Top marathon tips from fashion insider, Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones is something of an all-round motivation woman. At the age of 26 she has already owned her own ethical clothing label Annie Greenabelle, got married, and found time to train hard and run the London Marathon 2010.

She's been a great source of reassurance and inspiration to me, and these are her top marathon tips...

Name: Rachel Jones

Age: 26

Home: London

Career: Product Manager - Selfridges How did you get into running? I did quite a bit of running at school, but haven’t done much since so I really threw myself in at the deep end by doing nothing for 10 years and then deciding to run a marathon!

What made you decide to run the London Marathon 2010? After my Grandad passed away I really wanted to do something to raise money for St Dunstans, a charity that had really supported him in the last few years of his life. The idea of running the marathon had always appealed to me, and going along to watch it the year before was really inspiring, so I contacted the charity and asked if I could run on behalf of them and they said yes.

What was your marathon time? 5hrs

Can you tell us a bit about your marathon experience? It was easily one of the best days of my life! I decided to walk to last 6 miles as I really wanted to enjoy the experience and take it all in rather than have it go by in a blur. The crowds were amazing and really kept me going and the sense of achievement you feel when you cross the finish line is incredible.

Who is your marathon inspiration? My Grandad

What is your marathon mantra? Just another half a mile to go – it’s best to think of it in short chunks

What was your trick to integrating your training into your already busy schedule? I did a few short runs a week -in the evenings, and then one big run at the weekend. It was tricky fitting them in at first, but after a while it just became part of my routine and I actually quite missed it when the training was over.

What did you tell yourself to beat the wall? If you ever hit it! There is an amazing meal waiting for you at the end of this so keep going! Food is my motivation.

Can you name your top three tracks on your marathon playlist? Too many podcasts to list


Easy - Groove Armada 

Justice featuring Uffie - The Party 

What is your pre race ritual? I just get up and go out, I don’t give myself time to talk myself out of it!

What are your kit bag staples? Mars Bars!!

What is your marathon top training tip? My knees took a real battering so I always elevated my legs as soon as I got home from a run, covered my knees in Ibuleve and sat with two big bags of ice on them for half an hour

What did you learn about yourself from running the marathon? If you can run a marathon you can do anything - I keep my medal out to remind myself that…

Thank you for your answers Rachel, particularly the avocation of Mars Bars!