The Edinburgh Marathon - 26.2 miles

Sunday 25th May - D-DAY

And so it's over. I can't really believe it. But I do have the medal, scars and achey muscles to prove that I did run 26.2 miles on Sunday.

The start was fantastic. I'd walked to the pens with my friends and I felt really excited. The first few miles are through the centre of Edinburgh, down past the now-iconic parliament building with a fabulous view of Arthur's Seat - the peak of a group of hills which sit in Holyrood Park on Edinburgh's fringe.

The route then winds out of the city centre towards seaside resort Portobello and down the coast through a number of small towns before reaching the beautiful Gosford House where it turns back on itself for the last eight miles or so, to finish at Musselburgh Race Course.

At the half marathon stage in a town called Prestonpans I felt pretty good. I'd paced myself properly and I was running well.

The going got tough somewhere between miles 16 and 17. I ate 2 paracetamol, anticipating the pain to come.

That was wise. I started to feel the burn around mile 19. It was getting hotter, I was tired and my legs were aching. But I knew I had less than ten miles to go.

From mile 21 onward it's pretty much a blur -- I can't really remember much other than really, really wanting to get to the end and not allowing myself to stop running. All around me people were walking, stooping over and vomming in the road. My legs felt as heavy as lead.

As the Musselborough Racecourse came into view I picked up a little bit. The crowds thickened, knowing that soon I'd be able to stop. Crossing the line felt funny. I stopped moving and my legs turned to jelly. It didn't seem real. I'd finished in 4 hours 10 minutes, a time that made me very very happy.

My legs have been stiff for the past few days and I've got a little bit of rubbing around where my sports top was, but all in a escaped relatively unscathed.

A man dressed as spiderman broke his own world record, for the fastest costumed Marathon, finishing in an incredible 02:49:50.

Ran: 26.2 miles

Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes, 21 seconds

Ate: A lot of jelly babies, one disgusting gel, 2 paracetamol

Drank: Ridiculous amounts of water and lucozade sport

Felt: Hideous for 2 full days afterwards

Finally: A huge huge thank you to all my friends and family who came to watch, I really wouldn't have made it round without you there, you were incredible.

The Last Eight Miles

Wednesday 21 May

And so I ran the last eight miles before the marathon. In my new "woven shorts" from Nike and the RNLI vest that I'll be wearing on the day. I didn't want to go crazy so I stuck to the normal route, from the house, along the river to the park, three laps of the park then back along the river past my house for about half a mile then turned back on myself.

Battersea Park is a 200 acre park in south west London. It's London's only park to border the Thames and is very popular as a consequence. Opened in 1858, the park was once a popular spot for duelling.

The park was designed by architect Sir James Pennethorne, who was also responsible for another of my favourite running spots, Victoria Park in East London.

One of my favourite things to do in the park is to stroll along the river edge, with the water on one side and the green on the other. That route measures just over half a mile and takes you past the enormous London Peace Pagoda - a Buddhist tower which aims to provide a peaceful focus for everyone.

The first Peace Pagodas were built after World War II - to symbolise peace in two Japanese cities that were devastated by atomic bombs. They quickly became an international symbol of peace and by 2000, there were 80 in different global locations.

Ran: 8.11 miles

Time: 1 hour 18 mins 35 seconds

Pace per mile: 9 mins 40 seconds

Calories: 853

Branson's Virgin Group To Sponsor London Marathon From 2010

Tuesday 20th May

Last week while I was away Virgin Group - the company owned by U.K. entrepreneur Richard Branson - was named the official sponsor of the London Marathon from 2010.

The company has signed a five-year £17 million deal to take over the sponsorship from margarine-maker Flora. That's a whopping £3.4 million per race. The sponsorship will be lead by the group's financial services unit, Virgin Money.

Branson is one of the U.K.'s most overexposed personalities, coming a close second to Jade Goody. He’s thought to be worth around £3 billion with Virgin's 200 brands turning over more than £10 billion in 2006.

http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/

The Pre-Race Blues

Monday 19th May

I’d heard a lot about the Pre-Marathon Blues – a stage of the taper where lack of miles and worries about the race combine to make you feel dreadful.

Last Saturday I felt it.

After running so many miles, relieving stress and bumping up the endorphins, a lot of people find the taper mentally challenging. According to my research, it’s common to feel a range of emotions in this last week before the race: irritability, tiredness, depression, to name a few.

That – combined with the anxiety of running your first marathon – can put you at rock bottom. And so on Saturday I lay in bed until noon, worrying that I’d not be able to make it round or thinking I didn’t want to. I knew I had to get up. I knew I had to go running that day, but it was just easier to lie there and while away the hours. Even when I made it out of bed I couldn’t seem to carry on. I had no motivation for getting out of bed and no motivation for running.

Eventually I managed five slow miles but the feeling wouldn’t go away. And it’s still lingering even now.

They say these feelings can be relieved through “focused relaxation” which includes stretching, yoga, herbal teas and breathing exercises. Really I can’t see how any of those will help. I am trying to run a little, sleep a lot and stay in a positive frame of mind...

