Richard Fiddis: My marathon effort

Richard Fiddis from Experian is running the London Marathon for the 5th time and raising money for Nottingham Bereavement Trust - a small local charity where money raised by marathon runners makes a significant difference to their finances.

Back home safely after what was a tough but pleasing run in that I targeted four hours and came in at three hours 59 minutes and 33 seconds!

The day started well with a cloudless sky and it was nice and cool which is great for running.

I got off to a great pace and realised I was going far too fast after the first three miles - an easy temptation with so much adrenaline and the enthusiasm of the crowd.

So I deliberately slowed my self down and got chatting to a guy that lived locally and trained on much of the marathon route.

Two things I love about the London Marathon: the great crowds all along the route, particularly the kids who want to 'high five' you and give you sweets or drinks; and the other runners who come from all over the world and are happy to chat as they run.

Each has a great story behind why they are running. Then the clouds opened and for half an hour we were running in heavy rain - this was actually refreshing although running in sodden trainers in less than pleasant.

I was 8 minutes up on my target pace at the half way point as we crossed Tower Bridge. The celebrities including Gordon Ramsay get interviewed by the BBC on the bridge whilst mere mortals like me trudge on by.

After Canary Warf I was getting very tired and slowing significantly. The worst period is 19 - 24 miles, no 'wall' this year but I was now just four minutes down on my target pace.

Last stretch along the embankment towards Big Ben was tough and although I was slowing I really did not want to come in outside the four hours and as we turned down the mall in front of Buckingham Palace I really sprinted to make up as much time as possible. Just made it!

I got back home to see that I had two new donations from work colleagues which took my total to nearly £1000 for Nottingham Bereavement Trust which is great reward for the effort and the aching limbs.

Anyone who would like to sponsor me can find my sponsorship site on http://www.justgiving.com/richardfiddis.