I never thought I would hear myself say this but I am contemplating running a marathon again! The London Marathon last week gave me such a buzz and sense of achievement that the thought of doing it all over again is actually quite exciting!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I was nervous in the week beforehand- I had struggled with shin splints since Christmas and only managed up to 16 miles in training so the thought of the additional 10 miles was a little daunting!<\/p>\n
There were so many runners at the start zone in Greenwich Park that it took me 25 minutes just to get across the line. Once up and running I settled into a rhythm and tried to take in as much as I could. The atmosphere was brilliant- I wasn’t expecting so many people cheering on at the side of the road even in the early stages. I had friends and family supporting at miles 1, 6, 12, 15, 18, 23 and then dotted along the last 3 miles which gave me a tremendous boost each time- almost too much because I would speed up and end up paying for it half a mile later!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I went past the 16 mile mark on the Isle of Dogs and still felt good for the next 3 miles on through Canary Wharf. Then it got very difficult. The people I spoke to before the Marathon had said that the main battle was all in the mind- they were so right! At mile 19 I felt I had very little left in my legs and all I could think was that there was 7 and a half miles to go which practically stopped me in my tracks! For the next 3 miles I walked about a quarter of each mile to try and conserve my legs and re-energise.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I came into Tower Hill at 23 miles and it suddenly got easier- I saw Sarah and her cheering team which I didn’t expect and that gave me a big lift for the final few miles. The crowds and bands along embankment were incredible, mostly 3 or 4 deep all the way back to Big Ben.\u00a0 At Parliament Square I passed Sir Richard Branson dressed as a butterfly…\u00a0 Very satisfying to beat him in his own event!!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I completed it in 4hrs 42mins which I was delighted with and headed straight to the Kings Arms in Waterloo to rehydrate with the FTFE team!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It was an amazing experience. I would recommend it to anyone- The highlights of\u00a0 the day itself, the supporters, the eating-as- much-as-you-like and still losing weight whilst training massively out weigh the lows of the winter training, the niggling leg injuries and apres Marathon stiffness and blisters!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And the most importantly, my running has helped to raise a substantial amount of money for the FTFE charity and I would like to thank all those who have sponsored me and the Sweat Teams for their amazing generosity.<\/p>\n
Yours<\/p>\n
Hobbling Dave<\/p>\n
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