After almost a full year of training, learning the “right” ways to run, overcoming my lifelong aversion to running, learning the limits of my own body and what it feels like to try to commit to a long term fitness goal; I’m proud to say that as of April 7th 2019 I am officially part of the 1% of people in the world that have completed a marathon!The big day itself was a rollercoaster of emotions; from nausea inducing fear and nervousness at the beginning, through tears of frustration partway through and finally elation as I crossed the finish line to cap off a year long ambition.Am I 100% satisfied with my performance? In a word, no. I know that I could have trained harder and even finished much faster on the day and in fact I was on track to do so right the way up to mile 13 but whether it was poor hydration or just insufficient training, I was suddenly hit with every possible leg cramp (both calves, thighs, whatever that shin muscle is called and both feet) that I never truly recovered from and had to limp/jog the remaining 13 miles.I am however extremely proud to have found the strength of will to finish what I’d started; for my pride/ego, for my friends who had come to support me and for Jam who I knew would never have forgiven me if I’d quit whilst my body was still able to continue, one way or another.Now the important stuff – my results! The official split times per the marathon site and my tracker are as follows:…Annoyingly, Manchester marathon have retroactively removed results for anyone who finished after 4pm (I’ve emailed to ask for an explanation/ update) so besides the screenshot above, the congratulatory email and the medal, I no longer have any proof that I’ve completed this…. But I’m still counting it! Fingers crossed they reinstate me shortly…On a final note, I would like to thank everyone for their advice and support over the last year and in particular the friends who took time out of their lives to come and support me in person especially Dharmesh (who I’ve referenced more than a few times) who made the journey up and actually met me at mile 22 and really helped power me through the last 4 miles when I was ready to drop with encouraging words, banter and jelly babies. It’s been an unforgettable experience and I’m so pleased to have been through it all. Congratulations also to one of my best friends Seth who competed alongside me but effortlessly beasted through the course in 4 hours!