For any serious distance runner, the marathon is one event that you just HAVE to tackle at some stage. Having convinced myself for so long that I was happy doing half marathons, curiousity finally got the better of me, and I finally relented and competed in a full marathon in late 2013 in Auckland.

I had a goal of running under 3 hours, but in reality I was actually chasing something closer to 2:50. In hindsight, this was far too ambitious for a first marathon and also for where I was at with my training base. I had gone through half way at 1:24, which was on track for my goal time, but I was almost completely spent by 29km, and struggled home with a 2nd half at 1:30, to finish with a time 2:54. As you would expect, I learnt a lot about where my weaknesses were and determined to work hard on these in the following months before tackling my next marathon in July 2014.

Having raced a fantastic PB at the half marathon at Gold Coast in Australia in July 2013, I was really looking forward to returning in 2014 to do the marathon. This time around though, I was determined to ensure that I was truly prepared to run this properly. A flat and fast course would mean that I was assured of getting a quicker time than the Auckland race which is undulating for the first half of the race. There were, however, 2 key elements that I had to fix ahead of this race:

1) Strength and endurance
- Having only had 3 months of proper build up with long runs before my first marathon, I knew that I would have to start long runs much earlier in 2014 to have the baseline fitness to properly complete a marathon.

2) Nutrition
- Gels were a given, but I also started experimenting with some Cliff Shot Blocks in March to maintain a constant stream of glucose coming through so that I could maintain steady glycogen levels throughout the race

I started heavy training in February and every Sunday meant 2.5 hour plus long runs with a minimum distance of 26km through to my longest at 40km. This was very difficult initially, as being rather miserly in training, I rarely took fuel and fluids with me on these Sunday runs until later in the piece when it was pointed out to me that the whole point of long run training is in fact to simulate racing conditions. So whilst for up to 60 mins, I could get away without water and fuel, for anything longer, I really needed to prepare as I would for a race to get the best possible training effect. Getting the distance done on a Sunday was generally a matter of perseverance, though once I started fuelling properly, I found I could get a more consistent pace and be stronger throughout the race.

To help keep things interesting, as usual, I interspaced my training with regular racing of half marathons every 4 weeks to check that my fitness was in check. My coach had explained to me that the simplest way of calculating your predicted marathon time is to double your season best half time, then add on 10 mins. For me, this would mean a time of around 2:50, which I was very keen to achieve. I had also entered a series of 10km races to keep my speed up, though these were less than ideal as they tended to interrupt my Sunday long run preparation every 3-4 weeks, and I was resigned to trying to add in some running before and after the races to build in some additional distance. One thing I did achieve with it was improved speed over a sustained period, with a couple of 10km PB's during this period.

So, the final weekends rolled by and before long it was taper time ahead of the Gold Coast Marathon. What a tough couple of weeks!! Day 1 of taper was a rest day, and I couldn't help myself but go out for a light run! Things did improve though, and I took heed of the wise advice to rest up and allow the body to start to recovery from the heavy training and refresh ahead of the marathon.

In the final week, I had a few light runs every second day, and a sports massage to loosen up the muscles ahead of the race. Finally I was ready and primed.

On the Friday before the race, I flew up to the Gold Coast, checked into the apartment and then headed down to race registration. Then it was a carb dinner with the coach for some final tips ahead of the race day.

Saturday morning was an opportunity for my wife and kids to get involved with the race weekend via the 5.7km fun run and the kids 2km dash. A great way to gently warm up ahead of the marathon on Sunday, plus some excitement for the kids who earned their very own race medal, running all the way over the 2km distance.

It was a very early night on race eve, into bed a 8pm! To be honest, I was still on NZ time, having come across to Australia a few days earlier. I had a fantastic sleep, and it was the first time ever that a 4:30am wake up felt easy! This allowed me ample time to go through my breakfast and pre-race preparation ritual in the morning.

At 5:30am, I left to get the shuttle to the race precinct, and found I had to warm up earlier than expected with a brief dash for the bus which was about to pull away when I approached the stop! On arrival at the race HQ, the half marathon was about to get underway, and there were 10,000 participants involved. It was quite a sight watching the entire field get away- not something that I have ever previously experienced as a spectator, despite having run around 20 half marathons in my time. Eventually the field finally cleared, and I was able to cross into the race HQ and start preparing for the race.

It was dark still, but sunrise came quickly. I did a light jog for 5mins, then some stretching and had some water, before ditching my race bag and heading for the starting chute. It was already quite crowded, but I managed to get in close enough to the front area behind where the elites start. I was surprised to get a tap on the shoulder before the race from a fellow Twitter friend @jsryding, who was also chasing glory in the marathon.

The race was preceded by a rev up speech from running legend Rob De Castella, Australia's fastest ever marathoner and a national hero, then the national anthem was sung, and we were away...

It was a slower start than I was used to with some stragglers managing to get into the front area of the start line holding up the field of 5,600 participants. After a couple of minutes I found some more open space and started to get into my race pace as we crossed a bridge and headed south along the course.

I had planned to try and sit on 3:55 pace for the first half of the race (aiming to average at 4:00/km, taking into account fatigue towards the end of the race), however this seemed difficult to achieve early on in the race as I experienced some tightness in my right shin which was slowing me up for the first 8km. I decided not to worry too much, and instead focused on doing my 5km splits in under 20 mins. Every few seconds saved here would be gold at the back end of the race...

