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Marathon Diary 2001

Janice Tweed reports

Sat 14th April 2001

Angela is back from Spain and phones to tell me she has sprained her ankle.  I go into total panic, don't want to run on my own.  Selfishly hope she will be OK.  Drink too much wine!

Sunday 15th April 2001

9am run at Windsor, last proper run before D Day.  Beautiful morning, Windsor looks fab at the moment with all the spring flowers about to burst.  Run for 1 1/2 hrs.   Contemplating next Sunday, cannot imagine what it is going to be like.  Worrying whether I have done enough training, but know that there is nothing I can do about it now.  Look back over my training diary and count up the crosses (missed sessions) there are a few, but hopefully not too many.  Drink too much wine.  Can't sleep, everything is going through my head, will I finish, how will I feel?

Monday 16t" April

Teach class 9-10am, really good fun.  In the afternoon go for a walk around Windsor Park and lake, stop at Savill Gardens for coffee and wicked carrot cake. Trying to increase carbohydrates and think about drinking more water.  Drink too much wine instead!  No more wine this week, will drink water instead.

Tuesday 17th April

Finding it really hard to concentrate.  Work is piling up on my desk.  Everything is now in the 'after the marathon' tray.  Have started a list of things to take with me on Sunday.  Go for a run with Alexander on his bike.  Not a good idea.  Manage about 1/2 hr before I give in and take him to the park.  Glad I am teaching 2 classes today otherwise I wouldn't know what to do with myself.  Everyone at class is wishing me luck, and more importantly plying me with money for charity.  Have to pick Katie up from work at 11pm, so can't drink wine tonight!  Fall asleep and dream about the marathon.  It's always a similar theme, I can't find the start (must mean something).  Keep waking up remembering things to add to my list (must take a note book to bed tomorrow!)

Wednesday 18th

Marathon exhibition today with Wendy, Barry and Chris.  Have to pick up race number, chip and kit bag.  It is really exciting.  Everything is well organized and runs smoothly.  There are loads of exhibits to see and shopping to be done, so we split up and arrange to meet in an hour.  Chris and I wander around, coffee first, then bargain shopping with Sweatshop, (New Balance leggings for £9).  We pick up a designer bin bag and jaffa cakes from Leukaemia care stand, then meet up with Wendy, Barry and Amanda.  Get back home about 4.30pm, tired but just in time to get ready for class (last one of the week) Drinking lots of water and eating lots of carbs.  Have developed a love for hot cross buns!!!  Decide that 1 glass of wine won't hurt.  I remember Ginny saying that they had wine in Paris the night before the marathon, and they were OK!!!  Go to bed, with note book.  Stare at ceiling a lot and make notes in book in the dark (made interesting reading next day!!!!!)

Thursday 19th

Class tonight has to be cancelled, so spend whole day phoning round, at least it gives me something to do.  Shuffle paper on my desk, move it from one place to another, finally give up!  Add more things to my list.  Angela calls and tells me her ankle is fine, I am so relieved.  Check the weather forecast, looks OK.  Word 'Imodium' has started to creep into conversation!  Never heard of it before and now I am terrified!  Hadn't thought about it, but now can't think of anything else!  I have never discussed toilet habits and toe nails with so many people before!!!!  Have to talk to team coach (Wendy) she calms me down for the hundredth time and I am OK again for about 10 minutes!!!  Bake banana cake to take on Sunday.  Bob cooks dinner.  I decide that 2 glasses of wine will be OK this evening.  Opt for an early night and stare at the ceiling some more.  Now I just want to get on with it.  I thought that I would enjoy this week, not much running, some well earned rest, but no, I'm fidgeting something awful (and very grumpy apparently) Check my list again.

Friday 20th

Go for 4 mile run in Country Park.  It is a beautiful morning, with lots of dog walkers around.  Not a good run, if 4 miles hurts this much I can't imagine running 26.2!   Take Alexander to Natural History Museum for the day.  Great fun.  Ignore the office completely, just shake my head at the state of my desk and pledge to sort it out after the marathon!  Sit and watch TV.  Images of the marathon make my stomach flip!  A glass of wine is bound to help!  Go to bed.

Sat 21st

Manage to sleep until 4am when Alexander's Action Man alarm clock goes off!  Get up to switch it off and stare at ceiling till 7am when I finally fall asleep, only to be woken at 7.30am by another alarm clock.  Give up and go downstairs for cup of tea.  Ask Bob if he has any old clothes that I can wear and throw away.  He finds me a lovely white shell suit, circa 1982.  Yippee!  Check list again.  Start packing bag.  Stomach doing somersaults.  Clean windows, front door, outside windowsills.  Wash anything that doesn't move!  Wendy and I go to pictures to see 'Bridget Jones's Diary'.  What a hoot, we laugh the whole way through, and all the way home.  Walk to pub in hope of fleecing unsuspecting drunks of their hard earned cash.  Succeed.  Go home to large bowl of pasta and large bottle of water.  Help Alexander paint his banner.  It reads

  Mum,

  You can't play football

  You can't play darts

  But you can run!

Go to bed, and set alarm for 5.30am.  Sleep off and on until Bob and Alexander get up at 3.30am to watch boxing!  No chance of getting back to sleep.

Sunday 22nd April Flora London Marathon

Alarm goes off.  No problem getting up this morning.  Feel remarkably calm.  This is what we have been waiting for, this is it!  Get showered.  Pin race number on Windle Valley vest.  Check bag (again) Vaseline most parts of body and slide into kit.  By now my throat has closed up and I am having trouble swallowing toast.  Manage one slice then head off to pick up Chris.  Starting to feel sick and shaky.  Get to station in time for coach.  Wendy checks that we all have water and tissues and we are off.  Everyone is chatting excitedly on coach.  I realize that I have forgotten my stopwatch. (there's a first) We arrive at Greenwich common.  Quick team photo, then goodbye and good luck from Wendy and Angela, Chris and myself are alone!  We head for the loo first, then dump kit on storage lorries and then back to the loo again!  All too soon we are lined up for the start.