Hal Higdon target consistent with a sub 4 hour marathon: 1:45.
Runner’s World target consistent with a sub 4 hour marathon: 1:50.
My time yesterday: 1:39:35.

This is a big event. When I was one of 100 or so just at Maidenhead station, I got some inkling. When the train arrived (the route from London to Reading) and it was as packed as any commuter train, it became clearer. When several thousand of us queued all the way around Reading station, for half an hour and more for a shuttle bus, it was rather obvious. When the baggage trucks turned out in fact to be ten articulated lorries, there was no doubt.

I was impressed with the organisation though. The only mistake seemed to be that 10,000 runners had to pass through one gate to get to the start, and then found themselves only halfway along. Consequently the start was delayed by 20 minutes. Otherwise, good. The shuttle buses were moving: you just can’t load 5,000 people onto buses any faster than that. And with 10,000 bags at the finish, I was able to stroll up and collect mine in seconds.

With all the arrival congestion, I had started to resign myself that this would not be a fast time, with bodies everywhere for the first couple of miles, but in fact it all moved along very smoothly. I kept missing the mile markers, but I heard someone say at 4 miles that we were below 9 minute miles. At 5-6 miles I was on target for 8 minute miles (1:45) and just decided to try and hold that. All went well, so I was able to up the pace (or at least the effort) a bit at 10 miles, and then give it everything with half a mile to go.

It’s a nice course, taking in the university, the shopping areas and residential streets of Reading, and then open fields (and industrial units) before winding its way into the Majedski Stadium for a grandstand finish. The good people of Reading lined most of the route, with a couple of steel and brass bands towards the end - and a group of small children banging oven trays with wooden spoons at one point, which in a way was better than the professional efforts.

Clearly I could go on and on about the day’s events, deliver a mile-by mile analysis, describe the great variety of supporters, speak of figs, water, energy drinks, bin bags, gloves, micropore tape, and so on, recount overtaking the Cheeky Girls but failing to catch Gordon Ramsay, and more. But I must mention the perfect end to a very satisfying race. Goody bags normally contain some small nutritious titbits – an energy bar, perhaps an apple at a more downmarket event. This time, my best ever goody bag contained none other than a whole malt loaf. 650 calories in a single brick-sized hit. It lasted about 10 minutes.

Results here.

PS - a slow 2.5 miles on Friday seemed to shake off the last of the football twinges. Seems I got away with it.

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