That's a solid respectable time for a first marathon in tough conditions

Even more so when debuting at your particular vintage ;-) When you've been training all through winter in the cold the first mild running day feels like you're running in the Marathon des Sables. Takes a few weeks to acclimatise and a savage wind like that just piles on the misery when things get tough.
I've definitely had that same feeling with 10k to go in the past so totally sympathise. This was the first time I managed to hold the pace and actually enjoy the back end of the race which felt like a victory, knowing that that is actually possible.

Posted By: Ken Dodds Dads Dog, Apr 15, 10:51:33