Race Week & London — Letting Go (and Finding It Again): Sub-3 on 3 Runs

What a final week going into London.

If I’m honest, I genuinely wasn’t sure I’d even get round.

The X-ray on the Monday came back “clear”… or more accurately, inconclusive. The follow-up was potentially an MRI, but with the wait times, that wasn’t happening before race day. The general feeling from the doctor was that if I could still do most of what I’d been doing, then it probably wasn’t a stress fracture but more likely a stress response, bruising, or something nerve-related.

But I had already made the decision this wasn’t going to be a race.

Between the lack of consistent long runs, the ankle issue, and everything else that had gone on in the build, trying to force a sub-3 attempt would’ve been stupid. I wasn’t in the shape for it, and more importantly, I wasn’t in the condition for it.

The rest of the week rolled on much like the previous ones: a couple of very easy runs just to stay loose, nothing forced, nothing stressful. I managed to get a nice hour on the bike on Friday before heading up to London, which felt like a good way to keep things ticking without adding load.

Then Saturday.

We were staying near Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, so we headed out for a very gentle jog, more of a shuffle with plenty of walking, ticking off the usual tourist photos. Then onto the expo, wandering around in circles like everyone does, looking at things you’ve seen a hundred times before and convincing yourself you don’t need any of it.

Back to the hotel… And then we grabbed bikes and headed up to Notting Hill for a wander.

By the end of the day: 30,000+ steps A 10K bike ride and one very sore ankle

It was properly uncomfortable, especially walking around in flat shoes all day. But to be fair, that’s been the pattern for the last few weeks – nothing new, just frustrating timing.

Race day came, and for the first time in a long time, there was no pressure.

No splits to hit. No watch obsession. No expectation.

And to help with all that, I had picked up a Forrest Gump fancy dress outfit, so the plan was...

Just keep running

And from the start, it felt completely different.

The costume was a game changer.

Kids pointing, people laughing, constant comments — "I can’t believe he’s running in that!” “That beard in this heat? RUN, FORREST, RUN!

I’ve never high-fived so many people in a race.

It took me right out of performance mode and put me slap bang in a front-row seat in experience mode.

I sat back slightly in my wave, ran purely by feel, and just let the day unfold. A pee stop along the way, with no stress about time, just running and soaking in the atmosphere.

And then around 30–32K, something clicked.

I felt physically good and mentally awesome!

People around me were falling apart — properly — and I still felt like I had something left. So I gently lifted the pace. Nothing aggressive, just enough to start moving through people.

And that’s where it got really fun.

Passing people, feeling smooth, feeling controlled, the shouts of RUN FORREST got louder the faster I was moving – it felt quick, even if in reality it wasn’t particularly fast.

Coming down past Buckingham Palace and onto The Mall, I was moving well. Hips a bit tight, quads a bit heavy, but nothing dramatic.

Finished in 3:27 & change.

(Looking back on race pictures from Tower Bridge (roughly halfway), some of those runners next to me in the pics did not break four hours.)

And the honest truth?

There was more there.

Even in the costume, I could’ve pushed harder. Sub-3:20 probably wasn’t unrealistic, but I would have come at a cost to the experience.

Strip it all back, add a proper build, and there’s clearly still something in the tank.

Which is reassuring.

But more importantly, it reminded me what this is actually about.

Enjoyment.

For the first time in a marathon in over 20 years, I experienced it again. The crowds, the noise, the atmosphere — I wasn’t glued to my watch; I wasn’t chasing anything.

I was just part of it.

And that’s something I’ll remember for a long time.

Because the reality is we’re incredibly lucky.

Lucky to be able to run. Lucky to be healthy enough to even get to a start line. Lucky to be part of something like the London Marathon.

It’s easy to get caught up in times, splits, and expectations – but stepping back, just being there is a privilege.

Running it the way I did this year — relaxed, present, actually enjoying it — will stick with me far more than any time ever has. Those moments, the crowds, the photos… they’ll be the ones I look back on.

Even with the injuries. Even with things not going to plan.

It’s all still positive.

Because we get to do this.

Post Race:

The ankle is still an issue that needs sorting properly.

But stepping back, this whole project has done exactly what I needed it to do.

It’s brought the motivation back.

At the start, I didn’t want to run more than three times a week. Now I want to train again. Properly. Consistently. With intent.

And the reality is – it's much easier to get back to where you’ve been than it was to get there the first time.

So now the focus shifts.

Rebuild. Refocus. And see how close I can get back to that 2:40–2:45 shape. I know I’m capable of.

It’ll take consistency. It’ll take time. And probably a bit less football. 😆

But it’s there.

And for everyone who followed along — thank you.

This wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t clean.

But it was real.

And that’s what training actually looks like.

Si