Bib#56771:
After 16 weeks of training for the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon, my family and I were finally boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight and heading across the pond. I was literally so excited and nervous to possibly be accomplishing my 4th Abbott World Marathon Major star. My mind was made up that I was going to run easy and keep it light as I have my 5th Star in Berlin to achieve later in the year and I’m still healing from injury. Trying to put no pressure on myself for time as this was my first international marathon and I was traveling with all my children. As an athlete that is trying to achieve my six-star medal, it’s more important for me to stay healthy for the next big one and to get that next star instead of trying to hit it hard for time for right now. My thinking going into the marathon was to stay healthy and not worry about time, as I have will only be taking off a month between training cycles. Berlin has been deferred already two times due to the birth of Lily, not wanting to travel with a newborn, and injury. Chasing the Abbott World Marathon Majors has been a three-year process for me so far since starting in 2016 to achieve.
The flight went fairly well and I highly recommend Virgin Atlantic as an airline to travel on from Seattle to London. The flight attendants were very helpful and nice and our seats were very roomy and comfy. We took an afternoon flight into the night as our flight would be 9 ½ hours until we reached Heathrow Airport early Thursday morning. We preordered the meals for the children so they were served first and we ate after. We booked a private shuttle from Heathrow to the hotel as we knew we would probably be pretty tired but we weren’t able to check into the hotel as early as we thought we could. Looking back, that is one thing I overlooked and would have changed. We thought maybe we could try and hit up the expo but traffic was a nightmare so we ended up doing some sightseeing and our driver drove us around some landmarks. We were finally able to check in to our hotel, Crowne Plaza in Kensington. I chose this hotel because it offered free shuttle to start line, the location seemed central to Hyde Park, tube stations, and close to finish that I could just walk back or take a short trip on the tube. The hotel also offered free breakfast every morning, a pasta dinner the night before the marathon for carb loading, and there was a grocery store right across the street for all those last-minute essentials.
We decided since we didn’t get into the hotel until a bit later and we were exhausted, we would give the kids baths, naps, and hit the expo on Friday. That would give us all day to explore and take in the whole experience. Tyler researched what trains and transfers we would need to take and we set off getting there a little after it opened up. I’ve been to lots of other expos but London is top notch. The kids got to play with some demos at the Virgin Atlantic tent, run on the Abbott Marathon Major track which gives you details on your cadence, etc., dance on the charity floor, bowling for charity, take pictures, and have lots of fun. We all had an amazing time at the expo for so many reasons but mostly because we got there early as to avoid the crowds and really took time to soak in the experience. As we were walking out of the expo, a side door opened up and Mary Keitany came out and walked right beside us. I literally tripped over my own feet. So cool but I didn’t ask for autograph and am now kicking myself that I didn’t.
My charity, Back On My Feet, who I very proudly raised $7550 to run London, planned a shakeout run at Hyde Park on Saturday morning. Saturday morning turned out to be cold, windy, and rainy. We decided we would take the kids with us so they could check out the park and see some landmarks. And I was also planning on meeting up with the Boston Buddies an hour after my charity shakeout run to hopefully take a picture especially with our little Lily “B”. I ran the 2017 Boston Marathon while I as 6 ½ months pregnant so technically she could be considered to take part in a Boston Buddies picture. Maybe we’ll shoot for a photo in Berlin. By the time we got to our meet up place, the kids were cold and tired so we I just introduced myself and met everyone and headed back with the family. I was a bit worried about the weather but saw that Sunday was supposed to be much better conditions with a slight chance of rain and not so chilly.
The rest of the day, we just took it easy and I started to prepare all my race day essentials. I laid out all the clothes, pinned my bib, packed all the throwaway clothes I thought might be needed. The night before I always have nervous jitters so I try to keep my mind occupied by keeping busy. Also, I took some time to reflect on how lucky I was to be able to run this and went over some race day mantras that I could tell myself when things got hard. After the race, I read that only 1,433 Americans ran London out of the staggering 42,549 people crossed the finish line. The field consisted of 80% of UK residents. I also read that after London over 6000 runners now have their six-star Abbott World Marathon Major medal. For those who are not familiar with AWMM six-star medal, it is received once you have run Boston, Chicago, New York, London, Berlin, and Tokyo. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to accomplish this as every marathon is very unique in how you gain registration and acceptance. There are currently two candidates, Chengdu and Singapore, that could possibly be added at some point. And recently they started awarding points onto your account within AWMM, called the Wanda Age Group Awards, which somehow keeps track of your time and how well you do within a certain year. Gaining points for this year started in Berlin 2018 and ends in Berlin 2019. Supposedly, there are 1000 spots available for the 2020 London Marathon for the runners with the highest points in each age division.
