Hi Everyone. So, despite thinking I'd never get a place the first time I applied, I actually did get a place to run on the London marathon next year! Excited and nervous rolled into one as this will be my first marathon... perhaps also my last! 😅I do tend to get ITB syndrome when training for longer runs but I'm feeling confident I can train up to about 35k but wondered if anyone had some tips on where you find the time, how often to do the longer runs during training and also if there was anyone in the Derbyshire area that could possibly provide a support buddy, especially from September onwards.
I will be running for type 1 diabetes after my brother was recently diagnosed and being very poorly leading up to his diagnosis. My Grandad was also type 1.
Anyone else on here been given a place for the London Marathon.. if so, I wonder if we could create a group either on here or on WhatsApp just for support.
Look forward to hearing back from, hopefully, lots of you.
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Written by
Skiddle1
Marathon
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My main advice is to follow a training plan. There are loads available online free (plus others you can buy quite cheaply). Consistency is key with your training. If you are new to this then build up slowly and do lots of strength training. You should do everything to avoid injuries.
There are a couple of facebook groups for the London marathon - some very sensible advice but a lot of postings either from people who are anxious or those showing off how fast they are. Do take with a pinch of salt.
You need to think of practicalities of the weekend of the marathon and where you want to stay. Prices of accommodation close to the start skyrocket but an alternative is staying elsewhere in London and catching the underground. Remember you must collect your bib number before race day (Saturday at the very latest) from the Excel centre so factor that in.
The charity you are running for should also be able to give support.
Most of all - have fun. The crowd support is amazing.
Very scary, I'm also excited. A bit worried about my ITB syndrome that I get from time to time but I'll be sure to do strength training alongside running. X
Congratulations Skiddle1 ! Excellent advice from 00marks , particularly about having a training plan and thinking through the practicalities.
I've only done one marathon, over-length and on trails with a serious amount of elevation. As my only aim was to get round, ideally enjoying myself, I chose a trail-specific training plan that was all about distance, terrain and time on feet, not pace.
I knew that there would be times when work and personal commitments would make it impossible to fit everything in, so I spread the 16-week plan over five months. I was supposed to run five times a week, but after the first four weeks rarely did, four or even three times was more like it.
So my top tip is to choose a plan that's right for you. Mine suited me, but I still hated most of it because I find structured training plans stressful and oppressive. In fact I'd never used one before deciding to do the trail marathon, and never have since.
Final thoughts: test out all your kit, fuelling and hydration during training. And have fun!
Thank you Cmoi. I am planning on investing in some new runners in the next month or two so I have plenty of time to bed them in. I'll definitely be planning strict meals the week leading up to the marathon and my fuelling during the marathon may well be chewits as that's what my Son gives me when I run alongside him cycling! Lol.
Hmm, I think you'll find you need rather more than chewits for a marathon! 😉
Although I never trained for any distance up to and including metric marathon, and that worked out fine, my experience was that preparing for a marathon is a whole different ballgame. I'm not a working mum, either. The fabulous TailChaser is though, and as she's also completed the London Marathon I very much hope she'll be along later to give you advice from her perspective!
Well done! 👍👊👊👊It’s basically simple, it’s all about diet, hydration, rest, correct training program, discipline and determination. I went with Hal Higdon’s marathon training plan, you can download it from his website and trained 5 days a week for 18 weeks, having already been able to run a half marathon every weekend. The key is to find a program that suits your life and your body’s ability to go through it all. If you push yourself too hard, or if you don’t train enough and then try a marathon, you can get hurt, and you don’t want that. I’ve written lots about it, there are specific blogs about that as well as hydration/diet on my website runmrrun.com.
Oh perfect, I will check out your website for sure. Nice going on the weekly half marathon... certainly not for me that one. I did a half marathon a month ago, enjoyed it but it wasn't easy. To fit with my work commitments and having a young Son, plus house projects going on, realistically I'd be able to run maybe 3 times per week with some strength training chucked in for good measure. Bottom line is I need a plan and one I can stick to. Thanks for your advise.
Motivation is, imho, a key factor in doing a FM. It's a truly draining distance. Those who blithely say 'It's just like doing two HM's back to back' are either genetically gifted runners, or have never actually run a FM.
I have one under my belt - had great aspirations of doing a second one, but quite honestly it was far to time consuming to train, and I knew it would be even more stressful running than the one I did because of a cut off time at twenty miles. I could all too easily see where I would be eliminated with just 6.2 miles to go because I didn't make the bridge before it would be reopened to vehicular traffic etc.
I didn't do Chiclets. I ate a VERY high sugar content candy at every mile. I also didn't foresee how much water I needed - maybe proper nutrition and adequate hydration would have made my run easier, but I still would have been absolutely knackered at the finish.
I truly wanted to quit at about mile 23. The thoughts that 'it's only a 5k to finish - don't quit after all the miles you already did over a few last miles' didn't cut any ice. The 'Wall' is indescribable - it's something that seems 'otherworldly' in a way.
However - 'Motivation'...the FM was very meaningful to me because it was to support the USMC, the reason I even entered in the first place.
Also, the Finishers Medal that year is unique. It contains a 'never before, never again' capsule containing sand from the beaches of Iwo Jima. I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to earn that medal.
And, being very honest here, where I hit the Wall...there was absolutely no way of calling for an Uber or the like. My choice was to keep going or sit down and shortly after be crippled when my legs would cramp up or something. I had little to absolutely no choice but to keep going.
What I learned from it all and what hopefully might be of some help to you.
Training for a FM takes a TON of time. It gets really boring on those long runs if you can't mix up your routes and whatever music or whatever you focus on.
