Last pictures from the official site? One from the Embankment, and one from earlier on (before I threw away my drinks container at 22 miles).

Tower Bridge and The Mall

A few photos from Parliament Square at 25 miles (I think?) and the finish. Check out Shaky Hand Man behind me (it makes sense if you read the race blog).

RACE DAY!

Sunday, Week 15 of 15

Woke up at 6:30am to drizzle and grey skies and thought "Brilliant!". The heat from Saturday would have completely changed the whole day for me.

Got to Holloway Road tube station 5 minutes before it opened, and got my first unexpected 'Good Luck' from the London underground ticket inspector who let me through.

Within 5 minutes I was on a train packed with other runners, and after a steadily more crowded journey, I arrived at Blackheath at 8:45am.

I think my smile started on arriving at the heath, and never left my face for the whole day. The start was an incredible place. The heath is wide and exposed, and thousands of people milled around (or queued for toilets), with 5 huge hot air balloons sitting next to us ready for take off. I got into a few conversations, before making my way to my start pen, within sight of the elite runners.

We got called forward, then suddenly we were off - I never heard the gun. The bloke next to me said "False Start - call everyone back!". I was over the line a minute after the elite runners.

The first two miles were crowded and pretty weird. Not too many spectators, and we were just running down ordinary suburban roads. It could have been anywhere. They took a while too - the first mile was the slowest of my whole race.

At three miles there was a nice downhill section, with the first view of the river. The whole of the first few miles was downhill, and it was a pity not to be able to make the most of it.

By the 4 mile mark I'd started to slip into sub 7 and a half minute miles, and the runners were getting a bit more spread out. By now there were a few people out in front of pubs and tower blocks - bit early for drinking though. Generally most people managed to read the hastily scribbled name on my front and back Ok, but around this point I high-fived a small boy who then shouted "Come On Simeon!".

10K - 48:25 mins

Arrived at the Cutty Sark feeling like I was going really easily. This was the first slightly scary moment though. Coming round a sharp bend just before the ship, the streets were quite narrow and on either side people were screaming encouragement. I was running close to one side and was getting loads on "Go on Simon"'s. At this point I was still trying to wave and thank everyone who said it. This became more difficult later on!

Managed not to slip going round the tight bend at the end and then it was back to less shouty surroundings for the next couple of miles.

Reached 8 miles in 1 hr 2 mins, and realised I was unlikely to make up the time I would need to beat 3 hr 15 mins. I was so into it by now, and still feeling really easy, that I was quite happy with that.

Going through the Surrey Keys development, I noticed 'Clint', one of the people picked by the BBC for the 'Run For Glory' programme. I moved across and wished him Good Luck as I went past. It really made him jump! I don't know if many people had recognised him, and he said 'Cheers Mate, Good Luck!' back. He was the only 'celebrity' runner I saw.

20k - 1 hr 35 min (Split 47:21 mins)

There was then a long run along to Tower Bridge. The pubs were open now, and there were a great selections of bands, many of them playing 'fitting' music - i.e. Keep On Running by The Spencer Davies Group, We Are The Champions by Queen, Is This The Way To Amarillo and other classics.

Coming round the corner and seeing Tower Bridge was special, and the hill up to it nowhere near as bad as I'd expected. It didn't really compare to the hill at 8 miles in the Liversedge half marathon, or even the end of the Prom at Blackpool. Going over the bridge, I just kept looking around trying to take it in, and coming off the far end there was another wall of sound.

Halfway - 1 hr 40.55 min

Then it was off towards Docklands. At this point I saw my first elite runners - some of the stragglers of the women's race, before at about 14 miles the leading men came past ( at about 20 miles for them). I saw Martin Lel and Khalid Khannouchi as they sped past but didn't see the eventual winner Felix Limo or Haile Gebrselassie. The speed they were going was incredible, probably about 4min 40sec miles at this point, just as I was starting to struggle to keep to 7 min 30 sec per mile.

I reached 16 miles after just over 2 hours while running through some back streets in the Isle Of Dogs, before turning north and heading up towards Canary Wharf.

30k - 2hr 23 min (Split 48:04 mins)

For me this was the most amazing part of the run. From 18 to 20 miles, just when I needed it, the route goes through the high office blocks, and both side of it are crammed with people yelling and cheering. It's like a cross between Blade Runner and Gladiator. The road zigs zags round, and I kept an eye out for my 'team' who had said they might be around. One call of 'Come on Simon!' made me turn round to see someone I recognised from 'The Bill' smiling at me - must look up her name - she was on the course giving out sweets.

Came out the other end of the development and hit the 20 miles mark in 2 hr 34 mins. I knew I wasn't going to hit 3hr 15 min or even 3 hr 20 mins by now, but I knew that if I'd really pushed myself to get the time, I wouldn't have been able to take it in and enjoy it like I was doing.

