This is an interview (written) that we had with Martin Yelling for a running magazine to be published at a later date. Note that it was written before the post date, hence marathon talk is in the future tense..
What made you first decide to do a marathon and when was this? Who were your main influencers?
This will be our first marathon and prior to this year we had never run for the purposes of getting fit or enjoyment. The running began as soon as we were told that our starting positions for the VLM were confirmed by Oxfam in June/ July. Beginning slowly with a 4 x 5min walk 5min run we progressed with adding on 10% of the time to build up slowly in order to get our legs used to moving a little quicker than usual.
Our inspiration to run the London marathon came from a meander through the parks of London. Ever so slightly bemused and curious we stopped to have a look at the runners at around the 4 and a half hour mark coming across the finish line, all the while soaking up the atmosphere and good spirit that was being created by cheers for unknown marathoners. Watching the ‘allsorts’ that were finishing we asked ourselves why it was that we couldn’t do something like that. Not being particularly sporty (or fit) people, we light heartedly made a verbal commitment to entering the race the following year. On later reflection the two of us discussed the benefits of such a commitment and achievement, one of those being that we would spend some quality time together and do something good for ourselves and other people – through the charity Oxfam.
Supporters? Who (no need to name!) mocked you or thought you couldn’t do it?
Each of us had people to support us at work and even people who had run it before, so from a support point of view we were very lucky. Many of our work colleagues help with the fundraising and assisted in the organisation of events to both get the message out that we were running a marathon and that we were doing it for a charity - this helped us tremendously. With the additional support of family and friends home in Australia, the hours of training in freezing temperatures through the dark and miserable winter could have been even more difficult than it was. However it has to be said that more than a few eyebrows were raised when we told people about our commitment – mostly from those who knew us the best, after all this was something that was way out of our comfort zone.
How did that progress into becoming ‘a runner’? So, what did you do next?
The running began tentatively. Our lifestyles weren’t exactly those of marathon runners, so drip feeding the increments was also an important feature of our progression so we didn’t get discouraged too soon. Soon we were running for longer and perhaps most noticeably recovering quicker from those longer runs. Buying the running kits also made us feel like we were ‘seasoned runners’ and since that point we refuse to run without them – must have those tights! A large part of maintaining our progress throughout our training was recording our runs no matter how small, and basking in the glory of achieving weekly targets and goals. Coupled with a blog, our training diary made it easy to see how far we had come and encouraged us to keep at it through the cold dark winter.
What do you think running has given you more broadly. How has it added to your life?
From the outset, running together has not only made our bodies healthier, but it has made our relationship stronger. During the training period we felt like we were a part of a larger running community, even when we were the only ones in the park running in the pouring rain. It provided a focus, a goal, a target that we could both shoot for and work together to achieve and without a doubt that process has been one of the most amazing things to come out of the whole experience.
Can you provide a look at your typical training week...
A typical training week was fairly structured. 3 runs during the week and a long run at the weekend was the standard routine practically all the way through the build up to the marathon. We would run home from the BBC every other night which would be just under 5 miles. At the beginning of the year we began incorporating interval and tempo runs into the week to mix it up a bit. Our long runs moved along, adding a mile per week from 10 miles. This proved to be a good increase rate for the both of us, giving us a weekly milestone. ‘Our longest run ever!’ was the common cry as we high fived each other, as pedestrians looked at us in bewilderment.
Has their been anything exciting / unexpected along the way? Hard times, good times, achievements, peaks?
The level of support both from the charity, Oxfam, and people at work has blown us away. People that we would least expect to sponsor us have dug deep for our cause which made us feel good about the hard work we were putting in every week. Reaching our fundraising target of £2,000 before the race day was a major achievement for the both of us; being so far from home and relying heavily on work mates to hand over, amazing! The good times certainly came when we told people about what we were doing and why we were doing it and the looks on their faces of absolute shock. Minor breakthroughs like running 5 km for the first time were great and reaching those little targets regularly helped keep things exciting. March was a tough month with injury creeping into the runs. Physios, doctors, loads of ibuprofen and most depressingly, enforced rest made it really difficult to stay fit and positive about the process. With Jess fit and healthy, she was able to keep with the training which went some way to keeping perspective and confidence in the lead up to the race. Thankfully though it wasn’t too bad and training was soon back on track.
Then lets bring it right up to date with VLM – what’s your motivation for VLM and what do you hope to achieve?
