London Marathon 2023 Race Recap
You know those days where everything just flows? London Marathon 2023 was one of those days.
I absolutely LOVED every single moment of this race. I felt strong, in control and happy. Really, really happy. Of course there were moments that were tough and painful, but that all faded into the background, it was there but it didn’t bother me. The plan had come together and I felt amazing.
My Home Town Marathon
London is my home town, but I was never sure I’d be able to run a marathon here. London Marathon is notoriously hard to get into unless you can secure a Good For Age place or can commit to raising thousands for charity. A GFA might come as I get older (and the times get slower!), and one day I might have the time and energy to do some serious fundraising, but in this season of life neither are within my grasp, so the only way I’d get to run a marathon in my home town was if I got really lucky in the ballot.
While London Marathon doesn’t give the exact number of places allocated through the ballot, it’s believed to be between 17,000 and 20,000 of the 40,000 total places. In 2022 more than 350,000 people entered the ballot, so the odds of getting a place through this random draw aren’t all that great. There are ways to up your chances - volunteering and opting to donate your entry fee if unsuccessful to secure a go in the second ballot - but it’s fair to say winning a London Marathon ballot place is a once in a lifetime experience.
I secured a ballot place way back in 2021 but deferred because I’d just had Evie and there was absolutely no way I’d be able to run 26.2 miles. I returned to running in late 2021 around 4 months postpartum using the NHS Couch 2 5k programme and then London Marathon’s beginners training plan (because although this wasn’t my first marathon, it was my first marathon since having a baby). Despite my best efforts my body was still healing from surgery (it can take 12 to 18 months for a scar to settle) and I was having problems with tightness thanks to my scar, so London Marathon 2022 wasn’t meant to be either (you can read the post I wrote about withdrawing here). I was absolutely gutted. At the time you could only defer a ballot entry once and my body needed more time than London Marathon’s policies could give me. Withdrawing was heartbreaking, it felt like my only chance of running my hometown marathon had been ripped from me.
A few weeks after I withdrew I was talking to a friend who mentioned to me that London Marathon had introduced a new policy that allowed deferrals for up to 3 years due to pregnancy and that I should ask about it. So I did. And London Marathon said I could defer another year. I was ELATED. This was a marathon I remember watching as a little kid, it’s a marathon I’ve cheered for years, and now I had the immense privilage to run it myself. I felt so, so lucky.
It’s Not Luck
While securing a ballot place might have been down to luck, my performance on race day had nothing to do with it. I trained for this, physically and mentally.
I was lucky enough to be supported by the amazing team at Coopah Run Coach through this training cycle. Working with Coopah made all the difference when it came to training for London Marathon. My plan was written by a qualified coach and tailored not just to my experience, but also to my lifestyle. I ran my long runs during the week while Evie was in childcare and took the weekend to rest and recover. I was more relaxed because I wasn’t panicking about when to fit everything in, as someone prone to injury when they’re stressed this stress-free approach was a game changer. I trained consistently, kept the big picture front and centre recovered well and really enjoyed the journey, it was a pretty perfect training cycle.
“‘it’s not how fast you run, it’s how you cross the finish line’”
Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what a ‘good’ run means to me, and ultimately it’s one where I feel strong, am consistent and enjoy myself. To steal a phrase from my friends at Run Dem Crew, ‘it’s not how fast you run, it’s how you cross the finish line’. I didn’t want to get caught up in times for this race, I wanted to feel good, to enjoy the ride and to celebrate how far I’ve come in the last two years. There’s so much noise around marathons about time, it’s often the first question people ask you when you say you’ve run a marathon, that I’ve really had to coach myself to stay true to my goals and get comfortable owning them. I’ve achieved this in part by surrounding myself with people who share a similar outlook, but also by taking the time to really think about what running means to me and what I value, and it has made a world of difference. These days I run for me, and I am so, so proud of my achievements.
Before the race I wrote out my race strategy. It sounds a bit extra, but I find it really helpful to empty my mind out on to paper and set out exactly what my plan is not only on race day, but also in the week before the marathon. I’m going to share my strategy soon, but in short it was an opportunity to reflect on the journey I’ve been on, why I was running and what I wanted to achieve. I broke the race down into sections and wrote out how I’d handle different challenges along the way. I set out my fuelling strategy and wrote mantras to help me through the more difficult sections. It was a brilliant way to get my head straight before the big day!
A Victory Lap
London Marathon 2023 was my victory lap. It was a celebration of how far I’d come since pregnancy, illness and surgery, and it was AMAZING.
I stuck to my race strategy religiously, and I swear that’s why my race went so well.
WARM UP
London Marathon is a feat of organisation and even though there were thousands of nervous runners making their way to the start line at the same time I was impressed by how smoothly everything ran (well, apart from the toilet queue, but have you ever been to a race with enough toilets when pretty much everyone is having nervous wees? I haven’t!).
There wasn’t any organised warm up like you find at some races, but I took time to warm up in the pen and stretch everything out while fuelling up for the race ahead. The whole time I kept my WHY and my WHAT front and centre in my mind. I was excited and I was ready!
THE FIRST 6 Miles
The first section of London Marathon is downhill and it is very easy to get carried away! I took everything I learnt from London Landmarks Half Marathon and really focussed on keeping my pace down, even though there were lots of people passing me.