Running through Poplar, I got to the point where the elite runners had been when I saw them, and could see masses of runners coming away from Tower Bridge at about the 14 mile mark. It was amazing to think they had taken nearly 3 hours to get to there and that they'd still be going in another 3 hours. They must have all been shattered when their runs ended.

I passed through the point where I hit the wall in my first marathon and was still feeling Ok, although obviously starting to slow a bit. Past the Tower, and the support was awe-inspiring. There were so many people calling out my name that I couldn't acknowledge them any more, and I took to just waving generally.

At about 23 miles I reached the point where my 'team' were waiting and broke away to sprint towards them waving my arms about. Typically they all missed the photo opportunity but it was a brilliant lift to see them all. For about 100 metres I regretted the sprint, but then took on some Lucozade Sport at a feed station and felt so sick, it took my mind off the muscle pull.

40k - 3hr 15min (Split 51:16 mins)

Through a long tunnel under Charing Cross station, where there were no spectators. This was so odd after the last hour or so of constant shouting. A few people around me took the opportunity to slow to a walk. Came back out the other side and onto the Embankment.

Again it was impossible to say thanks to everyone shouting my name, but fortunately one of the people I looked at was someone who'd come to see me. I nearly strained my back waving back at them.

I was trying to speed up a bit, but my legs were finally giving up. Turned round into Parliament Square and tracked over to the crowd to get some encouragement.

Then saw the '800m to go' sign. Looked at my watch, which said 3:21, and thought "If I run this at my speed session pace I could go under 3:25". Sensibly just kept on past Buckingham Palace (I assume it was there, I was just looking at the road), and around into the Mall, past the Grandstands, and across and through the gate.

Finish 3hr 26.22min

Stopped my watch at 3hr 26.30secs (official time was 8 seconds faster), and turned to shake hands with the bloke who'd come through behind me. He was an oldish Japanese man, and he wouldn't let go of my hand - it was like 'Shaky Hand Man' from Banzai.

After pulling my hand back from him, I looked down and saw that I'd suffered from chafing. This is the first time I've ever got this - I blame the rain and the charity vest that I was wearing for the first time. My only thought was that the bloodstains would spoil my Finish Photo - never mind; I'll get to work with Photo Shop.

Still grinning from the marvellousness of it all, I walked in a daze through Baggage Pick Up and on to Trafalgar Square to meet the family and bask in the thrill of the day.

I was slightly disappointed by my time (probably about 4/10 on the disappointment scale), but enjoyed the whole thing so much, it doesn't matter.

Saturday, Week 15 of 15
Run: "2 Miles, Easy in racing kit"
Actual Mileage: 0 miles

The day before the race was boiling hot in London, and after a great day doing a bit of sightseeing and a fair amount of walking, I didn't fancy the idea of dodging pedestrians on the Holloway Road.

Wednesday, Week 15 of 15

Run: "4 Miles, Slow"
Actual Distance: 4.5 Miles
Time Taken: 32 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 507 miles

Another step closer. A gentle lunchtime run from work.

Managed to avoid the local kids throwing stones and felt nice and comfortable all the way round.

If I run again it'll be on Saturday in London.

Stretching at the end of the last long run.

(C) Matthew's new camera

Tuesday, Week 15 of 15

Run: "1M jog, then 8 x 400m fast, with 200m jog recoveries, then 1M jog"
Actual Mileage: 3 and a quarter miles (half miles warm ups and a brain failure)
Time Taken: 24 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 502.5 miles

Into the last week where nothing I do will make any difference to my final time, as long as I don't injure myself.

Which is just as well, as for some reason I got to the track thinking I only needed to do 6 repeats. I went for it and did them all (bar one) in under 1min 30secs, but finished thinking "I don't remember it only taking 24 minutes last year". Which isn't surprising.

Anyway, who cares? Maybe I'd have pulled a muscle if I'd done another couple of laps.
An easy 4 and a bit miler tomorrow lunchtime, then I'll decide whether to do a couple of miles in London on Saturday. And that's it.

I felt a bit cheated this evening, as it's all gone pretty quickly and, for the first time, started looking forward to doing it again next spring.

Hmmm...let's get this one out the way first.

Sunday, Week 14 of 15

Run: "12 Miles, Slow"
Time Taken: 98 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 499.5 miles

Week 14:
Total Weekly Mileage: 30.5 miles
Time running: 3 hrs 54 min

Great last long run.

I've done almost this distance on some of my midweek runs, but it was still really good to get it out of the way, having taken it nice and easy with no problems at all.

