Top 10 Tips for the Big Day

 I'm revisiting and updating this blog to help support one of this year's London marathon entrants who's currently preparing for her first 26-miler (the mad fool!!). It's been a couple of years now since I gratefully staggered over the finish line - we've had a whole pandemic since then - but the lessons learnt on that day are still etched into my mind. And as they're no use to me, as I'm not intending to run it ever again, the only thing I can do with those lessons is share them with other people. So strap yourself in, pop pickers, here we go:

The best thing I did was get myself a room in a hotel in central London for after the marathon. A lot of people get a room in Greenwich or Blackheath the night before to be near the start, which isn't a bad idea, but I got one near Victoria Station - as close as I could get to the finish area - so I could have somewhere to go and collapse after the race. And also somewhere to collapse again after going out on the town to celebrate actually finishing. 

If I were doing it again, I'd book the hotel room for two nights - the night before the race and the night after. That would have meant I was more relaxed on the morning of the race, and not rushing around trying to get to the hotel in the morning and dump my bag there before setting off to Blackheath. And would have meant not getting up at the crack of dawn and worrying about train connections, and so on. Oh well.

You're probably planning to get to the start early. Don't. Get there earlier. I can't emphasise enough how important that is. Whatever time you think is early enough to head off in the morning, isn't. You have 40,000+ runners (plus a fair few of their family/friends/support groups/significant others) all trying to get to Blackheath at the same time. The stress that puts on the somewhat limited Network Rail connections is unreal. The train you're planning to catch will be stuffed to the gills with marathon-goers. Take an earlier one.

On a similar note, it's a good idea to get on your train at the point it starts from - Victoria, Charing Cross or London Bridge, which all, I think, run services to Blackheath. If you're looking to pick up a train at one of the stations en route instead, your chances of actually getting on will be severely reduced.

Wrap up warm. Blackheath is basically a windswept moor on top of a hill with precious little shelter. Even on sunny days, it's freezing. You will want to keep a warm top on, an old sweater or cardigan, over your running gear for as long as you possibly can. When I'm running a race, I usually buy something cheap in a charity shop especially for the day, and then dump it just before the start. All the discarded tops are collected up and taken back to charity shops, so you don't have to feel guilty about it.

Furthermore, don't dump your outer layer until the very last minute. The length of time between when you think you're nearly at the start and when you actually are is considerable. You'll trot through the holding area before the actual starting line for a good 20 minutes. So keep your top on over your running vest until you see the whites of the starter's eyes. 

The moment you get to the start area, put your race bag on to the truck that ferries them all to the finish and then, without delay, get in line for the toilets. I've been to big races before. I've seen insane queues for the loos before, but nothing like this. I stood in line for 45 minutes watching people get progressively more panicky as the PA announced that the race-bag trucks were leaving and the starting pens were opening.

Having said that, there's really no need to panic. There are toilets all the way up to the starting line, so if you can't get to go before you're called to the holding area, don't worry. And bear in mind too that, with the amount of water you'll be taking on during the race to keep hydrated, the chances are you'll be stopping off for a toilet break somewhere on course anyway. 

Oh, there is one PS here - bring a little bit of toilet paper with you. You'd be amazed how much of the stuff 42,000 runners can get through. Nothing worse than queuing up for ages only to get into a cubicle and be confronted with just a cardboard tube.

Try not to get over-emotional when you start. The feeling once you actually get going can be really overwhelming - this is it, this is the moment you've trained for all this time - especially when you hear the throngs of people cheering you on and the little kids high-fiving you. I was in tears for the first 100 metres or so, which does nothing for your running I can assure you.

Also - try not to give in to the temptation to set off like a dog chasing a squirrel. The temptation is massive. You've been hanging around getting tenser and tenser for ages, waiting for your race to start, so you just want to get going! Easy there, tiger. That's the energy you're going to need for the finish 

Make sure you've got support on the course. Hopefully you'll have no problem getting your friends and loved ones to come out and cheer you on. And you WILL need them. It's brilliant having thousands of strangers shouting encouragement to you, but there's nothing as morale-boosting as getting hugs and support from the people you're closest to, just as you begin to think you can't go another step further.

Plan out with then beforehand where they're going to be standing (if they're reasonably mobile they should be able to get to 3 or 4 places on the course in time to cheer you on), and get them to bring a placard or flag or something so you can spot them in the crowd. Very easy to miss them otherwise. Oh, and get them to bring any supplies you may need when you're halfway through (energy gels, sweets, ibuprofen, bandages, a fully-equipped ambulance, that sort of thing), so you don't have to cart them round for the whole race.

Which brings us on to gels. Take them. Lots of them. I know they're a bit weird, but get used to using them on your training runs and use them on the Big Day. The isotonic ones are the best, and I like to use a variety of flavours just to surprise myself en route ("Ooh! Orange!") I took one every 5k, and while they don't immediately make you feel like a superhero, they will start to have an effect after half an hour or so and stop you feeling like your energy is draining out of your soles. Just one thing - if you're taking them every 5k, that's 7 sachets to get you round the course. That's quite a bit to carry, so if you can get someone to resupply you about halfway through (see point 5), that would be peachy (which is one of the flavours available, coincidentally).

Never, ever think about how far you have to go. It'll destroy you, Just think about the next mile, or getting to the next landmark. I went through the whole course on Google Streetview several times, marking down landmarks and pubs and so on, so when I came to actually run the course, it was very familiar to me. I'd be running down one stretch of road and thinking  "Ooh, another 100 metres or so and I should be passing the King's Head" or "oh yeah, that's that Tesco megastore on the right, so I'm nearly up to that bit with the big park and the funny-looking church". It really helped to break the course down into manageable chunks.

The other way to look at it is that it's basically four 10k runs, and to think about each one separately. Concentrate on finishing one at a time and don't think about the others. The first one's to the Big Ship (the Cutty Sark); the second is from the Big Ship to the Big Bridge (Tower Bridge); the third from the Big Bridge to the Big Building (Canary Wharf); and the fourth from the Big Building to.. well, to the Big Finish, I guess.

Always take a drink at the water stations, even if only a few sips. It's really easy to dehydrate without realising it. Don't feel that you have to grab a bottle and keep on running, just because that's what the pros do. It's not easy to drink and run at the same time, so stop and have a sip if you want before moving on. Losing a few seconds here and there is not going to make any difference. 

On the other hand, don't swig the whole bottle - be sensible with how much you drink. Just drink what you think you need. Take on too much liquid and you'll start feeling bloated - and you'll probably have to take an unwanted toilet break too. And while we're at it, don't grab too many sweets from the people proffering them round the course. There's a limit to how many jelly babies you can stuff down your throat while you're trying to run, and it's quite a small number. I speak from experience. 

This is the MOST important. Savour every moment of the day (I was going to say "enjoy", but you won't enjoy EVERY moment..). It is like nothing you've ever done before, and you may never do anything like it again. And it is fantastic. How many times in your life will you have thousands and thousands of strangers turn out to cheer you on as you shamble round 26 miles? How many times will you be the focus of so much open-hearted goodwill and open-ended admiration? How many times will you be able to get such a sense of self-fulfilment and pride for a few hours' work? You need to remember every moment and cherish it - even the times when the pain hits and you want to cry. Especially those times in fact - those are the times you got through and overcame. They're what make doing this special.

Above all else, don't worry. You're doing this. You have, as the London Marathon slogan goes, got this. I promise.