Less than a month until the big day, and the marathon is officially taking over my life. Even when I’m not awake it is haunting me. This Sunday was the last long run in my training plan and in the early hours of the morning I woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of dreaming that I had managed to get lost three-quarters of the way round the course and was struggling on alone for 20 additional miles through deserted streets! In reality, veering off the course is probably the least of my worries for London, but the dream was just a symptom of how the marathon is constantly seeping into my thoughts.
It’s hard for it not to when I’m washing running kit every day and constantly planning new routes for training sessions, but sometimes it seems like the marathon is everywhere outside my immediate world too. It’s like when you hear a new word for the first time and then seem to notice it in every conversation around you; Now I keep noticing articles on fellow marathoners in the local paper, overhearing runners talking tactics in the supermarket, and even seeing people on TV discussing their marathon plans. It seems like everyone is doing it! The last bastion was breached when I saw a marathon runner tasting dishes on a Saturday morning cookery show, of all places.
Then, this was also the week when my running magazines arrived, all dedicated to the Flora London Marathon and step-by-step dissections of the course. With three weeks to go, the hype can only get worse, and I’ve now started to wonder if there will be a void in my life when it’s all over. What with the nutrition planning, early nights and post-run recovery time, my weekends have revolved around the Sunday long run for so long now that I think it is going to be strange not to be out plodding for several hours. What will I do with all those hours on weekend mornings? Lie in, you say? I’ve forgotten what that is….
Plodder,
I remember having exactly the same feelings leading up to last years FLM. My partner even commented it had become all absorbing on my life. All you think about day and night is marathon. You tune into the hype that surrounds FLM, it seems to be ever where; newspaper, magazines, TV, friends & family.
Try to but this to the back of your mind, you’ve done all the hard work now. And come the day just remember it’s another long run, no different from what you’ve done in your training. Also don’t forget to enjoy the day and experience, it’s a unique experience so savour it!
Kirk
P.s. you’ll find something to fill those hours on a weekend morning. You can choose to lie in or take in a long run. Its matter of choose, not necessity.