G’day all,

I am alive and I’ve run a marathon.

My( unofficial) time was 4 very long hours plus 59 very painful minutes... and change. It was 28C temp. and running into gale winds for the last 17+Km along beach road made it a little harder.

If you’re interested, let me talk you through it;

- Wake up at 0545. Cereal, toast (with Vegimite) and small coffee. Drive to MCG at 0615

- Park at MCG by 0655, apply sun cream. Eat chocolate energy bar.  Toilet stop in G (mustn’t do a Paula Radcliffe, must I?). Walk to start and soak in the atmosphere. 

- National anthem, ‘Fight-them-on-the-beaches’ type speech from someone and a 0730 start.

- Slip into gear, keep a few paces ahead of the 4hr 30min pacer.  This is great

- Water and powerade about every 3kms, energy gel packets every 9 Kms

- 21km half-way mark. Feeling really well, but legs have started to tighten up

- 23km, Shelley and kids are there, sign and balloons. Stop to have a great moment and a few photos. Give me some jelly beans.

- 25km, the wind is bloody hard work, can feel calf tightening. Walk for a bit

- 28km, hamstring cramp.  Its OK, this happened to me in training. Stop, stretch and walk for a bit then start running

- 31km, think I’m through the worse. Feeling OK but very slow…

- Run, walk, stretch calfs etc. drinking like a horse, eating whatever sweets on-lookers are handing out

- 37km, eat Final energy gel packet

- 40km, got my eye on the clock, should be OK to beat 5hrs

- 40.1km. calfs are cramping a lot now. Lots of walking

- 41.5km, can’t run. See Shelley and kids outside stadium. Nice moment. Olivia and Tom join me to run inside the G and circuit on pitch. Only I can’t run anymore. Have to call the kids back! Walk around the G (too heavy for Olivia and Tom to carry), finish holding their hands. 

- T+ 1hr coldwater bath, T + 1.30hrs hot bath

- 1 hr sleep, chicken salad for T, leg massage from Shell and early to bed

You know, it really was a great thing to do.  A lot more enjoyable than all the training. Despite the fact that I can hardly walk because my legs are so sore, I feel pretty good.

Will I run another one?  I think I’ve got another one in me. Not for a long time though. But how about London Marathon sometime? I could run with my brother Phil. In a pantomine horse outfit...and he can be the back half.

Thanks for all the notes/calls wishing me luck and to see how I did. Its been a lot of fun. And to think that 7yrs ago yesterday, I was unconscious in intensive care. Just shows what is possible. 

Thanks to the 60+ families/couple/individuals who’ve donated to Headway through justgiving.  Finally, thanks to Shell for helping me to do it.

No more fundraising emails, I promise.