Milton Keynes marathon

Day 120 Sunday 29th April 26.2 miles : miles to date 797.4

Is it possible to have a nightmare marathon and get a 3.23 PB? Is it possible to run the first half in around 1.47 and then the second half in 1.36, picking up a half marathon Pb on the way? Mmm, yes. I had a shocking first half in today's first running of Milton Keynes marathon. The weather was truly awful. The wind had been howling all night and the rain had been incessant for the previous 24 hours. The course was flooded in many parts and we spent most of the race saturated, but none of that was the problem. What was I hear you ask? A three week out of date egg that Fi kindly stuck in a sarnie for me on Friday lunchtime.
The first warning signs appeared through the night into the early hours on Friday, with three trips to the little boys room. Saturday was an endless walk back and forth, with numerous diarrhea tablets being ingested. Race morning beckoned with a tummy that sounded like a witches cauldron brewing and nothing more than I could do than cross my fingers.
The first of my seven stops in the first half came around the four mile mark for a wee, followed by a shoe lace calamity not long after. The trots then essentially exploded at around the six mile mark and all I could do was stand still, cross my legs and hold my breath. It didn't work. Within a mile, I was decorating the side of a fir tree and hoping that wet grass wouldn't chaff. For the record, it doesn't. By the halfway mark, I had stopped seven times, two for tummy related issues, two for shoelaces and three for a wee. I decided that my race fueling strategy of chocolate covered raisins and mars bars wasn't working (honestly that was the race fuel of choice. Go figure?). I decided to not at for the second half and just drink. It worked. I did stop for a pee once, but compared with the first half no problem. I then just got quicker. I covered the second half in a little over 1.36 and for the first time ever, just did not count the miles down in a bad way from 20 on. I just ran them, kept it steady, passed hundreds of peeps as I knew I would and mullered the last three miles in particular, running them without doubt the quickest I have ever run the last three miles of a marathon.
PB by over 3 minutes and I am a bit gutted. I have never finished a marathon so strong. Without all those stops in the first half, I would have been closer to the magic stepping stone and springboard of 3.15. On a clear day without the trots, I would have had it today, so I shall take that as a positive, before the real marathon training plan starts on the 18th June. Need to rest now before next weekends 40 miler, which might be a tad slower.
Few shout outs. Well done Neale Else on a great first marathon, Carolyn O'Connor on a fab time, Fi for warming me up at the end and Francesca Hardwick for holding my bag when I was so cold I couldnt hold my hand still. Also to Paul Farmer and Kara, Liz Kirtley, Shaun Kirtley, Jody Buczynski and all the other Flyers out there in such torrid conditions. It was great to see you all, especially as I didn't see my wife once as she was supporting some other bloke. Charming.