So much has happened in my head since starting the Marathon, that I’ll need to reflect on it later but, in a nutshell, I was aiming for 8’30” per mile from the start, hoping to speed up later if I could. But the atmosphere of the crowd and the other runners was so amazing I found myself running 7’55” per mile for most of the marathon.
In the end I crossed much faster than I expected, but looking at my running watch which told me I averaged 7’54” per mile, I end up thanklessly wondering why I didn’t then finish under 3 hours 30 mins.
The alternative facts suggest that I did not run the shortest distance of the course and watch even tells me I ran 26.76 miles… but this is all bullshit really.
I ran, I finished, and in the end, I was still smiling. And yes. I crossed the finishing line!
Big thanks to all the messages of support over this last week and of course to all my donations. My giving page will stay open for another month, whilst I offer you my final musings on this adventure – I know it’s been down quite a bit over the weekend but please keep trying!
Michael's Marathon 
3:31 is pretty stunning Mike. Even when I used to run regularly, I would have struggled to keep up with you for the first 10k, and certainly not thereafter. Well done mate!
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Thanks Alex… believe it or not, I’ve only just seen this comment! I think once I crossed that line, my mind needed to be elsewhere for a while. See you soon. Mike
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