The Flora London Marathon Sunday 18th April 2004

This is my report of last year’s London Marathon. It’s been edited slightly, but otherwise is as I wrote for my diary last year and for our club newsletter. Apologies for the length, but it is a marathon! I hope you enjoy it!


First of all can I share with you my number one tip for extra speed in a marathon? Print your name on the front of your vest! It seems the crowd will shout whatever is printed there. Last year “Go Parkinson’s!” certainly helped, but this year “Go Susie!!” helped me so much more. After 23 miles, I emerged from the Tower of London onto the enclosed streets of the City, to be greeted by thousands of people shouting my name! The noise was incredible! I had a smile a mile wide (something which clearly delighted various members of the crowd, who commented on it). The 24th mile was my fastest of the second half. That’s the difference having your name on the front can make!

I’m getting ahead of myself though. Marathon day, as last year, started at 3:30am. I had woken up hungry at 2:00am and got up to have a cereal bar (more on the possible consequences of this later) and hadn’t been able to get back to sleep. I could have stayed in bed a little longer but decided to get up at 3:30am to save having to rush. I had my hobbit-like first breakfast of toast and honey. I got everything together and headed out in full waterproofs into the pouring rain. This might be uncomfortable weather for a marathon!

I got soaked walking to the coach! The coach arrived on time, we picked up my friend Margaret at the next and final stop, and sped on up to London. The journey for me was spent drinking Lucozade Sprout and having my Hobbit second breakfast of my usual pre-race mixed cereal. More drinking of fluids followed and a rather speedy journey left us standing at the blue start on Blackheath common at least 2 hours before the off. We would not now be rushed and could have a good relaxed preparation, or so we thought.

The rain was easing off by now, but it was immediately obvious how cold it was! After a quick loo stop we went to shelter in one of the tents and wait for Carol to arrive. She had stayed in London overnight with relatives. We’d arranged to meet by the church at 8:30am. We sat drinking the free Lucozade Sprout and chatting and before we knew it, it had gone 8:30am. I left Margaret to look after the bags and went off to meet Carol. I think splitting up was the mistake that caused our immaculate timing to go awry! By the time I’d met Carol, gone to the loo again, this time queuing for 20 minutes, and got back to Margaret, time was getting tight.

We quickly deposited our bags in the baggage lorry and went to queue for the loos again, mainly for the benefit of Margaret who hadn’t had the chance yet, but I have to say I now really needed to go. Things were stirring, maybe it was the unscheduled cereal bar? Who knows? I couldn’t start the race like this in any case. We joined the queue (again) at 9:15am, still over half an hour to the start. Plenty of time you’d have thought! Wrong! Why don’t they get more loos? And why, with so many men’s loos, and a tented urinal area, were the men also queuing for the women’s loos? With 5 minutes to go before the start we finally got to the front of the queue. A mad dash to the start line left Carol and Margaret being ushered to the front of the start (!) and me sprinting down the line to find my allotted position ahead of the 9:00/mile pacer.

Well here’s another tip. If you really feel you should be further up the start, simply wait until the last second before joining it!

And here’s another tip! Don’t warm up for a marathon by drinking 2 litres of fluid, including a litre of Lucozade Sprout and a can of Red Bull, and then sprint to the start line! I never drink Lucozade Sprout before going running – I drink SIS Go usually, but try to limit my pre-race drinking – why did I pick marathon day to change my habits?

Now I know I’ve written loads and the race hasn’t started yet, but perhaps you are beginning to get the idea of how pre-race preparation is all-important. I ended up getting stitch for most of the marathon! I have not been troubled by stitch all year. I nearly blew my marathon by being stupid!

Anyway, a quick walk with the assembled masses to the start line, over the timing mats, and the Flora London Marathon 2004 was under way.

