The race critique

Good

• Wall.  I didn't hit the wall or get anywhere near it.  I felt tired in the last 6 miles which slowed me down but I always knew that I would finish.
• Walking.  I didn't do any of it when others around me did.  My training had prepared my legs to run 26 miles and despite the abuse they suffered in the first half they didn't cramp up and delivered 26 miles of running!
• Struggling Pace.  My pace slowed in the second half, but it was still respectable.   
• Gradual moderation.  I had signs at 15k that I wouldn't be able to hold onto my 2:45 hare and moderated my pace.  From 15k to 30k I was able to hold 4 minute km's which would have got me under 2:50 had I not suffered in the last 6 miles.
• Qualification.  Entering the London Marathon is expensive and inconvenient (ie placing in the pack) if you don't get a championship or good for age place.  By completing another sub 3 hour run I'm good for the 2012 and 2013 London Marathon's.  The good for age start has a good feel to it and gives you every opportunity to run an excellent race.
• Heat. I am a cold weather expert who is slowly working out how to run in the heat.   It wasn't boiling hot on the day, but it was the hottest temperatures I had run in for a long time.   I think the highest it got to was about 20 degrees at the finish, although the crowds and lack of wind made it feel hotter.   Despite the heat, I didn't blow up and got to the finish in a good time.
• Personal Best.  My previous Marathon best was 2:58:53 on a cold day.    The training I did allowed me to run a  2:51 Marathon in conditions that were not ideal.  

Bad

• Aggressive pace first half.  I went through halfway in 1:21:50.  Was this too fast ?  Maybe but not certainly.  I felt that I moderated the pace at 15k and didn't blow up completely.  Its possible that a slightly slower first half would have resulted in a sub 2:50 marathon, although its equally as likely that I could have gone slower as I would have been further back when the sun came out and heated everyone up..
• I didn't enjoy the last third.  I had visualized picking off people along the embankment, when in reality I mostly held my position.  I seen people collapsing and piles of sick and excrement on the pavement,  whilst it provided some encouragement that I wasn't that bad it wasn't a pleasant environment to be in.   I got into a zone in the last third where the crowds didn't matter, every part of me was focussed on keeping running to the finish and I ignored the surroundings (helped by keeping my hat visor down - although this made for some awful pictures)
• Heat.  I suffered in the heat, although not as bad as I could have.   This is likely due to the lack of warm weather training and also not meeting my weight goals (theory is that with more fat, your body heats up quicker). 

Overall

7 out of 10.  A significant pb, but I didn't quite get the time I could have done based on the predictor websites and probably didn't maximise my performance in the conditions.