Well, I managed it. Official time is 3hrs 56mins and 28 secs - so I scraped in under the 4 hours mark - which I'm relatively pleased with, given it was my first time and given it was very warm indeed. Also feel I could have run a lot quicker if it hadn't been so damned busy! Mile 16 or 17 before it cleared enough to actually get into a comfortable stride.
Surprisingly enough, for me anyway, I really enjoyed it. The crowds are fantastic and the whole trip passed in a kind of blur. None of the usual mundane gripes that make training runs occasionally tedious like sore arms, dicky tummies, tedium or uncomfy socks. Only war wound I have for my efforts is a black toenail.
Also suitably impressed by the amount of 70 year olds who were in front of me at the finish as well as the number of people clearly not naturally designed for running who still kicked my ass.
But I'll do another one and probably this year. Ideally a quieter one where I can run at my comfy pace for the whole trip and maybe knock 20 minutes off my time. Hooked. Really felt like crying the second after I crossed the line, but stopped myself and have been wishing I hadn't ever since.
So thanks to everyone who sponsored me and thanks to everyone who helped get me into running in the first place and enjoying it in the second, principally Cara and Newell.
Cheers for this time round!
Antony