I had hoped that the delays I suffered last year wouldn’t recur this year, but no such luck. Only half a mile in, before I’d even settled into my stride, and we were walking! It’s where the green and blue starts merge. I’d be interested to know if the Good-For-Age runners on the green start get this delay or whether they manage to get a smooth start. I’d also like to know how far up the field you have to be to get a smooth start. So that’s me a minute or two behind schedule, but being fairly relaxed about it, pretty much expecting the delay after last year’s experience. Not a problem!

I had started with 4 layers of clothing on, including my free pasta party T-shirt and Parkinson’s Disease Society bin bag poncho, which had both been discarded as we started. I had now warmed up and off came the woolly hat. Soon, despite the fine drizzle I stripped off my thermal top to leave just shorts and vest. I know it looked horrible weather on television, but believe me, this was actually pretty good marathon running weather. Well at least pretty good after training through the winter in freezing cold conditions! Maybe if you’re Kenyan the story is different.

My final mention of toilets I promise, but surely the folks queuing for the toilets at mile 1 must have realised they would have been better off being late for the start, there being electronic timing, than queue during the race? It must be so infuriating queuing for loos during the race, but then maybe not everyone is so time driven! I did hear afterwards that some runners had to queue behind spectators. How could any spectator have the nerve to let a runner wait behind them? Unbelievable!

At 2 miles I overtook Carol and Margaret, although I didn’t actually know this at the time. I was clearly focussed on the task. I will resist the temptation this time to complain about slower runners cluttering up the start!

By now the stitch was taking hold and I kept trying to slow myself, while keeping an eye on my watch. I was well aware of 2 facts. The first that my heart rate was well above what it should have been for this pace – maybe the stitch? My heart rate was elevated last year though. Maybe it’s just the adrenalin of race day. The second thing I noticed was that despite sticking to my pace plan on my Speed/Distance Monitor, the actually race splits were showing me running maybe 10 seconds a mile slower – you can see this in the table at the end of this write-up. I’d noticed this last year. I don’t think it’s anything to do with the course measurement – I had heard stories of adding a fudge factor on to ensure that the course isn’t below the correct distance, but this would be against commercial interests of having a world record course (oh, the cynic in me!). I think this effect is simply the fact of weaving in and out of the crowds and not being able to run on the blue line all the time.

Now the purists among you, who don’t approve of running with a GPS unit, but nevertheless want to run to a pace plan, take note! Back among the crowds of 9-minute-milers where I was, you have to put in a significant amount more effort to run a pace in the London Marathon, sorry, Flora London Marathon, than you would do in training. With my biometric systems, I knew I couldn’t pick my pace up so held back and accepted my fate. There were those though, who cracked on trying to keep to a pace which they couldn’t live with and paid for it later. More on this later!

We were soon through Cutty Sark, smiling and waving for all our worth at the cameras. I’ve failed again to get on television! I’ve checked the footage and not a sign! The frustrating part was watching the end of race interview with Adrian Moorhouse, being able to see the finish clock, knowing what time it read as I crossed the line, and having the interview end seconds before I would have appeared in view. Aaagh! Here’s another tip for anyone with digital TV: if you really want to see your loved ones on tele, switch to interactive where one of the channels is continuous finish line footage. Of course, my family don’t have digital TV!

There was a small delay at Cutty Sark, as we slowed in a slight bottleneck, but compared to last year, when I had to walk at Cutty Sark, things were much improved.

Moving on now, pace in line with the plan, I came across the best musical group on the course: the Kodo drummers. Mind you, not the original Japanese band, but a pretty good impersonation. I think the correct description is Taiko drummers. They were pounding out one hell of a rhythm. I would quite have liked to stop and listen, but hey, I had a job to do! It is nice having all the bands on the course. For a change I don’t think I heard anyone playing ‘Keep on running’ this year!