For the two of us the marathon has been all about the process of getting to the start line, what happens during the race itself is just a bonus. The VLM also puts a lot of things into perspective. If we can do this, then we can achieve anything we set our minds to, and being such an iconic distance/ achievement, it shows others that we can do anything and that we have the persistence and strength to reach our goals. A finish on the day will be amazing, somewhere around the 5 hour mark would be nice.
Top 5 Tips – from couch to marathon
1) Start slowly
2) Keep a diary/blog/record of your runs
3) Talk about your journey, this keeps it real and keeps you accountable
4) Use the right equipment; spend the money because it’s worth it!
5) Work on your mental well-being as much as your physical fitness
Bang! That would be a wall we just ran into at about the 19/ 20 mile mark. It didn’t hurt too much but it did mean that our pace dropped and we needed some walking breaks to keep as fresh as possible for our big finish along the embankment. The shade provided by the buildings of Canary Wharf were a welcome relief from the sun, but despite all this it was a struggle moving the body through this part of the course. Thankfully we had support from Marianne and Steve from the BBC and they provided some sweets for us, even though we were a bit shaky on the legs and looking a bit like death. This was also part of the course where the Marathon Talk presenters Tom Williams and Martin Yelling were with their motivation station. As a big fan of their podcasts, and a contributor to one of Martin’s podcasts for the marathon, I felt obligated to at least show my appreciation by giving Martin a high five as he shouted out our names to give us a bit of a boost. It worked.. For a mile or so.
Even with short walking breaks scattered through the last 6 miles, it was tough, but quite amazing. The promise of a lively Embankment motivated us as we headed at last, in the right direction towards the finish line. Encouraged all the way and pushed along by the spirit of other runners and the spectators, it all began to get a little weird. The urge to be sick was now well and truly upon the both of us and suddenly the crowds began to provide more of a white noise, indiscriminate and distracting. It was hard to focus; at a time when we needed all the focus we could muster. Jess had long since put her headphones in to zone out as we had done on many long runs, but it was hard. I tried to use the crowd and the noise to motivate me, but we both found it increasingly difficult as our bodies screamed louder than the spectators.
Ducking under the underpasses on Upper Thames Street was not helping either. Orange lights illuminated the runners, some lining up for urinals, some not bothering with such airs and graces (just urinating on the underpass walls – no one cared anymore. It was now about surviving the last leg of this epic run, even if it meant exposing yourself in public. To be honest, we couldn’t really see straight anyway, not a clue. Finally we emerged from another dimly lit underpass to the bright light and heat of day and we were on the embankment.
A mental push was required and the embankment provided a great deal of colour and encouragement. With hip flexors aching, feet now sore, quads numb and tired, good running posture left somewhere in Canary Wharf, we pushed our bodies to the absolute limit to run the length of the Embankment. The trees, now with the new leaves of spring provided some respite from the sun and we tried hard to maintain forward movement. A burst of adrenaline came when we saw a group of people from Norwood Green, headed by Lisa Price on lookout, nearing the 25 mile marker. Jess and I managed to muster the strength to at least look good and give a celebratory high five as we passed – the truth was is that we were nearly spent.
Now on the final stretch of our journey as we chucked a right hand turn onto Birdcage Walk at the big clock at Westminster. We were and relishing (and swearing at) the diminishing mile/ yard markers until we turned the corner 
onto the Mall. With every footstep we knew that we were getting closer to achieving the goal that we had set out to reach 12 months before. We had long forgotten about times, pacing and how we looked; it was all about getting to that finish line together. We began the training and months of preparation as a way of making our relationship stronger, boosting the quality of our time together as well as the quantity. Both of us made sacrifices in the process of this, and now the benefits of all that hard work, teamwork and mental strength and character were paying off. With a cheeky wave at Ma’am in her palace we dug deep for the last time.
I’m not afraid to say that we were extremely proud of each other as we ran the last hundred meters to cross the line in 5hrs 15min. Making sure that we smiled for the finishing photo we made our way over the mini bridge where the volunteers remove the timing chip from the laces. Legs immediately stiffened and the both of us were walking like John Wayne. With a medal now around the neck, goodie bag in hand and a big fat smile on our faces, we walked to collect our kit bags and rest our now useless legs. A man with a sign caught our attention in the last 600 meters of the run that helped us find the energy for the final stretch, and I think it sums up what we did nicely. ‘Pain is temporary, Glory is forever’. We hurt, we staggered, but we achieved it and we did it together - couldn’t ask for more. 
