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Whilst many of us were enjoying a relaxing Sunday at home, Mrs Beedell from the RMS Science Department, was having a far more challenging day as she took on the London Marathon, raising money for the School Charity, The Rainbow Trust.
Here she shares her thoughts on being part of this iconic event:
I never thought I would be writing about running the London Marathon, but here I am. Having completed this world famous event on Sunday, I am still standing, and have even since been for a 5km run!
Standing in the starting pen, I am sure I felt like our Year 11 and Year 13 students as they sit in the Great Hall waiting for an examination to start, a bundle of nerves, but I was also excited to get started. This first half through Blackheath, Woolwich, Greenwich and then over Tower Bridge was amazing and I was feeling great; a highlight was running past the Cutty Sark. I went over the half marathon point in 2 hours 30 minutes, so was feeling pleased with this time, as it was a personal best in a race situation.
The next 13 miles were extremely tough, and I was pleased that I managed to run most of the way (with just a bit of walk/run in the last 5 miles). When I finally turned away from the river at Westminster, I knew I was almost there. I could hear the amazing crowds shouting and cheering everyone – people always say that the crowd is what spurs you on, and it truly does feel as if the whole of London is rooting for you. When Buckingham Palace comes into view, you know that you are in the home straight and the thought of it inspired me to push for a final sprint to the finish line… then all of a sudden, something I have been training for since the start of the year, was over.
The whole experience has taken a few days to sink in, but now I can see what an amazing achievement I have completed, a definite tick off the "bucket list". When you watch the London Marathon on TV you see the runners and think "wow", but until you run it, it is difficult to realise what hard work goes into just getting to the start line. Crossing the finish line will forever be one of my proudest moments and greatest memories!
So here are some stats:
- I spent 96 hours training over the previous 120 days
- On average I ran 44.55 km a week
- My longest training run was 17 miles
- The total distance I covered in the 120 days was 712.9 km
- My fastest km on the day was 6:15 minutes
- My overall race pace was 7:41 km a minute
- I finished in 5 hours 29 minutes
- I have raised over £1300 (so far) for the School Charity, The Rainbow Trust – thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored me.
It is not too late to add to the impressive amount that Mrs Beedell has already raised; you can sponsor her here.
Find out more about the fantastic work done by The Rainbow Trust here