The hardest day of my life

So yesterday I ran the London Marathon and it was hard. 10 things I learned were

1. South East trains at London Bridge were rubbish. Twice we were moved platforms and twice hundreds missed their trains. On the third attempt after a third platform change we got on a train.
2. The organisation of the marathon was phenomenal.
   
3. Getting stomach cramps and needing the toilet at 8 miles and then again at 8.2 miles slows you right up. Thank the Lord for a handily placed McDonalds to nip into.
   
4. Running in the sun is bad for me. Stag day - hot day and I get cramp. Triathlon challenge - hot day and I get cramp. Marathon - hot day and I nearly cramp and crash into the wall
5. People talk about the wall but until you hit it you have no idea. Chris Boardman sums it up well, "Towards the last three or four miles I just couldn't care less. I just wanted somebody to shoot me but since they wouldn't I had to keep going,"
6. From 21 miles I could have cried every time someone called my name, after the finish I could have sworn at every spectator getting in my way. Exhaustion does that to you.
7. I drank Lucozade at every stop, ran through every shower, took water on every other mile and still ran out of energy. Ran out of steam and ideas long before the finish.
8. 4 hours 47 was OK but I'm a bit disappointed. Cue another attempt.
9. I'll need to up my miles next time around.
10. You can't finish without saying something about the crowds. Unbelievable support every step of 26.2 miles. Just incredible, never experienced anything like it, would like to taste it again.
    

Here are the facts:

PERSON
Name	WHITTALL, PHIL R (GBR)	Club
Runner No.	12807	Age group	M18

TIMES
5 km	0:29:35	25 km	2:37:01
10 km	0:58:09	30 km	3:11:52
15 km	1:35:15	35 km	3:54:52
20 km	2:04:53	40 km	4:31:22
half	2:11:35	finish	4:47:04

TOTAL
Position (overall)	22437	Position (age group)	9504
Position (gender)	16962	Finish time	4:47:04

By own stopwatch it looked like this:

1 mile 10'10
2 miles 9'26 19 min
3 miles 9'00 28 min
4 miles 8'58 37 min
5 miles 8'56 46 min
6 miles 9'34 56min
7 miles 9'34 1 hr 05
8 miles 12'00 1 hr 17 (Toilet stop 1)
9 miles 14'24 1 hr 32 (Toilet stop 2)
10 miles 9'23 1 hr 41
11 miles 9'23 1 hr 50
12 miles 9'45 2hr 00
13 miles 9'50 2hr 10
14 miles 11'14 2hr 21
15 miles I forgot to lap this mile which is why the next number is...
16 miles 20'22 2hr 42
17 miles 11'07 2hr 53
18 miles 11'01 3hr 04
19 miles 11'57 3hr 16
20 miles 13'11 3hr 29
21 miles 16'03 3hr 45 - at this point I was walking
22 miles 12'22 3hr 57
23 miles 11'44 4hr 09
24 miles 11'30 4hr 21
25 miles 12'12 4hr 33
26.2 miles 13'50 4hr 47

So that was the story of my race. A big congrats to my friend Tony Thompson who did it in 3hr 5 min (and 69th for his age group) and Simon Pierce who finished in 3 hr 55. Well done fellas.