As usual I was very aware it was London Marathon day and was going to watch from home as was also usual. I had sponsored a few people before the event and also watched many people around my area following their training regimes in the months beforehand.
Yesterday morning was going to be no different for me, up early enough to watch the build up on television and dipping in and out as the morning progressed.....then I remembered the wonderful Summer of 2012 when going up to London to watch a sporting event was almost a daily occurence for me.
I got up to Canary Wharf by about 10.15 and was surprised at how quiet it was at that point...the wheelchair athletes were trickling through and after a little while the elite women athletes. It was at this point I had the idea to walk the route and see what it was like further along. Canary Wharf was mile nineteen and I eventually got to about mile 22 by which time the crowds were so thick on the pavement I couldn't move along easily.
On the way back the main bulk of runners were moving forward and this for me was the best bit...I walked and clapped as I went along....stopped at mile marker 20 for a good while as the guy on the mike was so great at encouraging everyone on....watching and realising as I got back to mile 19 that this was where it hurt most. I loved the fact that you could walk the route to some extent and I would do that again. The encouragement of the crowd was great and the fact that people were calling out names from the front of shirts to give them that extra push as well as offering sugary sweets from bowls at the roadside.
I'm looking forward to next year and have even dug out a book I bought about running a few years ago. I'm not thinking marathons but if I could manage a 10k by the end of the year I'd be pleased.
Well done to everyone who took part....that was some Sunday!
