marathon nerves

[El Gordo]

The marathon distance has to be respected, but not feared. If you get that balance right, you're laughing.

Every year, about 30,000 people do the London marathon, and of those there are many thousands who are doing it for the first time. Among the first-timers will be many who are far less prepared than you.

No marathon training ever goes to plan. [grin] Same for everyone, every time.

Think about it -- what's the worst that can happen? That you run out of steam and have to take walk breaks, or like many thousands of people, you end up walking a lot of the last 5 miles or so. Even 10 miles. Does it matter that much? No.

A first marathon is just there to be enjoyed and treasured. This is the most important thought to focus on -- that the marathon is the prize for all the training. It's not the final punishment, the final indignity. It's the compensation for all those long runs and inconveniences. On the bus to Hopkinton the other morning, for the start of the Boston marathon, I noticed a guy with a cap that bore the legend: "26.2: the destination is the reward". That summed it up for me. You are not headed for some terrible ordeal, you are headed for a day out that will make you the envy of millions watching on TV. You're doing something that most people can only dream of.

So get out there and enjoy it. When you're on the train to Blackheath on Sunday morning, amid hundreds of other hyper, happy people, you'll suddenly realise how privileged you are to have this experience. It will set you apart. At the end of the day, you can look at that medal and say "I am a marathoner", and feel rightly proud.

Go and do it John. Fulfill your dream, and change your life forever.

And as the great ultra-marathoner before me said, come back and tell us about it. I'm desperate to hear all about it.

Good luck, and hold your head high.