Well my official time was less than my real time cos there was a 7 minute lag from start of the race to the time I crossed the startline (8000 people ahead of me)
Official time was 4 hours 36 mins and 35 seconds.
My weight upon completion was 75 kgs, and my legs were like bricks and mortar.
It is 2 days later now and I feel fine and want to run again! I really enjoyed the training, and I'd say if I hadn't smoked or drank much, I could have easily done a sub 4 hour time, who knows probably sub 3.30?
I would be very interested in giving up the fags and seeing what difference it makes in another marathon (Paris, Rome, in spring 2010 anyone??!!) , because although I wasn't ever out of breath, maybe the amount of oxygen getting to my muscles isn't what a non smoker gets. Therefore I can't go at a very fast stride. My stamina was fine but I wasn't as fast as I thought I'd be.
My strategy was simple. Run at an easy pace for the first 13 miles and then pick it up if I could and aim for 4.15.
A number of things happened to thwart me on this. I realised that my watch wasn't calibarated exactly and it was saying I was running a faster pace than I was. At 10 miles it said I had 11 and a bit. By the end of the marathon I had run nearly 29 miles according to my watch.
There were pacesetters who were running for 4.30 wth big pink balloons attached. But they were so far from me at the start I never saw them again! This was obviously worrying but I figured they will start fast but then tie up a bit toward the end.
So my strategy was fine- comfortable, and after mile 13 I did pick up the pace for the next 6 or 7 miles- Gill met me at mile 18 and I was happily overtaking runners and feeling very strong.
The distance for mile 22 -26 was nasty for me. My calf wanted to cramp, but thankfully didn't, and my stride became choppy. Having not ran further that 3 hours and 15 mins in training, I find myself finding another hour and a half on my legs and they didn't like that much. I will commend myself for one thing, my mind was strong and there was never even the slightest suggestion from the innerworkings of my mind that i should stop, stretch, not make it etc. The crowds along the way were amazing and the Spar had samba music and dancing outside each of the shops en route. Really picks you up. One guy I was running with for a while was doing the entire marathon backwards. Crazy guy, but he was great fun.
I also stayed relatively steady throughout besides slowing down in the last few miles as I hung in there and tried to enjoy the day as opposed to beat a time.
Lessons learned: Take the marathon in 3 mile blocks and ensure the pace is correct for each block. This helps the mind focus as well. EG to finish in 4 hours (240 mins) 1 mile should be done in 9 mins 15 seconds. Therefore 3 miles should take less than 28 mins.
Stretch, stretch and stretch before the start. I did a small bit but should have done 1/2 hour to an hour. Yoga would be perfect. I had little niggles in my back for the first 10 miles that I wouldnt have had if the stretching was adequate. damn 9am start!
You need to take the gels ( 3 or 4 during the race) and sip the water constantly. I did this part well.
In training, run for 4 hours, even if it is dead slow. That way the body is used to it and I could accelerate more in the marathon,
The winner was a 19 year old Kenyan. 2 hours 9 minutes. Never did a marathon before either. Bet his blogs not as good as mine though. I'll give him some tips if we meet.
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