The Greenwich Advantage

With less than three days to go before the marathon, I am officially freaking out. My feelings bounce from excitement to nervousness to pride to outright fear, and sometimes it’s a combination of all four.

One of the things I’m most looking forward to on race day will be the advantage of waking up in my own bed, getting ready in my own house and walking up the hill with my family to the start. It certainly makes me more relaxed knowing that the world-class sporting event I’m participating in is just a short walk away. It really does give me a distinct advantage over the other competitors, though given my speed (very slow) it’s not as if it’s going to help me win the race.

Another advantage of living in Greenwich is I’ve spent the last six months running on the course. I’ve never run it from start to finish (I’m saving that for Sunday), but in the course of training, I’ve run about 21 miles of it. I haven’t run the last five miles, again I’m saving that for Sunday, but I do think it will really help me. I’ve got the course memorized, and I’ve even run what they say is the worst part—miles 14 to 22—so I know what to expect.

The other advantage of living in Greenwich will be all the friends who will be looking out for me between miles five and eight and on the Isle of Dogs. I know from watching in the past that it might be hard to spot people you know, but my friends are already telling me where to look for them, so that should help. (For those friends looking for me later on in the course, I’m asking that they bring some spare Nurofen with them.) It'll be like I'm a famous athlete, with all these people cheering my name! Well, at least I can pretend just once.

I know it’s slightly unfair that I’ve been able to practice on the course whenever I wanted, but it doesn’t really matter, as I’ll hardly be up in the front, running head-to-head with Paula Radcliffe. The way I see it, any advantage that will help me cross the finish line with a smile on my face is one I should exploit.