Two years ago, on this run a week before my first marathon, I suddenly got a sharp pain by the side of my right knee at about 11 miles and had to stop. Even walking brought the pain on, and I was sure then I would have to pull out of the race. With help and advice from a sports injury expert at work (i.e. he's always got one), I managed to get to the race and not even feel the injury until the 21st mile.

So this year it was good to run across the park in the last half mile feeling fit and well, knowing that I have three easy runs left before next Sunday, and even missing all of them would make no difference to how I do in the race.

It's all down to mental preparation now I guess. I've spent lots of time at visualisation. You may (and probably will) laugh, but my two favourites are:

1. Imagining myself as a tall, willowy Kenyan runner, skipping along at 5 minute miles. Only works if I don't catch sight of myself in a shop window.

2. Imagining a string connected from my stomach to the finish line, and me being hauled in like a large fish. Best not to think too deeply about this one as it's a bit weird all round.

I've also pictured myself at various points on the course, and imagined how I will feel at each point. As long as i can put up with the crowds at the beginning, and keep positive (unlike Dewsbury and Wilmslow in the last couple of months) I think I will do fine.

I WILL ENJOY MYSELF.

Friday, Week 14 of 15

Run: "4 Miles, Slow"
Time Taken: 28 minutes
Total Mileage So Far: 487.5 miles

A Good Friday run around my mile circuit from home.

Thought I'd try to run at a nice comfortable pace which would be my marathon pace.

Failed miserably, as I kept to a constant 7 min 10 secs, which will probably kill me if I try it on race day. It DID feel easy though, and maybe it's what I'll need to get over the slow first couple of miles.

Thursday, Week 14 of 15

Run: "1M jog, then 3M brisk, then 1M jog"
Time Taken: 38 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 483.5 miles

Tempo run from work at lunchtime in warm windy conditions.

Went out thinking I would try to simulate my (initial) marathon pace in the brisk miles. So I was going to aim for 7 min 20 sec miles, but ended up way too quick.

On the plus side I felt quite comfortable despite the gusts of wind (external not internal).

On the negative side, I'm not convinced I would know a 7:20 mile if it hit me in the face. My half marathons have been too fast by 20 seconds per mile, but my slow runs have been much too slow, hopefully mainly due to the hills and mud.

I think the first few miles in London will be so bizarre that trying to keep a constant pace would be impossible anyway.

Wednesday, Week 14 of 15

Run: "5 Miles, Slow"
Time Taken: 36 minutes
Total Mileage So Far: 478.5 miles

Nice lunchtime run from work in windy spring sunshine.

Loped along concentrating on how I was running, and thinking about how the pace felt. Had enough left to do a quick run up the vertical hill back to work. Still feeling positive, with 11 days to go.

Tuesday, Week 14 of 15

Run: "1M jog, then 12 x 200m hill, with slow jog/walk down, then 1M jog"
Actual Distance Run: 4.5 Miles
Time Taken: 34 minutes

Total Mileage So Far: 473.5 miles

One of my least favourite sessions, but tonight was OK, mainly because this was the first evening run that I've done in sunshine/daylight.

After an afternoon of fun at a four year old's birthday party, it was nice to have a bit of quiet and to run myself into the ground 12 times, sprinting up the nearest hill to our house.

Took all the repeats steadily, and kept nice and consistent. My left knee ached a bit somewhere around the middle, and my stopwatch has started an annoying habit of double striking so I can't see my last split, but generally this was very positive.

Sunday, Week 13 of 15

Run: "18 Miles, Slow"
Time Taken: 193 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 469 miles

Week 13:
Total Weekly Mileage: 43.5 miles
Time running: 5 hrs 44 min

Despite my taper starting last week, this felt like my final long run - the last run out to Bingley until....who knows?

Started off as perfect running weather. Bright, windless and dry.

Jogged along at the usual pace and reached the top of the climb at 5 miles in the usual 40 minutes. The view up the Aire valley from there was really crisp, and took in Shipley, Bingley, Haworth and some windmills which must be somewhere near Lancashire.

The clarity of the view should have warned me. As I reached the bottom of the descent at Baildon it started spitting, and all the songs on my mp3 player suddenly started mentioning rain.

I was feeling very relaxed and even the climb up to the woods in Bingley felt easy, but by now it was starting to snow. I've never had anything like that at this stage in my training before, but then it's usually the first week in June.

Back along the canal in the sleet with the usual detours for closed off towpaths but taking it nice and easy and getting home slightly over the expected 2 hr 30 mins. Allowing for the extra distance I had to run, and also taking into account the fact I felt very comfortable at the end, I was happy with that.

Did today's run with no pain in my legs, no tiredness and no stitches or stomach cramps. The day gets closer and now it's just a matter of staying fit.