Mirth followed shortly afterwards with what I would call the ‘Vaseline High 5’. I had nearly done the same thing last year, being a then marathon virgin. At regular intervals around the course are St John’s Ambulance personnel handing out dollops of Vaseline. They stand by the roadside with a rubber-gloved hand held aloft with a scoop of Vaseline in the palm. The guy ahead of me didn’t understand the nature of this service and high-5ed the St John’s Ambulance woman. I laughed as he let out a loud “Euuuggh!” as he pondered what disgusting substance he’d picked up. “Oh!”, as he then realised and started rubbing it around his person! Marathon virgins take note!

Despite repeated bouts of (mild) stitch, I felt good as we started to near Tower Bridge and the halfway point. My pace aim had been 8:50/mile but as mentioned it was slower than 9:00/mile due to the hold ups. It was no surprise then when the 9:00/mile pace group caught me. I had a quick chat with pacer Neil, whom I’d met at the Marathon Expo. I tried to stay with him, but realised that he was running way quicker than 9:00/mile as he had a duty to get his group in at around 3:56 and was clearly trying to make up for the delays. After a couple of 8:40 miles, I sensibly realised that this was not a good thing to be doing.

Another good reason for backing off was when I went over on my ankle! I had been running in the group, being jostled about trying to stick with them and not watching my footing. There was a gap in the tarmac in the middle of the road and my foot caught the edge of the tarmac. The shock added a few BPM to my heart rate, but mercifully that was all it did!

Tower Bridge appeared, as it always seems to do in the London, sorry, Flora London Marathon (I’ll stop doing that, sorry!) in mile 13. It looked a little damper this year, but magnificent nonetheless. No sign of Sally Gunnell! I think I was too quick this year. On the television footage she apparently only arrived after I’d gone past. Mind you, would I stop if given the opportunity? Maybe not! Perhaps one year when I’m in my gorilla suit? (Yes! I own a gorilla suit, thanks to the 2003 Great Gorilla Run)

At the halfway point, I wasn’t too far off 4-hour schedule. However I was slower than 2 hours and so would need a negative split. I wasn’t going to rule out 4 hours but my pace plan wasn’t for a negative split! I think having a plan where you allow yourself to slow is a really good thing. Psychologically it gives you the confidence that as you start to inevitably slow down, you don’t have to worry about dropping behind schedule, as long as you keep your pace on plan. Of course, for London, you are going to have to plan to run at a pace much quicker than for other less crowded marathons. [The slowing pace plan is a formula proposed in Hal Higdon’s marathon book – I’ll explain it fully at a later date on this blog]

By now I’d left some of the bulkier fancy dress runners behind, having shaken off Mac Womble and a rhino. I passed one of the more impressive fancy dress runners: a hammerhead shark! He and a tiger seemed to be running for the World Wrestling Federation. Some mistake surely? My favourite fancy dress I saw was Minnie Mouse. She was dressed immaculately – absolutely spot on, frilly knickers and all. 10 out of 10 for effort though goes to the giant shoe I spotted afterwards at Admiralty Arch. On a windy day, Sir, I salute you!

My pace slowed a little at Canary Wharf, just as it had done last year. This was to plan, but I had hoped I’d feel fine to 20 miles. Still, I did feel pretty good, and only slowed slightly. We were now in the place known, for some reason, as “I love dogs”. Personally I love cats but it seems a nice enough place. Once more the orange peel appeared outside Asda. Take care in mile 18 outside the London Arena! As last year, Asda were kindly handing out orange segments. Trouble is, the peel gets thrown to the ground. It’s very slippery! Someone tore a ligament last year slipping on the peel. [Note: the course has changed for 2005 – we may still go past Asda but the distance may be different]

I’d been without stitch for a few miles, but after having an energy gel (I was taking one every 5 miles) and a swig of Vittel the stitch was back! Not a great help, but it didn’t seem to cause me too much trouble.

The streets of “I love dogs” were quite crowded as we were restricted to just one side of the road. Much jostling ensued. Apologies to the guy I elbowed! As last year I found that despite me slowing, some were slowing a lot more. As the race went on I had to overtake a lot more. It really is tricky keeping your pace up back in the pack!