The next morning the weather forecast couldn’t have been more perfect for a long-distance runner. A bit chilly but not as chilly as the day before with a slight chance of drizzle. One piece of advice that I will always recommend whether you think the weather will be warm enough or not, is to pack throw away warm clothes to use while you are waiting to start. I got dressed and packed everything I would need in my runners’ bag. Tyler grabbed me a cup of coffee and helped me pin on my memorial bib for my friend and write messages on my arms. Other than the baby being up late the night before, I felt good and ready. Just kept reminding myself how lucky I was to be doing this and my mantra to myself was I get to do this, not that I have to do this. We all headed downstairs for breakfast and where I would need to meet to catch my shuttle to the start line. I was surprisingly calm and happy. Usually my nerves are all over the place but I just kept telling myself that I was going to have fun no matter what and take in all the landmarks. The shuttle ride went pretty fast and we even got to watch the rhino charity runners unload their heavy costumes out of the truck. Thinking to myself, if they can run in those, this is going to be one epic run experience.
When we arrived at Greenwich, we were directed to our appropriate color-coded start areas and they had everything very well organized. The bag drop trucks were the first things you saw and they were organized by what bib number you had. There were tents with free coffee and tea. The porta potties were organized in a way I have never seen before and it made the lines run so smoothly. They were in a u shape and each line of runners had their own u-shaped porta potties. I’ve never seen the lines move so fast for the first hour of being there at least. They had a big jumbotron showing the elites starting and interviewing runners in the start area. The start times were well organized into zones and once in zone you waited another 30-45 minutes give or take until you started. It was a little cold at the beginning as we waited in queues but I was very impressed with the start area and felt everything was going so amazingly smooth. My throwaway clothes were really helping me stay warm as I witnessed a lot of runners wasting energy by jumping around to just stay warm.
The run started out awesome but it is a pretty crowded field and you have to watch your footing. Found myself stuck a few times behind slower runners but you just have to plow ahead and move around if you find yourself not keeping your pace. They also serve Lucozade sports drinks that really stick to the road once tossed down by runners. You find yourself having sticky shoes as you run through those stations. I never did try the seaweed pouches as I try not to have anything new on race day to avoid GI stress. I was plowing ahead nicely until around mile 13, I believe, where I found myself having to stop and use the loo (bathroom). Again, not going for time, just the 4th star, I really didn’t stress about having to stop and use the bathroom. It is very rare when I have to stop in a marathon and use the bathroom. The only other time I can remember having to use the bathroom was running Boston 2017 very pregnant. Looking back, I wouldn’t change my hydration intake that morning as I felt that I needed as much as I could get from the jet lag and traveling internationally. Here were my times and statistics:
| Distance | Time |
| Start | 10:24 |
| 5k | 25:53 |
| 10K | 51:57 |
| 15K | 1:18:48 |
| 20k | 1:49:24 |
| Half | 1:55:30 |
| 25K | 2:19:55 |
| 30K | 2:51:39 |
| 35K | 3:27:10 |
| Finish | 4:15:18 |
| Division | Placement |
| Gender | 5454/ 17774 |
| Category (40-44) | 1005/2944 |
| Overall | 18,837/42,553 |
This was my second slowest time for all my AWMM races but again, I was very happy to finish and finish healthy. There was a tragedy that shook me up pretty bad around mile 24. There was a runner going into full on cardiac arrest. Just about stopped me in my tracks and makes you really think about the amount and toll the marathon can put on your body. We later found out that the gentleman made it through and survived. London and the support from the crowd was amazing. I stopped along the way and took pictures at Tower Bridge and couldn’t believe I was running past Buckingham palace on my way to the finish line. This is definitely the first marathon that I have run where you see more charity vests than anything else. It seems that most of the field are charity runners. Lots of costumes, messages to loved ones lost, and Guinness World Records broke.
