The London Marathon is an iconic race as well as one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors & for good reason. This meticulously well organised event this year sees 40,048 take on the 26.2-mile journey from Blackheath to Westminster, making the 37th edition of the race & the biggest in its history.
Training had been going well towards the end of 2016 culminating with a 2:57 PB at Chelmsford Marathon in October. Physically I was in a good place & I had high hopes of getting under last years time.
Unfortunately my legs had other ideas…
After running the beautifully brutal XNRG Pilgrims Challenge in February I suffered a knee injury which left me unable to run for 2 months. As many runners do I spent a couple of weeks in denial, resting, icing & wallowing in self pity before admitting defeat & booking a physio. The dreaded day arrived, I expected the worse but after a couple of ultrasounds & stretching exercises I was given the all clear to start running again.
The London marathon was back on & I was absolutely buzzing.
The weeks preceding the marathon were spent building mileage, any speed work put aside so not to aggravate my knee. Just 2 weeks before I put down an 18 mile run which gave me the confidence needed to toe the start line once again.
The weekend finally arrived & it was time to head to the expo to pick up our numbers & get into the marathon spirit. A chance meeting with Paula Radcliffe was the highlight of the expo & a photo opportunity not to be missed!
Saturday at the expo was a lot busier than my midweek visit last year & best avoided. After an hour of being jostled around various merchandise & nutrition stalls stopping to say hello to the twitter crowd in between we made a dart for the exit. 
Last years very early slog to the start line left me feeling tired before I’d even started so this year we opted to stay at a hotel near London Bridge. Free transport is provided for marathon runners & our hotel location meant we were only 20 minutes by train to Greenwich.
The big day was finally upon us & after a relatively undisturbed night sleep we awoke ready as could be to tackle 26.2 miles.
Porridge fuelled & race prepped we headed out the hotel to start our journey to the race village. The short train hop to Maze Hill was a mass of runners chatting & showing various ranges of emotions ahead of the race. Arriving at the green start I caught sight of a snaking toilet queue & joined it before it disappeared further into the distance. Bag dropped at waiting lorries I made my way to the start pen to take up my start position next to a dinosaur, stormtrooper & the Jamaican bobsleigh team.
3…2…1… we’re off!
Well it took a couple of minutes or so of jostling & walking to reach the start line then…
We’re off!!
The first couple of miles were busier than last year & required some weaving which helped put the brakes on. Any runner will tell you it’s all to easy to get caught up in the atmosphere, the previous year I went off too quick & paid dearly for it later. It wasn’t long before I settled into a comfortable albeit clock watching pace around the 7:10/mile mark.
Before I knew it I was chugging down my first gel at the 10k & a quick look up at the timer confirmed I was on target for a 1:30 half. Rounding the next bend I caught sight of the Cutty Sark, a favourite cheer spot & to the welcome cheers of my first supporters Emma & Geoff.
Another 10k passed & on target I crossed the iconic Tower Bridge to the roar of the crowd which any runner will tell you sends shivers down the spine. Shortly after I was happy to reach the halfway point in 1:34, feeling strong & confident I was still on for a sub 3:15 finish.
The next 13 – 18 miles are an unfamiliar part of the course for me but met with cheers of support from crowds & pockets of friends at every mile on route to Canary Wharf.
The dreaded 18 mile ‘wall’ arrived later than expected at mile 20, I didn’t feel tired but 3 gels down I was starting to find them hard to stomach. Around midday it started to warm up & I found myself regularly dodging the minefield of discarded bottles in an effort to grab water at the aid stations.
I spent much of Mile 22 scouring the crowds along the double back looking for Mrs Coops amongst the runners coming the opposite way reaching their own halfway point of the marathon.
Leaving the Thames behind & running towards St James Park the cheers intensified giving me the lift I needed to charge up the Mall.
I crossed the line in 3:07:09 & although I didn’t qualify within the GFA time I enjoyed ever moment of the London Marathon which is what I had set out to do.
The clock watching paid off with consistent split times throughout the marathon.
The next hour or so was spent ‘dot watching’ Mrs Coops journey running her first marathon & i’m happy to report she crossed the finish line in 5:02:31.
Stef’s Marathon Journey blog:
I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work, training & fundraising Stef has put in & ultimately completing her first London Marathon.
Special thanks to Jess for being a great training partner, keeping Stef company on her long runs & congratulations on completing your first marathon.
Work hard, Dream big.
Special thanks to friends who travelled into London to cheer both of us on & the countless messages of support across social media.
runningwithmrcoops 