I went down to London with my sister Melanie and my cousin Matthew (aka Matty) on the Saturday morning, my sister decided to drive us down. We had to go to the Virgin London Marathon Expo Centre in the afternoon to pick up my race number and timing chip. It was the first time Matthew has been down to watch me run the London Marathon and he was looking forward to experiencing the Expo. The VLM Expo is like a huge conference or promotion event where all competitors pick up their race numbers and race kit and it's also an opportunity for charities and sports companies to promote their business and stuff like that. There are loads and loads of stalls and loads of freebies too, which I always take full advantage of.
Stalls give away carb gels, energy bars, isotonic drinks and various other healthy foods, I love the place. We actually only got to the VLM Expo about 45 minutes before it was closing so we didn't get much of a chance to experience it as much as we would have liked, but it was all good fun. Matty seemed to enjoy the VLM Expo and we both took photos. I also bought myself some new running socks at the Adidas shop at the Expo, I had been struggling with blisters on my right sock and was in desperate need of some new fresh comfortable running socks.
The best story of the VLM Expo is when me and Matty went on the London Marathon Exhibition stage where there was a logo so we could have a photograph taken by my sister and we both got told off by security (see picture below of us looking towards a security guard as we are on the stage). Below are some photos from the VLM Expo.
I booked all three of us to stay at the Tune Hotel at Liverpool Street, the same hotel I've stayed in for the past two years. It's quite a cheap low budget hotel but it is just perfect for a nice quiet night before the marathon. There are rooms with no windows and it is nice and peaceful for a good nights sleep. I booked us rooms with no windows so there was no light pollution and no noise from outside, it definitely worked as I probably got the best nights sleep I have ever had before a marathon.
My friend Emily, who is the girlfriend of my friend Gazza was also staying at the same hotel as us with her mum and was also set to run her first ever marathon, so we decided that we would all meet up for something to eat (carb loading) and to talk marathon running haha.
We met around 7pm and went to Pizza Express, thinking there would be a huge choice of pasta as it is an Italian restaurant, however when we studied the menu, there wasn't a great deal to choose from. I had a pesto pasta dish and a bottle of Pellegrino sparkling mineral water, love it. It was a really nice evening and before we knew it we were all tucked up in bed ready for some sleep.
THE MORNING OF THE RACE:
So, my alarm woke me up at 6:50am and I felt pretty good, I slept well and felt full of energy. I got myself showered and ready, I had already set out my kit and stuff the night before so it was just a matter of putting plasters over my nipples (haha) to avoid any chafing and I rubbed Vaseline on my feet to hopefully prevent blisters and I rubbed some in other areas where chafing could occur (ha). For my breakfast I had two slices of white bread with peanut butter on and a banana. I don't like to eat or drink too much on the morning of a long distance race. I had a bottle of Lucozade Sport and a bottle of water, I tend to do my hydrating the night before so I don't need the toilet loads before races.
We met Emily and her mum at 8am in the reception and wished eachother good luck when we all got to the train station. Emily was starting at a different section to me so had to take a different train to us. I get free travel on the morning of the race, as do all London Marathon competitors so that was a plus, the London Underground system can be so confusing at first when you are not used to it and we worked out the route we needed to take for me to get to my starting pen. It actually nearly went a bit pair shaped when a train worker told us we had to get off the train and go back to the last station, which we did and it turned out he was wrong and I started panicking then, thinking I might not make it to my starting pen on time (which happened to me in 2012) and to cap it off, I needed a wee desperately, thankfully my sister and Matty remained calm and we got there in good time.
So, I wasn't probably in the best frame of mind as I entered the 'Good For Age' starting pen, I was feeling very flustered and had to wait like 10 minutes for the toilet station. I saw someone I knew called Glen from St Theresa Running Club who I ran most of the Spen 20 race with in March and we had a good chat before the race, he was also aiming to run a sub 3 hour marathon just like me. When I finally got to the toilet cabin, it was such relief (haha) then someone caused mass panic by shouting 'it's starting' and I just panicked even more whilst trying to have a wee, that was an experience in itself.
