Sorry - I did mean to do this last night but by the time we got back to Bristol it was nearly nine o'clock and I only had the will to drink a glass of wine, eat pizza and watch the highlights of the grand prix! Sorry, I have to get my priorities right!
Anyway - Race Day certainly was one long hot day but it was a good one for me - not that I did a good time, far from it! I didn't even achieve under 5 hours but I realised early on that was going to be a tall order and so kind of didn't try as hard, I guess.
I arrived at the Red Start at about 9 a.m. with enough time to drop off kit bag, queue for a loo (quite quick actually!) and eat/drink a few things before moving to the start. As I was waiting for the start I heard on my little radio that Lewis Hamilton had won the GP which gave me a boost before I had even started! It took about 1/2 an hour to get through the start as expected - during that time, somehow I lost the 11min/mile pacer group which I had been planning to stay near - in the walk to the start they somehow just went way ahead of me - so that didn't bode well, I guess. Anyway - I started (didn't get the same adrenalin rush at the start as I have done for half-marathons) and soon after the start saw Barbara and her kids and Anna and Zoe - then saw them again at about 5 1/2 as they only had a short walk from Blackheath to Greenwich town.
I found the whole of South London ok generally - but it was getting hotter all the time. I just wanted to get north of the river psychologically I guess. Saw friends at 11 miles, Rich at 11 1/2 and then the Rainbow Centre Director was at 12 miles just before Tower Bridge so that was a nice bit of support before the hard work began! Over Tower Bridge (its a big bridge !) and had a surprise to see (and hear!) a group of Hackney friends there on the North side - then the hard slog to the Isle of Dogs (with all the skinny fast runners running the other way!) - I think it only started getting really tough (and slower) after about mile 16 - although it was nice to be able to start counting down the last ten. By this time I was with seriously slow people and got a bit seduced by all the people taking walking breaks - and had given up hope of getting a reasonable time. I did run most of the way though and just told myself I was conserving energy for the last bit! Saw same friends again at c. 18 and then Rich, Barbara and all the kids at c. 19 - then it took ages to start heading west back towards the city.
Mile 20 was a nice number to see - and then it was just hard long slog - but saw Rich and kids and friends at about mile 23 and then my sisters at mile 24 (time for a quick hug as I didn't think I was going to see them after!) - then in to the underpass where I found loos without a queue (had dashed into a pub earlier when i was a bit desperate!) - took the opportunity to reply to a text from Maria who was obviously sitting in her flat in Delhi worrying about me - Actually that loo stop was before I saw my sisters which is why they were looking so worried when they had been told I was only a mile away yet I took a bit longer than even they expected to complete that mile! Anyway it was a nice feeling to know it was only 2 and a bit to go and I did my best to keep going all the way down the embankment. The crowd was amazing - just constantly cheering people on. They obviously knew that standing there they had a special job to do! It really helped! I didn't realise Trafalgar Sq was so big though! and then Birdcage Walk - having stood there to watch/cheer two years ago, I understand now why some people couldn't keep running the length of it - it just seemed to go on for ever but eventually we were rounding the corner by the Palace and the end was in sight! Those 200 metres were the best of my life, I think! It was just such an amazing day and such a great event to be part of! I didn't feel emotional / euphoric to go through the finish - just relieved, tired and happy!
Thank you everyone for all your support - texts, facebook posts, sponsorship, shouts of encouragement along the route, prayers, everything - it was just so good to know people were there encouraging me on!
I am very achey today and have one very interesting toe!
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