Typical! After getting picked for the 2018 London Marathon ballot slot for our fabulous club I set out to train for a new PB with just over 4 months to go till race day.  I set a target of 3:30 and added specific training sessions to my already full diary to develop stamina and speed ready for the big day.  I’ve nursed a niggling injury since Osmotherly Half Marathon in the Hardmoors Series last year but with the right Physio and stretching it’s been manageable.  I set a few races to test myself in the lead up to race day and managed PB’s at The Brass Monkey half marathon and Snake Lane 10 miler and only just missed my PB by about 20 seconds at Thirsk 10 miler 2 weeks before London so all was on track and I was feeling confident of at least a PB (previous best was 3:59 at York but this was without specific training) if not reaching the magic 3:30 I was hoping for?  Then….The Hottest day of the year and a high of about 27 degrees on race day after training in mainly wind, rain and snow, and a mixture of all 3 most of the time.

Time to change plans so race day morning I decided to hold back and go for a finish rather than time.  I’m glad I did as it was an uncomfortable and physically challenging run.  The crowds were insane and the noise was enough to make your ears bleed at times.  In the end I got a time of 4:30:16. Slightly off target you could say but I’m actually happy with the result!  When things get tough and your energy has left you and things are stacking up against you like injuries, weather (heat), quads like house bricks, sweat in the eyes and noise loud enough to deafen Thor himself, it’s good to know you have an inner resilience and strength that will carry you through to the end with a smile on your face.  Massive thanks to the club for giving me the opportunity to fulfil an ambition and experience such an immense event.  Now I need to find another Marathon so I can get that PB I wanted.

Andy Petford