I’ve been reflecting a lot about what went wrong at London marathon and why.

In actual fact it wasn’t about what happened on the day at all, but the lead up to it.

I did a lot of running & I did a lot of racing but I don’t think I did a lot of recovering. I felt so strong and fit. I was in the best shape I’d been in and getting PBs every time I raced.

With a month to go until the marathon, I started to feel really tired. I couldn’t WAIT for my recovery week and just felt sluggish.

My legs felt heavy, stiff and twitchy. The taper weeks were awful. My legs just didn’t recover or feel normal and my period was late.

It was hard to tell whether it was extreme ‘maranoia’ or whether it was actually real. 

At the start line of London, I knew I didn’t have it in me.

I still didn’t feel normal. My legs weren’t right. I should’ve just started slower and tried to enjoy the experience but instead, ego and hope got the better of me and I attempted to go for the time that I had trained so hard for.

I held onto the pace for about 20k but it just felt so hard. Everything started to hurt, my legs seized up, my stomach went and I basically had no choice but to slow right down and just finish. 

And I did finish. I guess that’s something right?

Did I enjoy the experience? No!

Am I proud? Yes!

Continuing to run when all you want to do is stop, is genuinely one of the hardest things to do.

But, I still ran a marathon.

The races that don’t go well are the ones you learn from the most. I loved my training block and I know I can run the time I want.

The crowd throughout London was incredible and seeing so many friends along the way was amazing. Bring on London 2024 - let's put it right!

25th April 2023