Insectember

[Sweder]

I admit, without shame, to shedding a silent tear or two of joy and pride this morning.
Let no-one doubt, this has been the toughest of all our trials with this beast of a race, and that makes your triumph all the sweeter. There was a real chance, even given your superb lead-in to the run, that you wouldn't make the finish. Psychologically that collapse on the road to Canberra must have weighed a metric ton along those brutally hard yards, before the euphoria of near-death lifted you to your glorious finish.

If I hadn't already signed up for a spring marathon I'd be hunched over my computer, trawling the net for some ugly brute of a race. Your courage has touched all who visit here, and we are proud to call you 'friend'. Don't sweat on the 'what went wrong' too much. To be honest, there always seems to be a moment like that in these affairs. You've given me a timely reminder that, next time I start allowing excuses to surface, when the wind and rain lash the windows on a cold Autumnal morning, I need to hold them under 'till they drown, kicking and wriggling, before sinking back into the murky depths.

I salute you, Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man, warrior, slayer of dragons.
Rest well, and thank you for one hell of a start to the week.