London Marathon

Race: London Marathon
Time/Position: 2.55.27 (1265 from 39139)
Very relaxed coming in to this race, my 20th road marathon and 7th London. I had only done three long training runs, so had no expectations at all. I knew I wasn't in PB shape so my only chance at a decent performance was a steady and sustainable pace. To my surprise, I kept this slow and steady pace going throughout, despite the lack of training, probably because I am well trained for the half marathon distance at the moment and was therefore very comfortable until the Isle of Dogs. I also managed to hold down quite a few gels, which is unusual for me. The upshot was that this was perhaps the most enjoyable London I have ever done, save perhaps for the first time I did it in 2001. My splits were very consistent, albeit very slow and conservative! My quickest 5k was 20.34, the slowest was 21.20 - pace was between 4.04km and 4.16km for the entire race. As ever, the highlights were Cutty Sark, then going over Tower Bridge feeling fresh, then Narrow Street. I saw the family at Canary Wharf, around mile 19, which was a boost for the last few miles. My pace slackened a little towards the end, but not much, and the final section down the Embankment towards Big Ben is always very special. A couple of minutes slower than my PB, and at least 10 minutes slower than I should theoretically be able to do, but that requires a more disciplined approach to training than I have managed in the 15 years I've been running marathons! I've long since accepted that marathons will never be my distance, but it was nice to be 20 minutes inside the V45 qualifying time. Always a great day and a great family weekend: and it is even better when you actually enjoy the race.