I nearly didn’t run the Virgin Money London Marathon in 2018. I was very fortunate to have a good-for-age place, but was in a bit of a slump, having recently had an injury. I’d lost my mojo and was doing the bare minimum in the gym to ensure that I didn’t go totally off the rails. My efforts were minimal and I really didn’t have much interest in anything. I’d turn up to the gym, pick a cardio machine to work out on for 30 mins, then do 15 mins of something strength related, and then head home.
One dark evening in November, I was on the stair machine in the gym, when I finished the last episode of a series I’d been watching on Netflix. I clicked in to YouTube to find something funny to pass the last ten minutes, but instead, my eye caught a popular video showing the London Marathon route. I clicked on it, and spent ten minutes listening to a lively string ensemble and watching a car drive around the London Marathon course. In case you’re interested, here is that video:
The route looked like such fun and was filmed on a perfect spring day – rarely have I seen London look so sunny! It went via all my favourite landmarks and past all of the prettiest places in London – through Docklands, alongside the Cutty Sark, over Tower Bridge, along the Thames and then finally past Buckingham Palace and down the Mall. I kept thinking ‘Are you sure you don’t want to make the effort and run it?’. As I finished up my workout, I headed back to the locker room to get ready for the walk home. I put on my huge North Face parker, wrapped my scarf around my neck, zipped up my furry winter boots and headed out into the cold night. All the way home I kept thinking about the London Marathon and that video. I kept asking myself ‘What’s stopping you from committing to it?’ I had a list of reasons (excuses):
- I haven’t run a marathon in ages, I’ll never be fit in time.
- I don’t want to run run slowly and I’m not fit enough to run ‘fast’.
- Flights are expensive.
- Training through the winter in Chicago is so hard.
- I might get injured again.
- I’m not in the right frame of mind.
You can imagine….the list went on and on. I’m AMAZING at finding excuses!
As I got home, I started to re-frame my thinking, focusing on what I had to lose by attempting to train for the race, versus what I had to gain. I also tried to imagine the feeling of crossing the finish line, and compare it to how I’d feel if I was sat on the couch at home instead, watching other people cross that finish line right outside Buckingham Palace, my own opportunity having been squandered. I watched the video of the route again and again and again, and then I made a list of the pros and cons (I love a good list!).
Finally, I decided that worst case (I always like to go there), if I attempted to train for it and didn’t make it to the starting line, I’d still gain increased fitness and confidence, better mental health, new connections with runners, and a renewed sense of purpose and cadence in life. Pretty awesome wins for a ‘worst case’ scenario. I couldn’t come up with a good reason to not at least try. And so there the decision got made. I resolved to get up the next morning and create a short training plan for myself which would get me through the six weeks until Christmas. If I could work through the plan consistently and build my base to a reasonable level, being committed to getting fitter and healthier, I’d start training properly in the New Year.
In the mean time, I read and watched everything I could find about the race:
How to get to the expo at the ExCeL Centre
Pubs within a mile of the finish line (Runners’ World)
I’m curious about your journey to the starting line of the London Marathon. What motivated you to sign up and train, and how’s it been going?
trainingwithvicky.com 
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