I’d just like to thank those that have sponsored me again this time round.

I’ll be posting a full report soon, this time with photos and video clips. Stay tuned!

Just minutes after completing the Dublin Marathon 2008

Just a quick note to say that I successfully completed the Dublin Marathon 2008 on Monday in a PB-smashing time of 5h:27m:47s.

I’ll be posting a fuller account later. In the meantime, I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who supported me and gave generously. If you haven’t donated, you’re not too late – my justgiving.com fundraising page will be accepting donations right up until the end of January next year.

As I passed through the energy station on Ravensheugh Road for the second time – this time, thankfully, going down hill – I was encouraged again by the prospect of only two more miles to go. Running past mile 25 was a psychological milestone, because it meant I had only one mile left to go, then 385 yards to the finish line. I knew the finish line was close, even if my legs were complaining that it was still too far away!

Turning onto Linkfield Road, I could see the racecourse in the distance. Finally the race was coming to an end. I passed the 26 mile marker just before running into the raceground. There were still plenty of spectators lining the final 385 yards to cheer me on, including my parents, who recorded the moment for posterity. A slight kink in the course brought me alongside the grandstand, then across the finish line. I had completed the marathon in 6h 27m 48s. I felt glad to have finished, but I was too exhausted to feel much else.

I was then ushered through the finishers processing area, where my timing chip was removed, I was garlanded with a medal and given an energy drink, a bottle of water and a banana for my efforts. Then I walked round to the winners enclosure where I had my photo taken and met up with my parents again.

Even though I was exhausted, I didn’t feel like collapsing in a heap or that I hadn’t enough strength to stand up. I had read that the best advice after finishing a marathon was to stay standing and keep moving, otherwise there was a serious possibility that my muscles would just lock up. I only really started to feel the worst of it about an hour after I’d finished. My muscles were creaking like an old iron gate in need of some WD40. We went out for lunch later, but I was too tired even to finish my food. I was fading fast and didn’t even stick around for dessert. the worst thing was dreading how I would feel the next morning. Would I be able to get out of bed or would my legs seize up overnight? Fortunately, my stretches prevented this from happening. It took me another three days for the aching to reside.

Now I’m fine and on top form again. I really enjoyed the whole experience of running a marathon and I think it made all those five and six o’clock starts in training worth it. Now that I have a personal best of 6h 27m 48s, there’s just one thing left to do…beat it by running another marathon!