This is the submission I have just made to Runners World magazine - they like to publish people's stories on their website so I thought it might be nice to put it on here as well.
This is how it was for me.
I woke at 5am with a very dodgy nervous stomach which completely put paid to my breakfast plans! This wasn't a great start as obviously its important to fuel up properly before a marathon!
My running partner Heather and I arrived at Greenwich Station at around 8am and walked to the red start near Blackheath, along with many others, and we could feel the atmosphere and anticipation building. The walk seemed to go on forever and included a big uphill climb! Once arrived we joined the loo queues which despite how it looked on the tv were not that bad at all. There were so many toilets the queues went down very quickly. We then put our kit bags on the baggage lorry, and then it was time to join the loo queues again! I was very impressed with the organisation.
Once we'd done that it was time to go to the start area. We were in pen 9 which was at the back, amongst the wombles, the lady on stilts and others in fancy dress.We were so far back we didn't hear the start, and it took 23 minutes to get to the starting line! Thankfully the chips on our shoes were there to register our own start times as opposed to the official time.
It was an amazing experience to be in the line-up when previously I had only seen it on the TV. Going through the gates coming out of Greenwich Park I felt a lump in my throat. And then we were off. I stuck to my plan to do running for five minutes followed by walking for one minute over and over and everything was going well. I had to stop for the loo at 4 miles but unfortunately there was a queue which cost me 10 minutes. But then I was back on the road and the crowds were amazing. All the children were sticking out their hands for the runners to give them high-five and I lost count of how many high fives I gave!
But when I got to 7 miles I started to feel differently. I could feel I was struggling and it became harder to stick to my schedule of run 5 walk 1. By the time I got to 10 miles I started getting severe pain in my left leg just above my left ankle, and my original injury had flared up, also causing pain in my left hip and knee. So my entire left leg was in pain.. By the time I got to 12 miles I found that my feet and calves kept trying to cramp up which was much more difficult to deal with than the pain on its own. I was so disappointed because this hadn't happened to me at all in training, despite reaching 20 miles. I know it was because of the tummy upset that I had had, coupled with the heat. I was still feeling queasy so I found it difficult to consume the Lucozade gels which I know I needed to keep going as well as the Lucozade bottles every few miles. At 12 miles I had to pull over to the side of the road and stretch my legs and I was really worried that I would have to pull out.
But then I met a lady called Denise who was also struggling with an injury and she helped to get me going again. It was her third marathon so she didn't seem to be fazed by it. We walked together for a few minutes and then she told me that Tower Bridge was round the corner. But I really wanted to run over Tower Bridge so I left her and tried to run. I got half way along the bridge and then I felt cramp again and had to go back to walking but the crowd were great, saying "come on Claire" so I tried to run again. It was like this for a little while and I noticed there was a girl, Kelly, who was doing a similar thing to me so I decided to follow her and ran when she ran and walked when she walked. Soon we struck up conversation and decided to stick together for a while. We ended up staying together all the rest of the way. I am so glad we did as if it wasn't for her I don't think I would have made it. She was in a lot of pain the same as me and at times she was in tears but I told her not to give up and I was telling myself not to give up too.
We counted each mile as we went by, knowing we were getting closer and closer to the finish. Hitting 18 miles felt good even though we still had eight to go. Hitting 20 miles was even better as it felt like being on the home straight. We knew that 23 miles meant the last hour. Seeing Big Ben starting to loom on the horizon was really encouraging as we knew the finish was just after that. The last mile seemed to take forever but the crowds were great and we just kept going. Kelly was in such a lot of pain by then and crying so I suggested that we think about and decide what we wanted to do going over the line and I think that helped. We decided to hold hands with our hands in the air and run the last few metres so we did.
I couldn't quite believe it and then when I got my medal I welled up. My time was 7 hours, 1 minute and 35 seconds. I can't help thinking if I hadn't stopped for that loo break I would have done it in 10 minutes less and therefore under 7 hours which sounds more respectable, but the main thing is that I finished (and beat Katie Price and Peter Andre by 10 minutes!).
The next thing was to retrieve my belongings. I also got given a goody bag. Both bags were extremely heavy and I wondered how the hell I was going to be able to get Charing Cross station to meet up with Heather who had finished half an hour earlier. That half mile was the longest, hardest and slowest walk of my entire life but I did it. I managed to find a seat and sat down wondering if I would ever get up again. Then I saw Heather and we gave each other a hug. We are so proud of ourselves and each other.
Back at home I am recuperating - I am in lots of pain, very stiff, can hardly walk and have the biggest blister on my foot that I have ever seen, and another under my big toenail which I think I will lose but I don't care, I am so proud of what I achieved. Even more so because of the set-backs. If it had gone according to how it went in training I would have finished in 5.5 - 6 hours but the dodgy tum prevented me from absorbing the fuel from Saturday's dinner as well as not being able to have breakfast on the morning. So to get from where I was at 12 miles to the finish line was a real achievement, much more than if it had gone according to plan. I really thought I was going to have to pull out. The thought of all those who had sponsored me and of what I was raising the money for kept me going. I am suffering for it now but it was worth it as I have raised almost £2000 and I am on course for reaching over £2000 by the time I have finished collecting. My website is still taking donations until the end of June and I will now get on with collecting the money from those who have pledged to give money after the race.
I have decided though that I have to do it again so I can get a time that is a proper running time, and having done it once I will know what to expect so hopefully can avoid the nervous tum problem to give myself a better chance. But not next year! Maybe 2011.
Thank you to St Catherine's Hospice for giving me the place, it was the most amazing experience, and thankyou to all my sponsors for helping me to reach my fundraising target for them in memory of my aunt.
Hopefully I look a bit prettier though!