I completed the London Marathon 2014 in a time of 3 hours 27 minutes and 51 seconds, beating last year's time of 3 hours 34 minutes and 19 seconds (and my own personal best) by about seven minutes. This marks the third year in a row that I have beaten my previous year's finishing time. For all that talk about me getting less fit as I get older, I seem to be getting better at this year on year.
The pre-race routine was the same as last year's. Meet up with my uncle, cousin and cousin-in-law who were also taking part in the race at our nearest Underground station, get the tube to Greenwich, walk over to Greenwich Park, sort out our various bits and bobs and then head to the toilets to get all the last-minute nerves out of our systems. I must have spent about half an hour in that portaloo, and most of that time involved waiting for the smell of the previous user's waste matter to subside, fixing the gel dispenser so that I actually had something to clean my hands with, and covering the toilet seat with several protective layers of toilet paper before sitting down.
Having done what I needed, I made sure I was well hydrated and drank plenty of water and Lucozade (other energy sports drinks are available) and then had to nip to the toilets once again. With only ten minutes to go, I headed towards my starting position, did some stretching and warm-ups and tried my best to mentally prepare myself for the race. I felt ready, yet at the same time, unprepared, contradictory as that sounds.
The starting pistol went off at 10am and about two minutes later, I crossed the start line. In previous years, I got off to a rather slow start as I found myself stuck behind slower runners and not easily being able to pass them. This year, this did not seem to be much of a problem and I got through my first mile in about seven minutes, whereas in previous years this would have taken at least eight or nine. By the end of the first hour of running, I had already completed eight miles and was showing no signs of slowing down.
Having passed the Cutty Sark at mile 6, the next major landmark was Tower Bridge, around the 12-mile mark. I completed the first half in 1 hour 37 minutes. Considering my fastest half-marathon time of 1 hour 36 minutes last month, this was pretty good, given that I still had another half of the marathon to come.
I managed to run 20 miles before needing to slow down and walk for a little bit. In an ideal world, I'd have carried on running but I really did need to rest and recharge the old batteries. Still, 20 miles without stopping is impressive (for me, anyway) and is the furthest I've managed in one go.
Finally I reach the Embankment. As usual, it seems to go on forever and ever, my legs have turned into unmovable stone pillars and the rest of my body is screaming at me to stop abusing myself. Somehow I kept on going, and although I didn't quite have the strength for a sprint finish, I was able to overtake dozens of people on my way to the finish line.
At the end of those 26 miles and 385 yards, I crossed the line with a time of 3 hours, 27 minutes and 51 seconds, although the sports watch with built in GPS that I was using said that I had in fact completed just over 27 miles and that I had apparently passed the 26.2 mile mark at around 3 hours and 21 minutes. As is the case with a lot of runners, we ended up running a little bit more than the 26 miles through having to zigzag around other runners and slightly deviating from the middle of the road to pick up drinks, etc.
Totally exhausted and barely able to stand, let alone walk, I collected my goodie bag, had my timing chip taken off my shoe, got my photo taken and headed for the Cancer Research UK runners welcome centre for a well-earned massage and a rest, all the while swearing to myself that I would never do anything stupid like enter another marathon again.
I've finally recovered and the aches and pains have all gone. Now all I feel is emptiness inside. I think I've got the post-marathon blues. I've lost all sense of purpose and don't really know what to do with myself. In the absence of another challenge to get me out of bed in the mornings, I think I'll have to either apply for next year's marathon or get myself a girlfriend to occupy my time with. Hmmm....looks like the marathon'll be the easier option.
So far I have raised over £1500 for Cancer Research UK, a charity that means a great deal to my family, and hopefully I can raise some more. If you would like to sponsor me, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/Martinpampelmarathon