At 7km, I passed Surfers Paradise which is where my family was waiting to cheer me on. Always a fantastic sight to see everyone so excited and enthusiastic as I run by! During this time, I started checking my pace with fellow runners and trying to find a suitable group to latch onto to help me maintain my pace. This was rather difficult as there seemed so much variability between the runners- some just pushing a little too fast for me, and others which were inconsistent with their pacing, and at times coming well off goal pace.

Eventually I caught up to a female runner who seemed to be rock solid with her pacing- consistent 4:00/km pace. We had a brief chat and found that we were aiming for a similar racing strategy, so I stuck with her over the greater part of the race.

The race headed south with a few minor turns until 15.5km, before turning around and heading back. I had prepared well with my fuel and gels, taking on the Clif Shot Blocks every 20 mins and a gel every 8km. There were plentiful drink stations to help with hydration, so I was feeling really good all the way along. I had crossed half way at 1:24, which was a minute slower than my initial plan, but I was feeling very strong, so was confident that I had the strength to hold on much longer at the back end of the race to make up some time.

Even when I came back through Surfers Paradise at 24km, I said to my wife "I'm all good!", which was not expected given my previous marathon experience!!

So I pushed on through 30km, and soon was crossing back over the race precint at 31km. It was here where the spectator support was at its greatest, and hence it gave all competitors a fantastic lift as we trudged north towards the final turn around at 36.5km. I had some friends supporting who yelled encouragement, and the race announcer was also doing a great job of motivating the runners. The first of the elite were also passing in the opposite direction as they neared the finish of their race, some 40 mins ahead of me. I decided that I felt strong, and with only around 10km to go, decided to see if I could lift my pace and finish with a wet sail.

I increased my speed to a 3:55 pace and started to make some fantastic in roads on runners ahead of me. My coach started to yell out some encouragement and tips as I passed 32km. As I went pased another runner at pace, he called out in surprise and said "Wow, you left your kick to quite late!". I replied with "We'll see, there's still ages to go..."

So I was fuelled up, hydrated, and going strong, happy to run alone now, when suddenly I started to cramp...

First my right calf and groin, then my left calf. Everything started to give way and I had to back off and go into preservation mode. I had experienced similar cramping during my first marathon in November 2013, but I was so much better prepared this time, and given that I was feeling so good, this came as quite a surprise. I tried a couple of times to re-engage, but the cramps came straight back. I couldn't believe it- I almost started crying... All this work and preparation, and everything going so well, and then my machine breaks down.

I started to slow considerably as I resolved that I had to try and nurse myself for the next 7km home and hope that I could still better my previous time. I took on some electrolyte drink to try and remedy the situation, but did not expect anything to change. It was a hard 2km to the turn around as other runners started to pass me and despite all my efforts, I was unable to respond. This is of course the hardest part of a marathon- the long and lonely last 7-8km. My pace had drifted out to 4:07, which was costing me valuable time, but my legs were burning and refused to obey my brain to go any faster. I struggled to the turnaround at 36.5km and then started to slowly work my way back south towards the finish line. More electrolyte drink at the next drink station, though I wasn't thirsty...

At around 39km, my coach had crossed the course and started yelling at me as I approached. This surprised me somewhat, as I was in limp home mode feeling sorry for myself as I watched my pace slowly blow out on my GPS, and whilst everyone else was getting supportive encouragement, I was getting verbal abuse!! "Jules, stop looking at your watch!! Keep your head up and chase!! Pass as many people as you can... Just RUN!!! Keep your head up and chase!! Pass as many people as you can.. Come on, just RUN!!!" Peter bellowed at me over and over as I passed. I started to swing my arms harder in a vain effort to muster some speed. 500m down the road, I could still hear him screaming at me! Then suddenly, it worked! I was able to pick up some speed and the cramping had gone. I was in all sorts of pain, but I knew this was the home stretch, I recognised this part of the course from last year when I had done the half marathon. It was a long relentless straight which can only be overcome by running and running as hard as you can!!

My pace picked back up to 3:55/km and I started to pass a few other runners as I closed in over the last km of the race. I could see the turn off to the finish chute, but it was still some 500m away, but I was now determined to finish fast. The pain was almost unbearable, but I was not going to slow up now, and as I peeled off to the left for the final 400m to the finish line, I caught a glimpse of the finish line and the race clock. As I neared, I could see that it was in the low 2:49 range. I knew then that I was going to finish under my 2:50 goal time, so I motored along until I finally crossed that magical line.

I remember stumbling over the finish line in my first marathon just 8 months earlier and being so exhausted that I could barely stand. This time I was in much better shape, and tired, but not quite as spent. It was quite an emotional moment though as I had finally achieved what I had set out to do from April 2013. So close to 18 months of work and around 4,500km of running had finally paid dividends for me with the most satisfying finish.

I grabbed a piece of fruit, some bottled water, then the prized finishers medal and t-shirt. I then took a proud walk down through the recovery area to the race precinct where friends were waiting for me. I was told that I had finished 80th overall out of 5,600 competitors. Also, despite the near disaster from 33km, I had only lost about 1.5 mins from my overall race pace. To me, that is opportunity to chase down at the next race!