This is going to be in random memory diary form – mainly because I want to remember it 🙂 x

Flying over to London on Friday 11th April was exciting enough, as the plan for that day was to register for the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon, something I never thought I would be doing. I did that at around 6.30 that evening at the Excel Centre and it was a great way to start the weekend. No queues or rushing, I just walked in and went straight to my zone, gave them my number and ID and got my shirt number, bag and bag number and then went to get my running chip. That was it – all over within minutes, but now – like hundreds of others in that place – I had the few things I needed to run the marathon. If I lost any I wouldn’t be able to run so I was holding on to them tight as I went for a look around the exhibition.

That is when I realised how little I know about the science of running. You could spend a fortune on proper serious running gear there – some fashion stuff too, but anything and everything vaguely linked with running. There were some stands for the charities too, some official Marathon stalls and others with people giving advice etc. In the next room was a stage with presentations on and I watched the race director talk everyone through the course…even on a time lapse video it looks a long way!

I hadn’t eaten since midday by this point and was aware I was burning my fuel supplies so grabbing a sandwich and water I headed back to the train to go back to my hotel where dinner was booked. Sitting down to eat dinner a short while later I wanted to carb up so had a bread based starter and pasta. I could hardly eat though. The food was lovely – possibly too rich, but I think the adrenalin was running so fast already that my appetite was waning. I was also getting a bad headache and knew I hadn’t drunk enough water. Starting the marathon dehydrated was obviously not in the grand plan!

Out of my ‘cheer team’ I had my dad, Maria and Megan with me at this point – so while Megan coloured we read through all of the ‘final instructions’ and the spectator guides and made a rough plan for Sunday. With a million spectators expected – plus other people milling around London – the marathon route was going to be busy.

Saturday was spent  ‘relaxing’ by going to the London Dungeons – along with the rest of London it seemed! It was fun though and then my sister Emma turned up (not at the Dungeons, she is not that scary…) and my friend Sarah came to say hi too. Another carb laden meal was planned and we found a great, almost self-service, pasta and pizza restaurant – where you could have ordered as much as you wanted. Again, I wasn’t massively hungry  but enough salad to feed four people and a big bowl of pasta later and I was pretty full. Back at the hotel I needed to get everything ready – shirt number and Guernsey flag were pinned to my running shirt, chip attached to my shoe, bag number stuck on, bag packed, clothes laid out etc. Despite planning an early night it was around half eleven by the time I had finished reading the final instructions (again) and settled down to go to sleep. I had woken up at 5am that morning so I expected the same again – but instead I woke up at 3.

The alarm was set to go off at 6.15 for my London Marathon day 🙂 x