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Valerie Taylor-Walker
Valerie Taylor-Walker • May 01, 2021
Doing the best you can
It was in 2007 when I took part in the London Marathon. A very long time ago now, I know, but the memory stays with me. I had never run before, hadn’t done any kind of sport and couldn’t even ride a bike. Needless to say, I was overweight and unfit, but having watched my daughter take part in 5k and 10k runs, I was impressed by everyone that had made the effort to take part, even those who were walking.
My daughter encouraged me to try running and before I knew it we had entered the London Marathon, probably so she wouldn’t be the one coming in last. It was October when I first put on those running shoes and the Marathon was in April. I could barely run from one lamppost to the next.
Anyone who has run the London Marathon knows that it is not the Marathon itself that is the challenge, but all the preparation that needs to take place beforehand. Making the time to train, slowly building up the miles, finding the courage to run outside your familiar area in order to clock up the distance and going out in rain, biting wind and snow. I usually went out in the night, so nobody could see me but soon learned that the one good thing about running is that nobody knows at what stage you are in your training or whether you are warming up or cooling down, thank goodness.
The training involved taking part in smaller competitions, running 3k, 5k and 10k races as well as half marathons. I didn’t realise the bridges in London were so steep! I remember a Silverstone half marathon running on my own through a blizzard. No doubt everybody else had finished and were enjoying a nice hot soak in a tub or a hot chocolate. It took me over a week to warm up and I am sure I had hypothermia.
Everybody is different and many are experienced runners, cyclists or even fitness gurus but on the actual day, it really doesn’t matter as you are all part of one big ‘party’. And it feels like a party as the different charities and spectators are everywhere, on the roadside or balconies, handing you jelly babies for energy, waving flags, playing loud music and cheering you along.
The event was hard and pretty daunting. You really want to be able to cross that finish line in one piece. In 2017 it was the hottest day on record and they had run out of water early on. People were forced to pick up bottles scattered on the road to drink what they could and I will always be grateful for the young child who ran over to me to hand me a fresh bottle – which does not say much for my speed at the time. My aim was to catch up with the Womble that I thought had just overtaken me, only to find several miles later that there were actually loads of Wombles taking part, but at least it kept me motivated.
I saw a couple of friends along the way and stopped and had a chat. Any excuse to catch my breath. My family had taken a huge ice cream balloon, so that I could easily spot them en- route and I think they had done as much walking as I had running, so that they could greet us at the end. My daughter had gone ahead as she had set herself a time challenge, whereas my challenge was to just run across that finish line.
Even after all these years, I am still feeling the exhilaration and pride from having completed the course and been able to run across the finish line. Together we had raised over £6000 for our charity, Carers UK, which in itself was rewarding. My medal and photo are framed. I have learned that it is important to push yourself out of your comfort zone now and then, that by setting yourself a challenge occasionally (even a small one) you will benefit from the achievement years and years down the line. When things get tough, I know that I can pull through. I also know that if I really set my mind to doing something I can do it. I have also learned that you don’t have to be the best (there was no way I could win this race!) but just do the best that you can and if you don’t achieve what you hoped to achieve, then at least you made the effort.
I would love to hear what challenges you have set yourself in life and overcome and how you feel about it now.
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