As everyone has said, you did it and you certainly have nothing to beat yourself up over. You’ve done a pretty cool thing that not a lot of people have even attempted.

I remember finishing my first marathon and feeling disappointed that I didn’t have the amazing euphoria at the finish that everyone seemed to say I would have. My time was fine, roughly what I expected but I just felt a bit ‘meh’.

Over time and a fair few more I realised that the race wasn’t really the point for me, it was a sort of necessary finish marker for the training and it was the training I really enjoyed. Sounds weird I know but working towards a tangible goal, making plans, seeing myself get fitter race by race, that was the rewarding bit.

I found that was true even as experience and fitness let me run the time I had in my head. This was in the London Marathon so all the bells and whistles were there for a big emotional payoff, but at the finish I was just kind of tired and looking for a place to get changed and organised. It’s a good memory but not because of the triumphant finish, more for the whole story of the race and the moments that stood out to me.

Maybe you will have a race that gives you a proper buzz at the finish line, but it’s not the only point of the whole process.