Neil Featherby: How I was too polite to properly fuel the London Marathon

What with it being 30 years ago since I last ran in a competitive marathon in Nantes, France in 1992, having now spent the last few weeks training with my partner Steph for what will be her first ever marathon in London, it really has been quite nostalgic.

Apart from the training, also listening to her talk about running more than she ever has.

Especially during the last couple of weeks with of course all the usual questions which most runners ask particularly when it is their first one.

I did also warn her that she would feel every little ache or pain far more than she normally would as we got ever closer to race day.

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As it happens, I think there has been a different niggle every day for the last fortnight and whilst I keep telling her it is normal, she still keeps saying it hurts.

Funnily enough though, as soon as we go out for a run, any such pain tends to disappear.

Oh, and as for the amounts of pasta and rice consumed this last week, I really do feel bloated.

I love carbs and always have done, but let’s just say this week's meals have gone even beyond my usual amounts.

I have only done London twice and even though it was such a long time ago, I still remember both races like it was yesterday.

The first one in 1985 was awesome, finishing in 2 hours 20 mins.

However, the following year, I expected much more and whilst I finished in what I look back on now as a decent time of 2 hours 21 mins, back then I was really disappointed.

So much so I never ran London again which of course is now another running regret of mine.

Apart from the bad weather during the 1986 race and having just mentioned the amount of carbohydrates eaten this week, that year was also a bit of a disaster when it came to diet.

I travelled down to London the day before with training partner Gregor Booth who was at the time one of Norfolk’s best to stay with some friends and whilst Gregor kept saying shall we buy some food and take to theirs, I said no as they may feel insulted.

That was a mistake as when the evening meal was dished up for four of us. Initially I wondered if it was a starter as I could have easily consumed the whole lot myself twice over.

I looked at Gregor and could see he was thinking the same thing as well as looking at me as if to say ‘I told you so.’

I kept toying with the idea of saying to our hosts that I was going out to buy a pizza, but just dare not as I did not want to insult them or hurt their feelings and went to bed that night listening to my stomach whirring constantly through hunger.

Come the following morning when breakfast did not happen either and then looking out at the weather which was wet and windy, my mind really was not where it should have been.

I should have also been more mentally strong during the last few miles of the marathon as when the going did start to get tough, rather than focusing on the all the hard work I had put in during the many months of training which consisted of 120 up to 147 miles for each of the last 16 weeks leading up to the race, I just kept thinking about the lack of food the day before.

At the end of the day, it was my fault and I should have been better prepared.

On the positive side, it was a mistake which I never made again and as it happens it was exactly 36 years ago this week (Sept 28th) when I ran 2:17 in Berlin which was just five months after what I had thought had been a bad run in London.

For Steph – this really will be an amazing experience for her and whilst I am sure she is capable of about 4 hours 20 mins, what with having only taken up the challenge in June after the opportunity came along thanks to New Balance and Sportlink just one day after losing our beloved Husky Loki, it just seemed the right thing to do.

Therefore, anything under 5 hours will be a bonus and what I do know is when the going gets tough, apart from the amazing atmosphere which goes with the London Marathon, it will be the causes which she is running for and all those people who have sponsored her (over £1,500 as I write this) which will keep her going.

Most of all though, it will be the thoughts of Loki in her mind which will see her through to the very end.

Anyway, the training is done now so time to go put all those many miles of practice into place as she, along with thousands of others, runs 26.2 miles round the streets of the capital on Sunday morning.

It really is such a special event for which everyone taking part should soak up every moment, because like I do now, they too will also look back in years to come on what truly will have been an amazing experience.

Finally, I’d just like to wish all the very best to Ian Thomas and Ash Gilbert who I wrote about last week as they take on the 153 mile ultra-marathon challenge of the Spartathlon from Athens to Sparta this weekend.