It’s been over 2 weeks since I crossed the Finish Line at the 2024 TCS London Marathon.
I have nothing but gratitude for the experience, lessons, and journey outside of my comfort zone. I was accompanied by my husband and son to London and we had a remarkable time taking in the sights and enjoying the country as a family. My son has picked up new vocabulary words including: crisps (instead of chips), toilet (instead of bathroom), and chips (instead of fries). He’s also displayed a large interest in Big Ben. Haha!
Aside from the sights, the city was buzzing with thousands of extra people from numerous other countries; all of us ready to run the spectacle that is the London Marathon. I was floored by the amount of people at the expo on a Thursday morning and I had a bit too much fun buying all the souvenirs and race day gear! My poor wallet. But hey, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, right? Indeed, it was.
I had planned and trained for London to be my PB/PR for my marathon time. For the Chicago Marathon I ran a 6.5 hour race, which consisted of me partying at the live music stands, wandering off course to use a bathroom (lol), standing in line at portapotties, and taking the small detours through the extra ‘fun’ zones (hello BioFreeze) on course. Although I had a blast and enjoyed every moment, I wanted London to be different and I wanted to run through it quicker while taking in the sights and crowd. Sad to say, this did not happen.
I’ve documented my narrative and amazing pictures and videos into a YouTube video. Link here. However, I will tell you more now.
London was hard. As the saying goes, it chewed me up and spit me out. I cried, literally cried; which then evolved into a low bawl as I gasped for breath at the end. My heartbreak started around the 10k mark when I realized the sharp pain in my back would prohibit me from resuming a running/jogging pace. I kept wanting to DNF and enter each medical tent that I passed by; yet, I did not.
I am not sure what kept me going beyond the thoughts of all the financial sacrifices me and my family had to make to be in London. I felt so broken and helpless, but I was quickly humbled and filled with gratitude by the cheers from the spectators, course volunteers, and fellow participants. We did it together and I LOVE that the medal says that proudly, “We Finished Together”.
Despite not having the race I wanted time and performance-wise, it was a great experience. I got to connect with so many people and I reveled in all the sights of the city. Tower Bridge is AMAZING! Big Ben is really tall. Buckingham Palace is quite large. And I’ve gotta say that out of the majors I’ve run thus far (Boston and Chicago), London’s finish line is the best!
When people have asked about my experience I simply tell them that it was the best one and that I fought hard for my medal. Because I did. I kept wanting to quit, but I stepped on. Despite having to power walk the race, I did it and I learned so much about myself along the way. Some people have said that you need to respect the marathon distance and I always thought that sounded so lame and absurd, but I get it now. I have to say it’s true. Despite having trained and worked my booty off for months in preparation, it still showed me what’s what. Ha!
I could talk about this all day, but for the sake of this entry I’ll end it here. I talk more in my YouTube video – go check it out (video here).
Thank you all for your steadfast support and kudos. Thank you for your donations. Thank you for the cheers you sent to me across the ocean – they came through just as I needed them. I appreciate you all more than you know.
xx Chels
P.S. Three cheers for my 3rd World Marathon Major star!!!