As we left Docklands, I tried the trick of having a couple of Nurofen. Call me a drug cheat if you like, but some people swear by it. It helps keep any inflammation at bay in your distressed muscles. I suppose it might help dull the pain. I can’t really say whether it helped; I certainly wasn’t in pain, apart from the stitch. These ‘techniques’ are so subjective. How do those who ‘swear by it’ know what effect it’s having? I remain unconvinced, unless you are in actual pain. I don’t think I’ll bother next year.

As we pressed on towards the Tower, I was shocked to be passing poor Neil, the Runner’s World 9:00/mile pacer. “I blew up” was all I could get from him as I tapped him on the shoulder as I passed. I’m secretly pleased that I beat the pacer, but poor bloke! I hope he was able to pass the baton to someone else to bring the group in on schedule. I wonder if he had been going too quickly? I suppose we all have off days!

I must now confess that I did walk a little, but only the length of the drinks station. I had been sipping my own SIS sports drink all the way round, from a bottle belt. I find Lucozade Sprout a bit syrupy. I had some sachets of powder in my belt, to mix my own drink. At previous drinks stops I had deftly unscrewed the cap of the bottle and put the powder in, well before the water stop and without breaking stride. This stop came up a little quick on me and I ended up juggling the bottle top, drinks bottle, powder sachet and Vittel bottle and it all got a little messy. I had to walk to fill up. I hope you will forgive me!

And so to the cobbles! I saw an on-line comment afterwards along the lines: “So cruel! How can they do that to us”. I will re-iterate what I said last year, that I really don’t see what all the fuss is about! OK, this year it was slippery, as Evans Rutto and Sammy Korir will attest, having seen them go flying at the Tower Thistle Hotel entrance! They’re a bit uneven. So what? The best thing about them, is that while everyone is poncing about trying to stay on the carpet, you have a clear run up the outside across the cobbles. I accept that for the wheelchair pushers it must be hell, but for the rest of us with 2 healthy legs, “Get over it!” [No cobbles for 2005 – and hence no running along the river past the Tower – boo!]

Those who were ‘suffering’ on the cobbles though, had a real treat coming up as they emerged from the Tower into the City. As I’ve already mentioned, the noise was amazing, being so enclosed, and everyone was shouting my name! That energy was worth 40 seconds/mile to me, as I put in my fastest mile of the second half, running at the pace I opened the race with! Add to that, sound systems pumping out Kylie and Duran Duran, and I was truly in heaven.

It is a shame that the embankment is so quiet by contrast. There are still thousands of supporters, but with it so open, the decibels drop off noticeably. So too did my pace! Shame!

Big Ben ushered in a slightly different feeling this year. Last year, with only a mile to go, I realised that I was going to finish my first marathon. I was floating on air, and had been all along the embankment, soaking up the atmosphere. This year, Big Ben was the last mile marker of a race. Time to push on and give every last drop of effort! My mental strategies were to the fore urging myself on, concentrating for all I was worth. I have to say I ran a much better ‘race’ this year. I know that I put everything I could into it. That’s not to say I didn’t last year, but this year I know I ran the best time I was capable of on the day.

The consequence of my better pacing became obvious as I rounded the last corner by Buckingham Palace and entered the final straight to the finish line on the Mall. I had nothing left! I was already running as fast as I possibly could! No sprint finish this time. Last year I actually ran the last 2 kilometres faster, despite my slower overall time. This year I ran the last bit at the planned pace, and could not have gone any faster. I am very pleased with that!

I crossed the line in 4:05:52. It’s not the sub 4 I had hoped for, but statistics can come to my aid on that one – see below. I am really pleased with that time. Even ignoring the fact that I knocked 28 minutes off last year’s time, I know I ran a good race. Dead chuffed!

