Got a bit of a downer this morning but that's only because I've got a bit of chest pain and I've got some aches stopping me from running for a few days. Soon as I'm recovered I'll be back out on the roads to train for all the other races I've got lined up.
I'm not experienced over marathon distance so it's actually a good feeling to have it done and now I can see how much the training base has improved my performance at my better distances.
Wabo I grabbed the Lucozade Gels they were handing out but as I don't train with Lucozade I found the gels too sweet and they didn't agree with me. It didn't matter too much, defeating the wall by keeping going was satisfying.
I finished in 3:46:51 which I am very happy with. When I ended up in Pen 9 I decided to forget chasing a time and to enjoy the event. And I did
Best moments: The constant din from the crowd, particularly at Cutty Sark, Canary Wharf and Tower Bridge, amazing support. The hose at 20 miles. Some guy chucking me a banana just before the tunnel of death. The registration chap at the Expo realising I had been put in the wrong starting pen and put a "3" sticker over it.
Worst moments: Said sticker falling off and having to start at Pen 9 which removed all hope of a 3:30 run. Dropping all my Shot Blocs through an unknown hole in my shorts pocket.
Biggest Surprise: The volume of people supporting, and how stunning London is on a nice day (I've never properly visited London before!)
Most Memorable: The scenes at Tower Bridge, running over was a buzz I'll remember for the rest of my life.
According to my Garmin I covered 26.6 miles. That isn't surprising with the amount of weaving I had to do since a registration balls up resulted in me starting in Pen 9.
A some points through Canary Wharf I was clocking 3 minute miles. I found there wasn't much need for a Garmin with the clocks every mile, and I thought I paced myself pretty well up until 22 miles where I faded.
Its a great job the pacers do out there to keep it going through a whole marathon while also helping other runners.