April 18, 2004

London Marathon

It was windy. It was rainy. But that didn't really matter once we lined up at the start. In fact, the rain kept me nice and cool along the 26.2 mile course from Greenwich to the Horseguards Parade.

I prepared for the run by following a sub-4 hour training schedule. I ran more frequently leading up to this marathon than I had for previous marathons. But I hadn't been cross training. Nor had I done the all-important 3 hour training run. Endurance was my biggest concern. I knew I could finish, but at what point would I hit the wall and feel miserable?

During my first two marathons, I took sports drink along the way. I think this is what made me ill after crossing the line. For my next two marathons, I just drank water and ate a few pieces of candy. I didn't get sick after finishing, but I know from experience my muscles start to run out of glycogen and do much better with a boost after an hour and a half of exercise. So I packed along 4 shots of vanilla Power Gel.

The first mile was predictably slow with all of us runners trying to stay off each other's heels. After that, I averaged 8 min 30 sec miles for the first 10 miles. Then 9 min miles for 11 through 20. When my pace crept up to a 10 minute mile I was pretty certain I wouldn't finish in under 4 hours, but I was feeling really good, enjoying the comraderie of the event and absorbing all the cheers from the supporters on the sidelines. I spotted Brian at the 14 and the 21 mile mark, smiling and waving, probably wishing he could be running it himself.

The last few miles of the course, while physically quite difficult, were the best because they're through central London. I crossed the line in 3 hrs 56 mins.