44'16"

Here's a map of a route I've been running for months:





I started on 48, 49 minutes to do this. Gradually I whittled this down to 46-something, which I took as a good time. Turn of the year, suddenly I'm sub-46 and all I can think of is sub-45.

I ran 45'02"as I stopped for a bus at the finish line for the route (a zebra crossing). Then I ran 45'00"19 and started to think I was never going to crack 45 minutes.

This morning I ran 44'16" in probably my last hard run before the marathon, in broad and brilliant sunshine all the way.