A proven Training Plan that suits YOU will infinitely improve your prospects for a successful AND 'positive' outcome. I went in with a half-assed cobbled together 'bit from here, bit from there' plan and almost came to grief as a result.
Check your motivation. For some, just wanting to finish is enough. For me - I wanted that Iwo Jima medal very much when I couldn't give a toss about the Finish Line. When you hit the Wall you really need something huge to get through it, a vague idea of what it means to simply finish might not be enough (plus it will be hard to think straight, so the simpler the concept the better
Proper nutrition and hydration. I got lucky with the weather. If it had been the usual temperature for that part of the world I would have been in huge trouble - I did not plan my hydration properly. I got very lucky.
On a more positive note - with all the 'demerits' I had, plus being 60, with problematic foot bones, compromised lungs from Asthma and a previous heavy smoker history, only four or five years from being a total couch potato and running without any friends or family to give me a boost along the route...I still managed it. So - unless you are in even worse condition and conditions than I was, you can do this : )
Wowser... a whole lot to take in there, Irish-John... thank you for your insight into your own experience. My motivation right now is building funds for the charity I'm running for and then on the day knowing I'm running for them and everyone that may benefit from the charity. There is also that personal motivation inside of knowing how proud I will feel for completing not only a marathon but the London marathon, for me that will mean a lot. Of course it will be awesome having that medal too! 🏅
I was quite good when it came to aricking to a proper I formed nutrition and hydration plan for my half marathon so I definitely be doing that again.
It is the training that will be tricky, due to work and time and of course the winter months. I'm getting a treadmill this weekend which will be helpful but you can't beat outdoor running.. I always struggle to get someone committed to running with me. My Son is amazing as he often cycles alongside me but his max distance before boredom sets in is probably half marathon distance as he's only 10.
I have heard of the 'wall' and I'm very scared of that setting in.. I often have music playing alongside the Nike guided runs so hopefully that will push me through the wall along with the crowds.
Thank you for your well wishes and time to reply. 😊
If it helps, not everybody will experience hitting the wall. I didn't, though my marathon was atypical anyway, which probably helped.
Very much agree re motivation. On the morning of my event I was so nervous I could barely eat. When I got there it was full of super-fit looking, clearly experienced runners, the great majority probably 15-20 years younger than me, mostly men. I wondered what the hell I was doing there. Chose to set off with the final group, forced myself to go to the start area, hid away at the back. Decided to visualise myself at the end wearing my Finisher tee-shirt and with my free beer in my hand. That changed everything for me - I suddenly knew the only reason I wouldn't get round was if medics ordered me off the course. Otherwise I would literally have crawled over the finish line to make my vision reality.
I was lucky - the running gods smiled on me, all the training paid off and I had a great day.
Hello!! Ooooh you lucky thing!! You will love it, it’s an incredible experience that will become your obsession over the next 8-9 months! I went on about nothing else from March to October last year 🤣
The important thing is you have your ‘Why?’. That will get you through the training. I did the Autumn LM in ‘22 and I’m not sure how I could do winter training but the important thing is to get a routine and, as 00marks has said, consistency is key. Look out for David Yim and the Cheesecake Runner on Facebook, they and their groups are amazing motivators and they’re really approachable (although Cheesecake Runner is a coach who bombards you with emails so possibly best to just follow her page - I did get a really good training plan from her though so it was worth it.)
Book your accommodation now if you need it and book two nights so you can relax afterwards and enjoy the glow of the next day without having to rush home. Don’t worry about where it is in London, transport to and from is easy! I went to spectate this year and there were runners on my train so it is doable in a day from a fair distance (the Midlands in my case) if your trains are early enough. Wouldn’t recommend it for your first though as it would be such a rush and you’ll want to savour it!
And don’t worry about it: have a regular deep tissue massage for your ITB concerns, get planning for everything else and build that routine into your running. Do strength training once or twice a week ( the Runners World Marathon S&C plan is excellent!) and that will really help build your endurance. You be fine - enjoy the ride!
Please DM me if you’ve got any questions, I could go on for ever about it!!
Yes, im not greatly looking forward to winter training, I'll try and get into a group or ask someone along, especially on longer runs. I'm also getting a treadmill this weekend which should be helpful... although I can't imagine running for long runs on it.
Definitely going to look at booking accommodation early, I need all that stuff sorted so I can focus on the training.
I may ask the local physio how much he charges for the deep tissue massage... that's a really good idea. 👍 I have to say, I had a normal leg massage as part of a spa day earlier this month and I haven't felt any knee niggle since and that wasn't a deep tissue one.
Awww thank you, I will definitely take you up on DMs, you will wish you ne er offered that. 🤣😂 booking for two nights sounds like a great idea. Thanks for replying.
Congratulations Skiddle1 how exciting! You've had great advice above. I'm training now for the Loch Ness Marathon and I knew I could only fit 3 runs a week in so chose the Nike plan, but it kept glitching on my phone AND my husband kept worrying about me doing it so I signed up to the Lazy girl running autumn marathon squad. Early days but training is good so far. I know you can do it without paying for something but I'm worrying Loch Ness will be motivationally tricky without a crowd lifting me round! What ever you do chose a plan that fits your life best as Cmoi has said. Good luck!
oh wow thats amazing!!! Totally understand the mix of nerves and excitement. Sadly I didnt get in. Had I done I would have felt exactly the same as you!! There are so many experienced marathon runners on here and loads of support, so you won't be short of motivation, advice and help, that Im sure of!🙌
I had an email saying results were by the end of June so not sure but yes, mines a charity place. I applied and was chosen out of however many applied for the same charity. Some charities you can't apply for until the ballot results are out.
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