I didn't warm up or stretch as much as I would have liked but nevertheless, it's a marathon not a sprint so I knew I could use the first mile as a kind of warm up, warm my way into the race comfortably. I set off in pen 2 of the Good For Age start, even though I was supposed to start in pen 1, but it was too crowded and I left it too late as I was having a wee when the pens opened. It was quite amazing really, Paula Radcliffe was in the same start area, the current World Record holder for the women's marathon. I can now say I have ran in the same race as Mo Farah (last year) and Paula Radcliffe, two all-time greats of British distance running.
The horn went for the start and the first three miles (5k) were really enjoyable, I took in the crowds and the atmosphere and my pacing was good, I was actually about 40 seconds over my intended pacing by around 4 miles but I did that on purpose as I knew I would need the toilet quiet early on, so it bought me some time. I did exactly that and had a wee at the toilet station, I think it was around 3 or 4 miles.
The pace I was aiming for was 6:41 mins per mile for the whole of my marathon and I knew it was a tough pace for me to stick to and I knew the longer the race went it would be tough but I just kept telling myself to stay focused, ruin consistent and stay disciplined. According to my digital stopwatch, almost every mile I was spot on until around 14 miles. I knew people were tracking me on the London Marathon website and phone app so every time I approached a timing checkpoint I got a buzz of excitement when I got there in my intended pacing time, knowing people tracking me will have been excited to see my progress.
Despite the dull weather, the crowds came out in thousands and the atmosphere was just as electrifying as always, I really don't know how many marathon's my body and my inner desire will let me run, so I always make that special effort to take in the atmosphere while I am running the marathon and to really saviour the moment. There were loads of kids holding their hands out along the course wanting a high five and I gave them as many as I could, the way I see it is that it is also their day too and all these people have come out to support us runners, so it's nice to show our appreciation, no matter how tired I am, I even gave a high five to a supporter in the last mile or two when I was in lost of pain.
There are three or four moments in the marathon that always stick out to me every year and this year was no different, so I really tried to saviour these moments and take them in. The first is a part of the course when we run under a bridge and there are ancient drummers, it always sounds so amazing, so mind blowing, it always gives me a feeling of euphoria and me being the spiritual person I am, I kind of lose myself in that moment, it gives me tingles. Another moment is running over the Tower Bridge, at 13 miles, just before the half way stage, it is such an amazing experience, the crowds there are amazing and I just really saviour the moment, as I ran over the bridge I was just looking at the crowds and looking high up at the tower, it's probably my favourite part of the race, I never want that bridge to end, probably because all the really hard work and pain comes 13 miles onwards and it's good to look at haha.
The famous old ship (forgot what they call it now - embarrassing haha), that's another of my favourite moments of this race, the crowds there are huge and the atmosphere is so energetic and there are TV cameras everywhere, it's just such a happy and energetic part of the marathon. The fourth moment that really takes my breath away I would have to say is the last mile down the famous Mall, although it's painful and I just want the race to end, as well as trying to push myself to get my target time, it's just so amazing running past the Big Ben and then running past Buckingham Palace to finish and hearing the roar of the crowd at The Grandstand finish - never gets boring.
Back to my race performance: I felt really good, probably the best I have felt in a marathon, until I would say around the 17 miles mark. I was on target with my pacing for 2:55:00 until around 16 miles and then I gradually began dropping my pace a bit, I think I was around 30 seconds off my pace and by mile 20 I was around 50 seconds to a minute off. I tried and tried to push myself harder but I just didn't have it in me and I knew it. So I didn't do anything silly like pushing my body too far as I would ruin the last six miles and for me, running it slower than 3 hours would have devastated me, I worked so hard last year to become a sub-3 hour marathoner and I wasn't about to lose that title to my name.