This section was the only part of the course I’d not run through regularly in the past and it was so lovely to experience a new part of town and see the city rise up in front of me. Before I knew it I was turning the corner at Cutty Sark and I was back on familiar roads and suddenly surrounds by huge crowds of supporters. It was like nothing else.
THE FIRST HALF
Through the first half of the race I kept reminding myself that I needed to stick to the plan and keep my pace under control. Every 30 minutes I walked for 1 minute while I fuelled and every time I saw a water station I reminded myself to take on gulps of water from the soft bottles I was carrying.
I’d broken the race down into sections, the first 5km, reaching Cutty Sark and then seeing my family at Canada Water. I’ve never found race tracking apps to be particularly reliable, they often have a bit of a lag and can be slow because so many people are logging in to chase their friends around the race, and while some people recommend using Find My Friend on iPhone it really drains your battery, which is not something you want during a race. Instead we used an AirTag so that Mike could track me in real time and he knew exactly when I was coming waving a ‘Go Mummy Go’ sign above his head. It was amazing seeing Mike, Evie and my Mum, and kissing Evie’s soft little cheeks was what carried me through the next few miles to Tower Bridge.
Tower Bridge has to be one of my favourite landmarks to run to in London. Its iconic and dramatic, and running across it during marathon is something quite special. The crowds roar and you know you’re half way though your journey to The Mall.
13-20 MILES
After crossing Tower Bridge the course turns and passes by runners going in the other direction. It’s always a tough moment when you see people who are ‘closer’ to the end of a race than you are, but again I kept bringing my thoughts back to my WHY and my WHAT and the idea that this was MY RACE, what those people were doing didn’t matter. I also spent a lot of time on the look out for friends who had started earlier than me and would be running in the opposite direction as it’s always awesome to see pals on the course (I actually ran into my friends Tasha and Josephine earlier in the race, and those sweaty hugs and cheers were amazing).
I’d anticipated this section of the race would be tough. I’d hear that there wasn’t as much support and things could be pretty bleak, but actually I really enjoyed it. I used to run commute through these streets when I worked in Canary Wharf and it was fun seeing how familiar sights had evolved over time. I also found some of the very big crowds a bit overwhelming, so it was nice to have a bit of time to decompress and listen to my book.
You’re always going to hurt during a marathon, and it was at this stage that my feet and legs started to feel the burn. Rather than fighting the pain I really focused on accepting it and letting it fade into the background. It didn’t disappear, but also it didn’t really bother me and was manageable as I kept up my 30 minutes running // 1 minute walking intervals. I felt so in control of my body, it was absolutely amazing.
THE LAST 10K
As we started to turn out of Canary Wharf I caught sight of my friend Emma cheering and I knew I was entering the last 10k where the real race would begin and where I’d get to see lots of my friends! I ran down past Billingsgate Market and towards Limehouse with one thing in mind - Mile 21 and Run Dem Crew. If you’ve not experienced Mile 21 before it’s hard to describe the vibe in a way that does it justice. Think carnival, noise, celebration and confetti. It is magical and I couldn’t wait to experience it as a runner. As I moved through that stretch, huggling friends and family, hands in the air, I felt like I was flying. This was my race and it felt fantastic.
Pushing on through to the City I resisted the urge to break my stride, even though people all around me were slowing and walking (I clocked up some impressive extra milage with all the dodging and weaving!). I stuck to my plan, kept going and had the biggest smile on my face. There was a moment where my body felt a little wobbly, but after hydrating I was back on track, there was no wall in this race.
Heading through Mile 23 I caught sight of Charlie and the team at Westin and my goodness does that woman GO FOR IT when she cheers!! There were yellow pompoms flying and the energy was infectious. It was another little boost to get me to the finish line.
THE FINAL PUSH
I’ve always found running the, seemingly never ending, stretch along Victoria Embankment a challenge. It feels like it goes on forever. You can see Big Ben, but the curve of the road makes it feel like you never get any closer and it can be really demoralising. So it was pretty surprising that come marathon day it felt like it flew by! Seriously, the section I’d always dreaded was over in no time, and before I knew it I was turning the corner at Big Ben as Alice cheered me on from the sideline.
I headed into the final straight with a huge smile on my face and my eyes peeled for my friend Jennie who was there with Evie’s little bestie Leni. Sadly I didn’t catch sight of them, but it was such a boost knowing they were there and willing me forward to the finish line. The section along St James Park was a little frustrating, there were lots of bottle necks as marshals ushered pedestrians across the road, but I pushed forward and counted down the meters to a sprint finish on The Mall.
THE FINISH LINE
Running under that iconic pink arch is like nothing I can describe. The most enormous sense of pride and satisfaction swelled in my chest, I’ve never felt anything quite like it and it was magical. All I could think was ‘I DID IT!! I RAN LONDON MARATHON!!
Everything I hoped for
This race was absolutely perfect and everything I’d hoped for. I felt strong, I enjoyed the ride and I crossed the finish line feeling great (I actually think I could’ve pushed to 50km if I’d wanted to!). I have absolutely no regrets, I feel so content and happy with my performance, and to me that is the ideal way to finish a race.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to run London again, and I’m not sure if I want to given that this experience was so perfect. I’d always wondered if people were being hyperbolic when they said how brilliant it was, but now I know they were right, London Marathon is like no race on earth and if you have the opportunity you should jump at the chance to run it.
AD: Thanks to Coopah Run Coach for supporting me on my London Marathon journey.