Friday, Week 13 of 15

Run: "4 Miles, Easy"
Actual Distance run: 4.5 miles
Total Mileage So Far: 451 miles

Nice easy run from work at lunchtime.

Usual route, felt good. Only one more of these to do!

Thursday, Week 13 of 15

Run: "6 Miles, Slow"
Actual Distance Run: 5 Miles
Time Taken: 36 minutes
Total Mileage So Far: 446.5 miles

Treated myself for my last three good runs with a mile off today's run. Plus I was running from work and couldn't really fit in the full run in the time I had.

Did the bumpy 5 miler though which is a good workout, and it felt much easier than it has in the past. Even the long haul up from 2 to 4 miles felt OK, and encouragingly I did the last half quicker than I have the past few times. I think the speed and stamina thing is finally coming together.

Another easy lunchtime run tomorrow - I usually try not to run two similar runs together, but never mind. Then back out to Bingley again on Sunday for another mystery tour along the towpath.

Wednesday, Week 13 of 15

Run: "10 Miles, Steady"
Time Taken: 77 minutes
Total Mileage So Far: 441.5 miles

I thought things were supposed to be getting easier. This was one of the harder midweek runs I've done.

I tried to push my speed a bit, as it was supposed to be a 'steady' run, but after 4 miles I was struggling and thinking that 38 miles in 4 days might have been a mistake.

Then I stopped thinking about trying to keep my pace up and it all got much easier. I cruised into Pudsey town centre, where my mp3 batteries ran out irritatingly, and back down to the canal feeling better as I went.

Checked my watch at the bottom of the final hill and realised I was keeping to sub-marathon pace despite all the hills, so I just enjoyed the last couple of miles.

Ran past a group of sk8r bois in the village and heard one of them say wonderingly "It's that bloke who was running round the park last night".

a) At least I think he said 'bloke'...
b) and I don't know what he was wondering.

Back for late tea. I will miss being out on these linger runs, but I won't miss getting out of bed on a cold dark Sunday morning, and I won't miss eating tea after 9pm.

Start of Last Phase - TAPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, Week 13 of 15

Run: "1M jog, then 6 x 800m fast, with 100m jog recoveries, then 1M jog"
Actual Distance run: 6 (and a quarter) miles (ran 880m repeats with 200m recoveries)
Time Taken: 44 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 431.5 miles

The begining of the taper and that familiar feeling of wanting to really push myself in every session because it's all coming together, and I feel brilliant. MUST SLOW DOWN.

6 good intervals with no drop off in times at all. The first repeat was the second slowest, and the fastest one was the third one.

The downside was that I ran round the local park at the time the local youths like to gather. I don't mind ignoring them once or twice, but it gets harder by the 11th time round. Turned up the volume on my mp3 player and smiled at their yells - they got bored by the end.

Feeling good now. Just need to hold it together for the next two weeks and not do anything stupid.

Paula and Jon Brown are missing the race, so that's 2 positions further up the field I'll finish (assuming I wouldn't have beaten them anyway)

End of Phase 3 - "Highest Mileage"

Sunday, Week 12 of 15

Run: "22 Miles, Slow"
Time Taken: 191 mins
Total Mileage So Far: 425.5 miles

Week 12:
Total Weekly Mileage: 47.5 miles
Time running: 6 hrs 25 min

On my mp3 player this week:
Muse - Absolution
Radiohead - Ok Computer
Jet - Get Born

Woke up to spring sunshine, and a feeling I have missed recently - I was actually looking forward to getting out.

And it all went brilliantly. Started off nice and slow, reached the 10 mile point in Bingley at 1 hr 25 min feeling still comfortable, and looped round and back onto the canal to find the towpath still shut (as on the 18 mile run 4 weeks ago).

This time I enjoyed the cross country section that the diversion sent me on, and returned to the canal covered in mud only to find another wire fence in Saltaire. The sign on it just said 'Find Alternative Route'. Great. 16 miles out and I have to find a detour. Just as well it was somewhere I knew, but it still added half a mile to the run.

Back on the canal again, and I was still feeling good through the last few miles. Saw loads of other runners out. Some of them doing the same 'last long run thing' as me probably.

Also saw some people warming up for the fantastic Baildon Boundary Way which I did last year - a mad trail race taking in cross country courses, vertical climbs and yomps across bogs. I loved it, and it was probably harder work than today's run.

Took it easy up the hill back to the village and even found the energy to up the pace running across the centre of the park, arriving home in 3 hr 11 mins.

That's the same time as last year and 10 minutes quicker than the year before, which I'm happy with considering the detour and the fact I felt 1,000 times better than when finishing either of those.

Now the taper starts, and barring accidents, three weeks today it'll all be over. Can't wait.