It was only a leisurely jog of 26.2 miles across London. And that was all.
This was the challenge I was most excited about since I knew that more people were coming along and you wanted to make them proud because they had spent hours following you around London.
One of the premier races that participants wish to test their mettle in is the London Marathon. Enjoying the day is more essential than time; it doesn't matter if it's fast or slow. Grasp the moment, as the level of support is unmatched.
The crowd, support, and atmosphere
It was excellent. Really, it was. When you felt like giving up - and you frequently wonder why you are putting yourself through this - it helped you go forward. It gave you hope and reassurance that you wanted to endure, keep going for them, and cross the finish line.
The streets were full with people and charities, music blasting from people's speakers on a variety of genres, plenty of places to cheer, and runners supporting each other. Even though you had limitations and at times wanted to give up on the race, they continued in pushing and supporting you.
People often say the support doesn't have that much of an impact on you, I highly disagree. It really does. It helps an abundance. It makes you think that I'm doing something worthwhile, I want to complete it for them as well.
The race
A marathon is no easy feat. You have to be very strategic and it takes up a lot of your capacity. Like me, I devised a pacing strategy and worked on a pacing strategy for months, this came in the form of; what was the ideal race pace, what was the target time, the backup speed, and at which distance or time you needed to fuel up - you really needed to get that down to a tee.
I saw lots of people fall trap at the start where for the first 4/5km they went out quickly, and then faded, they got caught in the lure of that bit being downhill and regretted it. You have to fight that excitement, really hold back, and stick to your plan. Do not let it overpower you and throw your hard work out of the window.
I broke down the race into chunks so it seemed less daunting because when you think 42.2km it is exactly that. You become overwhelmed and I really think it's more challenging for you like that. I broke it down like this; 10k, 10k, 10k, 5k, 5k, the rest. I always - no matter the distance - leave something extra in the tank so I can comfortable finish. Negative splits is the way I look at things and how I approach races.
I must've got to 32km and thought "I've already done the majority, there's only a little bit left, let's do this", I didn't really think of it being a challenge more something that I wanted to conquer and make people proud. 5km out from the finish, I looked at my watch and went to myself "I'm on for a sub 3:30 here" I just had to keep going. When I crossed the line, I looked at my time and was shell-shocked, I nearly cried, how could little old me achieve that?
Post-race thoughts
I don't have a long recovery period at all. My next race is next Sunday, so I have a quick turnaround before I fly out to Prague for it. This period is less about training and more about me, making sure I'm fit and there are no niggles as any injuries can hamper my plans. In hindsight, maybe it was a crazy idea to have two marathons two weeks apart in retrospect, but that's the predicament we find ourselves in.
Remember I'm just a guy going for a run.