I visited the physiotherapist again the other day. It was a different lady this time but the treatment was the same. More stretches, more gentle massaging, more rubbing of lubricating jelly on my leg with the ultrasound. Apparently it’s not quite like the ultrasound given to pregnant mothers as I asked the physiotherapist, so this time I definitely didn’t ask if I was getting a boy or a girl.
Earlier today, I visited the London Marathon Expo. It's a huge exhibition where exhibitors exhibit their products and services in relation to the London Marathon, from sports drinks to sportswear to watches and all sorts of crazy gizmos. It is being held at the ExCeL Centre, by Custom House station on the Docklands Light Railway. Just done some research, and apparently, ExCeL stands for Exhibition Centre, London. You heard it here first. The Expo is open for four days between Wednesday and Saturday, but today was the only day in which I was actually free to visit. There, I officially register in the race and collect my chip and my running number and kit bag, all in preparation for the big day on Sunday.
The building was huge. Absolutely enormous. The exhibition itself was also enormous. So many stands, so many products being sold. It was all rather overwhelming.
The building was huge. Absolutely enormous. The exhibition itself was also enormous. So many stands, so many products being sold. It was all rather overwhelming.
The first thing I did when arriving was get my name printed on my running vest so that people can see my name as I run along and call out my name, either to motivate or heckle me. It now has my name on it, in big, bold, black lettering, on both the front and the back and I’ll be wearing it on Sunday with pride. Pride and nervousness. And plenty of sweat.
I learned plenty at the exhibition. From the man at the Lucozade stand, you cannot really expect to complete a marathon on water alone. You need carbohydrate and sugar to keep you going. He would say that, though. He’s trying to sell a product. I suppose he has a point though. I’ve run 21 miles just on water and although I did manage to keep myself going, I’m not sure I could have managed 26. By the time I finished that 21-mile run, I was almost delirious.
So that’s one thing learned – take energy foods/drink with me, whether in the form of sweets or gel or whatever works. I was warned by my uncle to be careful with some of these, and never try anything during the marathon that you haven’t already tried in training. Especially when it comes to energy drinks and gels. There is this phenomenon known as the “runner’s tummy” or “runner’s trots.” All that running has an effect on the abdomen, making it more likely that you’ll need to use the toilet. If you’re running for two, three four, five, six, seven, et cetera hours continuously, that can have quite an effect, and consuming something that you are not used to can exacerbate it. My uncle also advised bringing toilet paper with me “in case you need the toilet and there’s no toilet paper there.” So after my uncle’s warning, I am now paranoid that if I’m not careful, I will end up shitting myself in front of a crowd and TV audience of millions.
I helped myself to lots of freebies – mainly energy bars and energy sweets, bits of cake and so on. So much so, I didn’t need to make myself any dinner when I got home at 7.30pm because I was full up!
So that’s one thing learned – take energy foods/drink with me, whether in the form of sweets or gel or whatever works. I was warned by my uncle to be careful with some of these, and never try anything during the marathon that you haven’t already tried in training. Especially when it comes to energy drinks and gels. There is this phenomenon known as the “runner’s tummy” or “runner’s trots.” All that running has an effect on the abdomen, making it more likely that you’ll need to use the toilet. If you’re running for two, three four, five, six, seven, et cetera hours continuously, that can have quite an effect, and consuming something that you are not used to can exacerbate it. My uncle also advised bringing toilet paper with me “in case you need the toilet and there’s no toilet paper there.” So after my uncle’s warning, I am now paranoid that if I’m not careful, I will end up shitting myself in front of a crowd and TV audience of millions.
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