It is done!

So, yesterday I did it, a full 26.2 miles in an overcast (and occasionally sunny) Brighton, in 5 hours and 40 minutes (chip time), around the eight thousandth runner to come in (so another thousand came in after me). Slower than I had hoped, largely because a mixture of tendon pain in my feet and stiffness in my legs began to slow me progressively from about 25k onwards.  I think I am naturally a half marathoner, because up to the thirteen mile mark I was running strong (a slow but steady mile every 10 mins 50 seconds), but by the 15 mile mark the strength and pace were noticeably tailing off, and by the end I was at a pace of over twelve minutes to a mile.

But a great day, huge energy from the crowds, great camaraderie amongst the runners, brilliant support from the volunteers. Just generally a great day.

And thanks to all those who sponsored me (raising money for Cancer Research - there's still time to give - just click the button at the top of the page or by following this link - http://www.justgiving.com/Steven-Fouch) and all who followed the run online and sent messages of support. Incredible to know I was being followed round the route by friends and family all around the world. But above all a big thank you to Debbi, Hannah, Sam and Aimie who came down to support me on the day. It was a huge lift to see them as they cheered me on from four points along the route!

Last days..

Well, here it is - my last run before the marathon was on Wednesday.

So, now just a few days of rest apart from core exercises, and then Sunday is the big deal. It's scary, but I have trained hard and I know I should be able to do it. It's the mental strength you need to get through nearly five hours of continuous exercise - that is going to be the interesting challenge!