Hey guys, long time no speak! I know I’ve been absent from my blog for far too long but I’m coming back I promise and this post will be the first of many planned in 2019.

Spring is finally here which means warmer weather and longer nights for everyone but within the running community, spring means marathon season!

Now as many of you runners reading this will probably know (after all your training) running a marathon will be no mean feet and the day doesn’t just consist of a little running. As you may have previously read training for a half marathon only requires a certain amount of preparation but it’s still good to apply those learnings to a full marathon.

For example if you’re running for a charity on the big day you will now be full steam ahead in fundraising as well as organising family members and where they will standing to wave you on.

So because of all the logistics that are involved with a marathon day I thought I would give you some insider tips for both runners and non runners so that you can both have the best marathon day experience! This list is geared towards the London Marathon however it can totally be adapted to any race/marathon.

First London Marathon Tips

1. Train in the gear you will wear on the day. Even if you think you’ll look stupid, do it. You wont want to run a marathon in clothes/items you have never worn before. Especially trainers/socks.

2. Plan your journey well in advance and have back up routes planned incase a tube line gets shut through over crowding. Note Race-day travel is free for runners who flash their race number on the Underground, Overground, buses, TfL Rail, DLR and the relevant Southeastern trains to get you to the start line. There will be crowds at many stations on the main routes to the start so don’t delay everyone by having to dig your number out of the depths of your bag every time it’s needed.

3.Plan a disaster recovery location. Sounds scary I know but trust me when I say phone signal on the day is not slick (think how many people are all in the same area). So god forbidden something disastrous happened and the finish line or any part of the course gets closed you will want a meeting point. Personally I chose the Lloyd’s of London building as everyone in my party knew the building and how to get there from any location they might have been stranded at.

4. Anyone travelling in for the marathon should defiantly invest in a hotel room the night before. I did and it was worth every penny. The day is long enough let alone having to start it by getting up at silly o’clock to get to the start line. Location wise I stayed in a hotel Shoreditch way and I stayed there because of two reasons. Reason one hotels by Greenwich and the race start are horrifically overpriced. Reason two… It’s 8am on a Saturday in the middle of London, where do you go for breakfast which is healthy? The answer; Duck & Waffle. because its 24/7 and has an amazing healthy breakfast menu. Who wants a lukewarm porridge pot before running 26.2 miles. Not me.

5. Travel light to the start line but remember a jacket because April mornings are not the warmest and you need to keep those muscles warm.

6. Get family and friends to download the free London marathon app to follow you on the day. Its not amazingly accurate but it is a great guide to workout where you will be at certain times so they can cheer you on. If you have a few people coming to watch, try and scatter them around. Isle of dogs is a notorious quiet zone.

7. Back to the running. When you run around the course follow the blue lines on the road as closely as possible. These are the official course markers and they’re what they use to measure the course distance. The closer you keep to those blue lines the truer your distance will be. For example the more you weave in and out of slow people the more distance you will rack up. So when you look at your running watch don’t be alarmed if your final total run is further than 26.2 miles.

8. Create a great playlist to listen to. If you know roughly what your splits/timings will be tailer the music to how you think you’ll feel. Keep all your slow paced music reserved for the start. You don’t want to go off all guns blazing. If you know that after 18k (1:45) you always start to drift away mentally add some songs that get you singing (in your head or out loud). It’s a great boost and really helps distract you. I’ve heard pitch perfect and Robbie Williams are good sound tracks, allegedly.

9. Get your name on your top!!! Hearing complete strangers willing you on is the side of humanity that we sometimes forget.

10. When you pass through the finish line LOOK UP! Every gate has cameras on it and for friends/family members not actually there they can watch you pass through the finish line on the BBC red button. A picture is also taken of you from up there so pull your best smile and keep that bad boy on your bedroom shelf.

11. Pack sliders or flip flops for after the race. You’ve just run a marathon the last thing you want to do is keep those shoes and socks on or indeed slid into another pair of trainers. Especially if your toes have bled.

12. Pre-arrange a restaurant for afterwards. You will be super hungry (and so will your family/friends) when you finish and London is heaving with more people than you can care to imagine so like many things on the day restaurants (and good ones come at a premium). So think ahead.

13. Finally and most importantly enjoy the day! Any marathon is amazing but only the London marathon has that special ‘at home’ feeling. Its incredible.