2016 was brilliant: the conditions were good and I’d stuck to the training plan which meant I managed to keep up an even pace before tailing off a bit at mile 25. Got home in 3:31, so a minute off target but still happy enough! What seemed to help was having a plan for fuelling during the race: I can’t stand the energy gels so carried two bars of chocolate Kendal mint cake instead to eat at miles 7, 13, 18 and 22. That helped both in terms of energy but also mentally, as it kind of broke the race up into chunks which meant you could just focus on / look forward to getting to the next chocolate fix rather than worrying about the number of miles remaining!
2018 on the other hand was absolute carnage: it was that year with the crazy heat in April and the entire course was like a battlefield with runners receiving medical attention everywhere. Also I hadn’t stuck to the training plan, hadn’t done enough long training runs, and so by the time I got to mile 8 I was fucked. I basically half ran, half walked the remaining 18 miles, and couldn’t wait to get out of there away from the noise, the crowds and the bastard in a tree costume who kept overtaking me each time I stopped.
I don’t think there’s any rocket science to marathons to be honest, main thing is that in my experience at least you can’t get away with not doing the training and expect to wing it on the day, as you can (to an extent) with 10ks or even halves.
Also, if you know someone or have the spare cash, I think getting regular physio / sports massage during the training period helps enormously, as your body is taking a helluva pounding and the last thing you want is for something to break or go ping two weeks before the event!
I’m actually doing London again this year, still quite unfit so hoping to use this thread for some motivation to get my arse back into gear!