Thanks guys! xx
It was a fantastic day and I have to hug and thank every one of the 10 million people cheering. You all were awesome!
Unfortunately, I didn't beat the London jinx and struggled round the second half. First half was great at 2 hours 20 seconds, but I knew then I couldn't sustain that and slowed throughout the 3rd quarter. By 18 miles I was getting some sort of stomach cramps from the water and lucozade and wasn't far from being sick. By 30k I was walking as I drank a whole lucozade bottle and just kept pushing between walking bits and jogging. By then I couldn't do better than a jog for much of the rest and effecitvely lost half an hour in the 2nd half of the race.
It was still my best London time by 29 minutes, and another sub 4:30 so I am still really pleased with my performance on that side. It shows that London may still have a jinx and that I've just got to come back next year and do much better!
Not sure if I'll do another marathon elsewhere this year, just taking a few days or weeks or maybe months to assess my body and its ability to fly round races as it deserves to! Once I do get back running it'll be all speedwork for a while anyway.
Well done everyone else for your performances. My best clubmate didn't finish and is now at the doctor's, so I know the feeling of self-imposed failure! He's reasonably upset at having missed a good sub 3:15 time - and may have run 15 miles on a stress fracture! Oops!
I like to run, it makes me smile; I think I'll wait before running another mile!