I knew that my sister Mel and my cousin Matty were watching out for me at mile 22 and I was excited to see them and get a cheer from them, I really needed a lift at this point, my right foot was in pain from blisters and I felt disappointed inside that I had dropped my pace by a minute. I was at mile 22 and I heard Matty shouting me and saw him going crazy with my sister just in-front of him going crazy while taking a photo (see at the top) and it gave me such a lift at that point. I really put myself through some tough moments in the last 4 miles and without that lift of energy from then it would have been even harder. By the time I got to the last mile I was 2 to 3 minutes behind my intended pace but I wasn't too upset, I knew I was going to sub 3 hour again and for me, that was another great achievement.
Not long after I crossed the line I had my photos taken, enjoyed the euphoria of finishing and the relief that I had run under 3 hours again and just gathered my thoughts. My initial thoughts were, do I really want to put my body through that again, but 10 minutes later I changed my mind, haha, of course I want to run more marathon's, I'm not finished just yet. I also bumped into my new running friend Glen (who I was chatting to before the race and ran with at Spen 20) and he told me he had just run his first sub 3-hour marathon so I was really pleased for him. I also later found out that his running club friend Terry from St Theresa who I also know and ran alongside at Spen 20, broke the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Man Dressed As A Lifeguard, I was really happy for him as he missed out on the record at last year's London Marathon.
see official London Marathon picture below...
2:58:38 (my second fastest marathon time)
Good For Age Qualification;
...meaning I get an automatic place for 2016 and 2017 if I want to run again.
I also became a 4-times 'Good For Age' marathon runner...
and...
a two-times 'Sub 3-Hour' marathon runner...
and...
remained a 'Lucozade Sport Top 10%' athlete...
I ran the marathon for mental health charity Mind, if you want to still sponsor me you can do by following the link provided. I would like to say thank you to everyone who sponsored me.
http://www.justgiving.com/Richard-Joyce-Mind-London-Marathon-2015
www.kirkstallharriers.org.uk
For a month or two before this year's London Marathon, I was thinking deeply about my life and my hobbies such as my sports and fitness. I was thinking about where I felt I was heading and I pre wrote some thoughts on my personal notes on my I Phone to announce on my blog after the marathon.
However, I have now u-turned on what I wrote and have decided that while I am still relatively young and have the natural health and fitness I want to make the most of this time in my life and keep running marathons and half marathons while I still can, otherwise I may regret it if I waste this time, I still have plenty of desire left in me and I want to help raise money for charities when I can too.
Here is what I originally wrote and what I had decided on I my mind before I changed my mind completely:
''I decided before this year's VLM that I am definitely having a year or two off the marathon. I want and need to dedicate more of my time to other areas of my life for the next two years and I don't want to have the stress of having to get super fit and dedicate much of my time to loads of training.
For all I know this could be my last Marathon but I hope not. I still have the ambition to run 10 marathons then retire from them but in this time off I may lose my desire to train for them. I hope I don't lose my desire and I don't think I will but I can't rule it out. I also have an ambition to at some point run a marathon or a half marathon abroad.
Despite taking a year off the marathon I am
still going to run half marathons and other races as they don't need as much time and dedication as training for a marathon so dropping back down to half marathon is a good choice for now. I also hope to run for charity a few times still too.
Mind you, I said this last year, so I guess there is still time to change my mind. Haha.''
Future Marathon Ambitions:
I want to run atleast 10 marathons, run a marathon abroad and I'd like to run 50 half marathons if I can. One of my main goals is to run 20 Leeds Half Marathons in a row and take it from there, I love that race and have ran 8 of them so far. I have ran 15 half marathon's so far in total, so a long way to go to 50 yet but I'm getting there gradually.
My next race and last of this marathon season is the Leeds Half Marathon on Sunday 10th May, which is just under two weeks away. It will be my 9th Leeds Half Marathon in 9 years.
My cousin Matty has also entered and is due to run his first ever half marathon. He is really excited about it and has been doing some training, he and I hope it could be the start of his running journey too. He has ran a few 5k races before but never anything near a half marathon, so it is a big challenge for him and one I believe he will relish.
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Richard Kennedy-Joyce (joycinho)
Richard Joyce (rjsports)