It was both my hardest effort (481 acc. to Strava) and my best run of all time, by which I mean, in the time I've been a runner, which is the last six years, I enjoyed the run more than any other I've ever done. I achieved what I'd call a 'flow' state during this run, a state of mindful conscious reaching out to the crowds and the course that made the whole thing incredibly enjoyable and effortless-feeling.
I ended up running 27.7 miles in part because of the above strategy, the honing in on faces in the crowd, to make eye contact, and to, above all, smile to take away the hurt. It worked! When I'd key in on the people flowing past, their outstretched hands, and their voices calling my name, I found myself running faster. I was amazed, and stunned when my splits starting coming up closer to 5min/km instead of my target of 5:50. I had to slow myself down several times.
The result was an even or possibly even negative split race for me. There were two points where my emotions dipped a bit, one early on, and then one around 17miles. The first one was easily overcome because I was still relatively fresh. The second was was overcome by seeing my wife Diane who miraculously appeared at 17.5 miles, giving me a big boost. Also by the sheer amazingness of the supporting crowds who seemed genuinely invested in pumping up the volume and the positivity.
This was my favourite run of all time. Check out the photos, map, and medal on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/7899929845
Thanks also to everyone who donated and supported my charity of choice, Treloar's!