After the finish I headed off to the Parkinson’s Disease Society reception at the Strand Palace Hotel. There I had a shower and changed into supposedly dry clothes, but in fact slightly damp due to them being in the same kit bag as the soaking wet clothes I’d removed at the start! I was most impressed with the performance of Sonia from Barrow, whom I met at the reception. She had just run 3:43, impressive in itself, but she had only started running in January! Respect!

I emerged from the hotel to be greeted with torrential rain. I got soaked! At least it had held off for most of the race. With the pre and post race soaking it seemed to book end the race nicely!

Apart from Margaret and non-runner Marilyn, who was catching the coach back with me, the only other team mate I saw at the end was Brian. I’d had a wager with him over sponsorship. We’d double our sponsorship if beaten by the other person. I beat him! Cough up Brian!

Another swift coach journey and I was back home by 8pm. I couldn’t wait to have a nice bath! Oops, a typographical slip! I couldn’t wait to have an ice bath! I can definitely recommend them. It freshened my legs up a treat! Just make sure you have plenty of ice. I had a cool box full of the stuff. A seriously cold bath! The perfect end to the day!

I ran for Parkinson’s Disease Society, as I did last year. The fantastic news is I have beaten last year’s amount and after Gift Aid has been added will have raised over £1000. Thanks to everyone who donated. It’s much appreciated. My online fundraising page for 2005 is http://www.justgiving.com/runsusierun

Running the numbers
OK, here’s the geeky bit. First, heart rate. My average for the race was 147bpm, hitting a maximum of 161bpm. Here’s the plot.

You can see the bottleneck at half a mile, and the drift upwards as the race went on. You can also see it dip after mile 18 as I started to tire. You then see the dramatic effect the crowds of the City had on me as I recovered at mile 23. I can’t stress enough what an amazing push the crowds give you!

Now here’s something I enjoyed putting together. Running with my GPS, I had my average pace for each ‘mile’, but because I couldn’t run on the blue line all the time, and because of weaving in and out of the crowds, each ‘mile’ was actually a little longer. What I’ve done here is for each ‘mile’, taken the pace my GPS said I was running at and also taken away the delays I got at the half mile and Cutty Sark, to give a ‘normalised’ time that I would have got without the crowds. I’ve also added the actual splits and average heart rates for each mile.

Mile	HR	Actual split	Pseudo split from GPS
1	127	10:27	8:50
2	140	9:07	8:50
3	140	8:56	8:49
4	142	9:00	8:56
5	144	8:52	9:01
6	147	8:59	9:01
7	145	9:40	9:01
8	145	9:08	9:01
9	148	8:56	8:51
10	147	9:21	8:51
11	149	8:49	8:43
12	148	9:03	8:42
13	149	9:22	8:53
14	150	9:07	9:02
15	150	9:15	8:59
16	151	9:31	9:19
17	151	9:26	9:19
18	152	9:20	9:19
19	150	9:28	9:19
20	150	9:52	9:47
21	150	9:57	9:49
22	149	9:58	9:49
23	149	9:53	9:08
24	154	9:03	8:48
25	153	9:48	9:15
26+0.2	155	11:27	11:27
Total		4:05:52	3:58:49

So you see, I did get under 4 hours! See, you can prove anything with statistics!

This year I ran the marathon 28 minutes faster than last year. Here’s a plot of this year’s heart rate overlayed on last year’s.

The red plot is last year – you can see the delay I got at Cutty Sark at about 1:15:00. What I find interesting is how remarkably similar they look up until the point of my boost at 23 miles. Despite me running a lot quicker and covering more ground, for that heart rate I could only sustain the pace for about 3 hours before slowing down. The fact that I was still able to recover though shows the power of the mind! Maybe I went off too quickly (again) or maybe I need to concentrate on the mental side more!


If you’re still reading this, having survived the stats, I hope it gives you some insight into the marathon and maybe you’ve picked up the odd tip. I’ve enjoyed re-reading it, at a time when I need motivation for this year’s marathon. If you are doing FLM2005, see you there! (hopefully!)