Sunday May 16th 2010, the Salzburg Marathon, 42.2km

12 months hard training washed away on the wet, cold and windy streets of Salzburg. Everything goes wrong. Feel bloated, tired, stressed and most of all cold at the start. First half marathon fine (ish) 1.27.10. Maybe half a minute down on what I would have liked but nothing to worry about. Good job we can't see into the future yet or I would have stopped at the end of the first lap. Second lap nearly destroys me. at 25km I start to worry. At 30km I know things are going to go wrong. At 32km it happens. Stomach cramps, leg cramps, brain cramps. Decide to try and get to 37km where there is a 200m tunnel through to the finish. Get there and can't face the ignomony of quitting. Decide it is better to crawl home and finish than to quit. The one decision of the day I don't live to regret. No longer able to make sense of watch and believe I will come home in around 3.30. Comes as quite a shock to cross the line in 3.01.56. Wife and photographs confirm I look as bad as I feel.