Well...not usually, but for the purposes of the London Marathon I am number 34594. This puts me at the red start with a few other runners. About 35,000 of them! It also makes it all very real, and I'm starting to feel quite nervous.
I've spent a bit of time in the last two weeks looking at the split times of runners from previous years, and it seems that a lot take up to half an hour to even make it across the start line, so it could well be nearer 10.15am before the clock starts ticking for me.
It's clear that a lot of runners get a really good time over the first 13 miles, but then really tail off for the second half. My plan is to resist the temptation to get swept up with the crowd and keep a close eye on my pace. I'll try to take it slowly during the first half in the hope that I don't run out of steam completely somewhere around mile 20. As that kind of distance is still uncharted territory for me, I guess I'll just have to see how it goes on the day.
The other piece of information I gleaned is that medals are only given out if you make it round in under 8 hours. How gutting would it be to make it all the way round and find that you don't get a medal after all?
Talking of running out of steam, I seem to have done that today. Although I managed to squeeze in a quick 4 miles this afternoon, I can't stop yawning, and chickened out of swimming this evening. I've promised that I will absolutely, positively, definitely go next week, so I don't think the family will allow me to get away with such laziness again.
If I can shake the yawns, I'm planning to do 8 miles tomorrow...there...I've told you now, so I'll have to do it.
Maybe I should have checked the weather forecast before I made that rash promise!
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