Well, I am now a marathon finisher. I completed the Paris Marathon on Sunday and, as I am sure all finishers know, I feel incredibly proud of myself.
42,195km is a long way but the atmosphere and crowds help you along immensely and you certainly feel sympathy for the wounded on the side of the road.
The most difficult part was training over the winter and fighting through the ‘Beast from the East’, only to turn up in Paris to a beautiful day hitting 22 degrees, I have never drunk so much water during a run and I certainly enjoyed the large cold beer I forced down at the end.
For me everything seemed to be nicely organised and I didn’t experience any problems with the collection of the bib, travel, left luggage, food/drinks, route marking etc. All in all a really (un)pleasant day!
My immediate reaction was never, never, ever again but I already find myself thinking, what if 'next time'… - I must stop this insidious, creeping, masochistic need!
Well done to all finishers and best of luck for London on the 22 April.
To all C25K runners, staring or copmpleting your journey - you can do it! You don't need to run marathons - I now will enjoy a nice five km or maybe a 10 if I feel energetic, it is enough to get out there whatever you shape/size/ability and just enjoy doing yourself some good!