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I never lost the weight I wanted to (I was 93kg yesterday, had wanted to be <80kg) so it was always going to be a long day. Got through half way inside 5h pace and feeling good but felt my right hip flexor start to go in Canary Wharf so I walked the last 13km to avoid shredding it to pieces.
That said the crowd are awesome.
If I get to do it again I definitely won't have my name on my vest, that would sort out some of the over-the-top enthusiasm from the crowd. Like the others above, it's amazing, but a bit too much for my liking.
I avoided most of the sweets being offered on the way round, if I hadn't I'd probably be running for Diabetes UK next year.
(Back to the weight loss thread to sort myself out properly.)
Greenbank-
Just saw your Strava record this morning. Hope you're feeling ok today.
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I didn't have my name on my vest but one thing I've learned is there are a lot of people with the same name as me! I heard what sounded like personal encouragement so many times it had me checking my number to make sure it wasn't on there.
R.E. weight loss, I've never lost body fat as fast as I have over the past 3 months. Hard intervals and tempo runs are what worked for me. The other benefit being you'll be able to run faster too!
dubkev
Arducius
London Marathon yesterday went pretty much exactly to plan, official time of 3:29:14 which I'm pretty pleased with given my previous PB of just under 4 hours. Got a hand shake from Richard Branson at the finish line.
Someone posted in this thread several years ago (I think) about how London wasn't for them and they didn't enjoy running in the crowded streets and the noise from the supporters was too much. Well I'm inclined to agree. For the first 10 miles or so I found the crowd great but then I just tried to zone out a bit and relax into the section through the Isle of Dogs (for me not the most enjoyable or interesting section) but there's only so many times you can have a whistle blown what feels like right in your ear before it grates a little. I found from about mile 18 just wanted the space and peace to run my own race but got neither.
I think I've just gotten used to going out on my own and enjoying the scenery in some peace and quiet!
That said the crowd are awesome. So many people turn out to cheer on random strangers, handing out sweets, high fives and general encouracement. The atmosphere is great. Particular highlights for me were all the live bands around the course but especially the drummers in the underpass, the MASSIVE run dem supporter section (very impressive to see so many from one club), and anyone with an original sign - "You're running better than the government"and "Naked cheerleaders next mile" are two that stick in the mind.