How to run a marathon PB

• Do a few training runs
• Acquire every cold and flu virus in your city, preferably in the month leading up to the marathon, just to make sure you don't over-train.
• Give yourself an injury to something vital, like, say your foot, with less than a week to go. Spraining a toe is suitable.
• Run a marathon with perfect conditions: 18C maximum, cool gentle breezes, flat course. It may be a little hard to guarantee those conditions, but you can at least pick one!
• When you get tired and your legs are sore, keep running.

There, easy isn't it? Auckland Marathon was today, and after debating whether I would even start the race because of a cold still hanging around and a rather sore toe, I managed to keep running longer than I have before - I only briefly walked around the 39km mark. By that stage I was not exactly running fast, but I did manage to keep going, and finished in 4h18:47, which just so happens to be 19seconds faster than I managed in 2008 at the Gold Coast.

I'm certainly happy with that.