Bruxelles

13th – 16th May



Attending the annual Brussels Economic Forum I knew I wasn't going to get much running done. The days are long, the hours are relentless and you're lucky if you can remember your own name by the end of each day, let alone the fact that you're running a marathon in just over a week.

Nevertheless I decided to try a few short runs during my stay.

I managed two. Both in the morning before the conference day started.

The weather in Brussels this week was super hot. Hotter I think than in London and also muggier. The air hung heavily in an uncomfortably close fashion. I felt almost claustrophobic, penned in by the humidity.

The first run took place under these conditions and even though it was early in the morning on Thursday, I found it stifling. I made it round one lap of the park near where I was staying.

Parc du Cinquantenaire, a park built by King Leopold was named to commemorate 50 years of Belgian independence. It's a relatively small park, the distance of my running route around the outside is about 1.25 miles. It's in the eastern part of the European District of Brussels and is dominated by a huge arch in its centre which was built in 1880.

Over night on Thursday it rained very heavily, clearing the air and making Friday morning's run much more bearable. This time I made it round two laps of the park. I'd like to have continued for longer but time pressures didn't allow.

While I was running I worried all this tapering was making me unfit. Have I been taking the taper too seriously? Had I tapered myself in to a new unfit realm? I certainly don't feel as fit as I was feeling a few weeks ago.

Looking back I was feeling fittest around the time of my second long run, when I was doing several longish runs during the week. Now I feel sort of sluggish and lumpy, which is causing me to worry.

I'm told one final run of ten miles this weekend will round off my training nicely and that then I shouldn't do anything from Wednesday onward. I suppose this is the kind of knowledge that comes with experience of running a marathon and that it's only natural to have a few pre-mara jitters ahead of your first one. Let's hope it'll all be ok in ten days time.

Ranlegh Half Marathon

Sunday 11th May

Rose early to participate in a half marathon in Richmond. It was hot, hot, hot.

The route starts in the beautiful Petersham – a small hamlet-esque village just outside Richmond, on the road towards Kingston and close to Ham. The Ranlegh running club is situated behind The Dysart Arms, a pub named after William Murray, the 1st Earl of Dysart, who lived at nearby Ham House.

It really is a gorgeous part of London. Right next to the park, the main street is lined with a group of 17th and 18th century mansions. There’s Rutland Lodge, which is now converted in to mega-pricey flats, Montrose House, once home to rock legend Tommy Steele, and Petersham House, a Wren-period property owned by Francesco Boglione, who also owns the Petersham Nurseries.

Petersham Nurseries shot to fame a few years ago after Madonna allegedly lunched at the cafe. It’s run by Australian chef Skye Gyngell and has won a raft of awards including "best alfresco dining" at the Time Out Eating & Drinking Awards. www.petershamnurseries.com

Anyway, no alfresco café breakfast for me. I had 13 miles to run. The start of the route is uphill and after a short climb the rest is flat as a pancake. I started off well, but worried I was going a bit too fast in the heat. The first half of the run offered quite a lot of shade and I managed to keep fairly cool.

The second half of the run was very pretty, partly along the river covering the same course as the Kingston Breakfast Run I completed earlier in my training. It was very exposed to the sun and super, super hot. Had a bit of a waiver between miles 11 and 13, was really feeling the heat and lost my concept of how far it was to the finish. Luckily I managed to pull through that when I realized there was potential for me to finish in under 2 hours. Really pushed it for the last mile or so and finished in a time I was very very happy with.

Ran: 13.1 miles in one hour and fifty-eight minutes

Loot: Medal with blue ribbon, banana

Jelly babies at miles: 6, 8, 10, 11.5

Results: http://www.ranelagh-harriers.com/results/080511.html

The Big One: 22 Miles

Thursday 1st May

And so to the last long run of the training. Setting off to Richmond alone on the train I felt scared. I was weighed down by lucozade, water and jelly babies and I had over three and a half hours of solid running to go.

On reaching Richmond I decided to run up the hill from the station to the park. It's steep. Luckily I had The Incredible Sounds of the Dreem Teem garage sound track to keep me going... The ipod ran out after the first hour which was a bit annoying but ok.

I ran across the park and back, round the park, doubled back on myself and then ran across the park and back again.

Weather was a bit of a challenge. It hailed around mile six. I got upset and almost stopped. Pushed on through. At the end stopping felt funnier than carrying on. I seemed to be fine apart from one massive blister on my left foot and an achey bunion. I felt a huge sense of achievement and really now believe I will be able to do the marathon.

What was surprising was the amount of water I was able to intake without needing the loo. I drank at least one litre before I started and then another litre on the way around. Could have taken more on board if I'd had it.

Rewarded myself with a holiday in France and no running for five straight days.

Ran: 22.04 miles

Time: 3 hours 39 minutes, 12 seconds

Time per mile: 9 minutes 56 seconds

Calories: 2317

Jelly Babies At Miles: 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 19.5 (low point), 20.