counting down the miles, getting to five and picturing my usual five-mile route at home to get an idea of how little there was left. I was wrestling with myself for the last two miles, wanting to walk, wanting to stop but working out that I was just 18 minutes away from being able to lie down.
My advice? Prepare yourself for it to get tough and have strategies to get you through it. Paula Radcliffe has said she used to count to 100 to distract herself when it got tough. Pro-runner Becky Briggs shared advice she uses from her coach, ‘you haven’t trained this hard for it to feel easy, you’ve trained to be able to tolerate it’ which is a great reminder.
You’re capable of hard things
The one thing I’m taking away from that race is that I’m a strong person. To feel so rubbish at halfway, want to DNF and still finish sub-4 took a lot of resilience. Anyone who finishes a marathon, no matter the time, is amazing to me. I don’t think anyone has an easy time out there, the distance will chew you up and I think that’s part of what keeps people coming back to it.
The wall is real and you’re probably going to hit it. You might think you can’t do it when you’re 20 miles deep but remember your training, remember your why and dig deep. Find a mantra and stick to it, something I reminded myself on my long, dark, cold wet training runs throughout the block was ‘I get to do this’, as in I’ve chosen this for myself and I’m lucky to have a body that’s capable of doing this. Once you’ve finished it, no one can take that away from you.
Did I say ‘I’m never running another marathon again’ after crossing the finish line? Yes. Do I want to do another one now? Yes.