London Marathon – 02/10/2022
My journey to the London Marathon started back in the Autumn of 2018 when a friend asked me if I would enter the ballot with them. They got a place and I didn’t.
Undeterred I applied for a charity place with the National Autistic Society and was duly accepted. A few months later I pulled a calf muscle on a Jags training run from Homebase on Mousehold Lane.
I didn’t run again until Boxing Day and 4.5k into a 5k run I felt my calf muscle pop and walked home in excrutiating pain.
I started running again in February with hopes of still being able to compete in London 2019. It went well for a few runs, but then I started to get pain in my lower calf and took the decision to defer. It was only after a visit to see Becky Schofield for some physio work that I had the confidence to run again and over the course of that year I gradually worked my way back to running fitness.
Training for London 2020 started well. I was feeling strong and had a good 18 mile run with Scott and a Jags club run from Coltishall to Catton parkrun and back in March. The talk at Catton was all about this new virus and the prospects for parkun and mass events being able to continue. Sure enough later that week we were in lockdown and the London marathon was postponed until October. I think we all knew that was unlikely to happen and of course it didn’t.
The charity I was running for gave me the option to defer my place to October 2021, April 2022 or April 2023. I chose the second option, preferring to train through the winter for a Spring Marathon.
My running was going well in 2021 and The Hamlet Centre, where my son Chris who has Autism goes, asked me if I would run the 2021 marathon virtually as a fundraiser for them. I decided to take up the challenge and trained throughout that summer. As the date approached I had a tightness in my glutes that I self diagnosed as piriformis syndrome. This began to affect my sciatic nerve and I was having to take painkillers just to be able to sleep and lay on the floor to watch TV.
On the eve of the virtual I was about to call it a day when Nick Eley turned up with a big fat cheque that matched the amount I had already raised for the Hamlet Centre, so I decided to give it a go.
Supported by friends and taking breaks to rest and recover I somehow made it round, but then faced a 2-3 month lay-off and weekly physio to recover. The 2022 Marathon was moved to October, which turned out to be something of a blessing.
I didn’t run again until just after Christmas and gradually worked my way back by running intervals of increasing distance until I could manage to run 5k again.
In the Spring I had a couple of good 10k races in my fastest times since 2018 and was feeling strong again. I worked my way up runs of 10 mile distance at the start of my marathon training in June and all was looking good. Then just after I had completed a half marathon training run Covid hit the Henry household for the first time and I was laid low for a couple of weeks.
Running in the post viral period was incredibly hard and I probably pushed things a little too much too soon and ended up with a hamstring strain. July was a write off for running and I seriously thought about jacking it all in.
Fortunately a holiday came at the right time and I was able to relax and reflect and use the hotel gym to build up my fitness and came up with a plan to squeeze the rest of my training into the 7 weeks that were left.
I jeffed my long runs with local running buddy Nicky, who was training for the Chester marathon on the same day and although the long runs in the heat of early September were hard I made it through without any further problems.
As I was lining up at the start on Sunday I knew I didn’t have it in the legs to run a full marathon and set out to enjoy the occasion and make sure I made it round by walking when necessary.
I ran the first 20k slowly, lapping up the atmosphere and high fiving the kids as the side of the road. Just before Tower Bridge I could see a Jags shirt ahead of me and had a quick word with Katie Fenn before lapping up the cheers across the bridge.
I needed to walk for the first time just before half way and then looked for my family at the NAS cheer point at Limehouse Holiday Inn at 14 miles. Their frantic waving and cheers gave me a boost, but by mile 15 I didn’t have much left in the legs and decided to run / walk the rest of the way.
The support from the crowd was incredible and having my name on my shirt really helped as complete strangers were giving me so much encouragement.
When I saw my family again at mile 21/22 I knew I would finish the race and although my legs were hurting I dug deep and again used the support from the crowd to keep me going.
At last there was the Millenium Wheel and Big Ben and then I was in Birdcage Walk with less than 1 mile to go. I managed to run the rest of the way, reached the final turn at Buckingham Palace and there at last was the finish!
It was something of a relief to finally complete the marathon and get the monkey off my back I feel I’ve been carrying for the last few years. I didn’t even notice my time, which I later found out was 4:44:15. The Charity laid on a nice post race reception with food and a much needed massage and shower.
After running London 3 times for charity and one virtual in the last 10 years that’s me done with marathons and I’m sticking firmly to distances between 5k and Half marathon from now. London is a great experience, but in my opinion one to enjoy and forget about trying for a PB. Of course Jack Stuttle had to blow that out of the water by smashing his PB by 10 minutes and setting yet another club record.
Congratulations to Jack and well done to Daniel Smith, Neil Button, Radley Fenn, Rosemary Jackson, Jackie Bye and Katie Fenn who also ran London this year and not forgetting the Jags who ran the race virtually.
Commiserations to Rod Bye who was unable to take his place and to Mel Porter, who had to pull out of the Chester marathon.
If any other Jags are fortunate enough to get a place to run the London marathon on another year then I wish you well, enjoy the occasion and savour the memories and I hope your journey to that start is a straightforward one!
Phil Henry
| Name | Time | PB | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Stuttle | 2:47:47 | Yes and New Club Record! | Diamond |
| Daniel Smith | 2:49:34 | Diamond | |
| Neil Button | 3:33:42 | Silver | |
| Radley Fenn | 4:16:55 | First Timer | |
| Rosemary Jackson | 4:30:07 | Diamond | |
| Jackie Bye | 4:35:53 | Gold | |
| Phil Henry | 4:44:15 | First Timer | Bronze |
| Katie Fenn | 5:11:24 |