As I crossed the finish line, I was so happy to have accomplished this goal. 16 weeks of training, countless long runs, missed meals with my family, hours and hours at the gym, had paid off. One of the race volunteers placed that medal on my neck and I headed straight to pictures and refreshment bags. We were also given finisher shirts which were a little big for sizes but a pretty cool design. Received my space blanket and picked up my drop bag. Headed out to the left onto Piccadilly station and jumped on the tube to Gloucester station. Walked up and out to across the street where my hotel was. When I got to my room, I gave my husband and kids the biggest hug and kisses. Mission accomplished! Recovery for me usually consists of eating as much as my tummy will allow me at that time, a bath, and a nap. Watched a little bit of the marathon that they were showing again on the TV and fell fast asleep. Body was a little sore but after the nap, we walked a few blocks down to a yummy restaurant and had some good food which allowed my legs to loosen up some more.
The next morning, we got up and ready to fly back out. The kids were already going to miss four days of school with this trip so I didn’t want to stay any longer but looking back, I wish we had. Sitting for 9 ½ hours on a flight the day after running a marathon is never a smart or comfortable decision as you are sore but being offered a glass of champagne by the attendants as soon as we boarded wasn’t too bad either. Wear your medal back home because it comes with some pretty cool perks, especially in London.
Later, I learned that the 2019 London Marathon was the second fastest marathon ever run and Eliud Kipchoge won it with a new course record. Amazing to think about how fast those elites run and the level they compete at. Always feel so privileged to run the path they just blazed through on every marathon. Arriving into Seatac Airport and going through border control was a breeze. After settling back at home and getting the children back on a schedule, I did a recovery run out on and the lake on Wednesday. An overwhelming sense of pride, raising money for the homeless and my charity, being back home safely and healthy, and just how fast this amazing journey went came over me intensely and to tears. I’m going to go for easy or no running for the next month for recovery and injury prevention. My focus in the next down month will be working on cross training, strength, coach and PT suggested drills and start to gear up for Berlin in September! What a wonderful experience of a lifetime and an epic ride!! So very thankful to my husband and family, Dr. Adams, Chris at Zeren PT and performance, Heidi at Lake Washington Physical Therapy, Susie at Energetic Medicine, Monroe/Sky Valley Family YMCA, several Facebook training and support groups for these marathons, and everyone who supports me day in and day out. It takes a village and I could not do this without your support. And as of today, the upcoming London Marathon 2020 received 457,861 entries into the ballot, making it a new world record.
Thoughts going into training for 2019 BMW Berlin Marathon:
- Get in the pool: Swimming and spending time in the pool is when I reached my sub 3:30 a couple of years back. As uncomfortable as it is for some of us non swimmers: it is non-impact, aqua jogging is your friend, and works every muscle in your body, and helps with breathing.
- Nutrition: When I followed a very strict nutrition plan, I felt strong and on top of my training. Nutrition has always been one of my top priorities.
- Strength training and drills: Listen to your “people” and my people are:
- Heidi – Physical Therapist (Lake Washington Physical Therapy & the best out of Kirkland, WA)
- Chris – PT/Coach (Zeren PT and Performance the absolute best out of Seattle, WA)
- Susie – Acupuncture (Energetic Medicine out of Seattle, WA)
- Dr. Bob Adams – Sports Doctor (Evergreen Hospital/USA Track & Field Olympic Doctor in 2012 out of Kirkland, WA)
- Training plan: Stick to your plan but also listen to your body! Runners are a “Type A” personality! We don’t want to admit it to ourselves more or less anyone else when we have an injury. But when you do…step back and recover or risk not getting to the start line. One of the most important aspects of our sport is to train but to get to the start line healthy. You can have several goals in a race but the fact you are able to run a marathon in of itself is a huge victory!!!
Happy running and as always, the point of this blog is to help other runners out there with any ideas or tips to improve your training and marathon experience!